# Sabor — Tarzan of the Apes character guide

> Sabor in Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** old Sabor, the crafty Sabor, mighty Sabor

**First appearance:** 0007-vi-jungle-battles

## Snapshot

The man-eating lioness whose sudden shadow taught Tarzan fear in the jungle and still haunts Jane's imagination as the shape of terror.

## Who they are

Sabor prowls the jungle as the predator every ape and villager dreads, a name mothers use to frighten children into obedience. She is the primal threat against which Tarzan's courage is measured, the beast whose memory Kala used to soothe her frightened ape-son, and whose kind he must outwit to survive. When Jane shudders in Tarzan's arms, it is Sabor and Histah the snake she is comforted against — proof that even safety in this wild world is defined by what hunts nearby.

## Relationships

### [Tarzan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/characters/tarzan)

_rivalry_

Sabor the lioness is a constant predator threat to Tarzan, and he eventually kills her to prove his prowess.

### [Tarzan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/characters/tarzan)

_rivalry_

Sabor the lioness is a constant predator threat to Tarzan, and he eventually kills her to prove his prowess.

### [Tarzan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/characters/tarzan)

_rivalry_

Sabor the lioness is a constant predator threat to Tarzan, and he eventually kills her to prove his prowess.

## In the story

### [V: The White Ape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/chapters/v-the-white-ape)

The lioness who stalks and attacks Tarzan and his ape cousin at the lake; her scream triggers Tarzan's instinct to dive into the water to escape.

### [VIII: The Treetop Hunter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/chapters/viii-the-treetop-hunter)

The lioness is the target of Tarzan's hunting plan; she escapes his first trap but is later caught.

### [XI: King of the Apes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/chapters/xi-king-of-the-apes)

Encountered by Tarzan on the trail; Tarzan shoots her with an arrow.

### [His Own Kind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/chapters/xiii-his-own-kind)

The lioness whose hide Tarzan tries to fashion into a mantle but fails due to lack of tanning knowledge.

### [At the Mercy of the Jungle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/chapters/xiv-at-the-mercy-of-the-jungle)

Referenced as the lion (Numa) that stalks and is killed by Tarzan.

### [XV: The Forest God](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/chapters/xv-the-forest-god)

Attempts to enter the cabin to attack Jane and Esmeralda, but is pulled out and killed by Tarzan.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/characters/sabor
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tarzan_of_the_apes_se/characters