Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar · Chapter
XIII: Condemned to Torture and Death explained
La, the High Priestess of Opar, struggles with her love for Tarzan as she prepares to sacrifice him on the fiery altar.
What happens
La, the High Priestess of Opar, struggles with her love for Tarzan as she prepares to sacrifice him on the fiery altar. Despite her passion, Tarzan refuses her love. As the priests prepare to ignite the pyre, Tarzan summons Tantor, a mad bull elephant in musth, which crashes into the scene. La cuts Tarzan's bonds, and he rescues her from the rampaging elephant, escaping into the trees while Tantor attacks the priests.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Obsession
La's obsessive love for Tarzan drives her to both threaten his life and ultimately save him.
Survival and Adaptation
Tarzan uses his jungle knowledge to summon Tantor and escape the sacrificial pyre.
Vengeance and Justice
La's initial desire for vengeance against Tarzan's rejection gives way to a complex interplay of justice and mercy.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Bound and condemned to sacrifice, he refuses La's love and summons Tantor for rescue.
- La
High Priestess torn between love for Tarzan and her duty to sacrifice him; she ultimately cuts his bonds.
- Tantor
Mad bull elephant in musth, summoned by Tarzan, who attacks the priests and disrupts the sacrifice.
Key passages
““You refuse La!” she cried. “Then die! The torch!” she commanded, turning toward the priest.”
La ordered the priest to light the pyre after Tarzan rejected her love.
La's command to ignite the sacrifice.
““Tantor is coming,” he said. “I thought that he would rescue me; but I know now from his voice that he will slay me and you and all that fall in his path... for Tantor is mad with the madness of love.””
Tarzan warns that the mad elephant will kill everyone indiscriminately.
Tarzan explains the danger of the musth elephant.
“In an instant Tarzan was upon the ground. The priests screamed out their rage and disappointment.”
Tarzan was freed and the priests reacted with fury.
Tarzan's escape after La cuts his bonds.