# Sven Anderssen — The Beasts of Tarzan character guide

> Sven Anderssen in The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Anderssen, the Swede

**First appearance:** 0011-x-the-swede

## Snapshot

A Swedish sailor whose loyalties bend under pressure, caught between helping Tarzan survive and saving his own skin from Rokoff's crew.

## Who they are

Anderssen is a practical man of the sea who finds himself entangled in the kidnapping plot and must choose, repeatedly, between decency and self-preservation. His wavering allegiance makes him unpredictable—a man who might help or betray depending on which way the wind blows. That moral shakiness gives the story a thread of uncertainty about who can be trusted in the jungle.

## Relationships

### [Jane Clayton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/characters/jane_clayton)

_friendship_

Sven is a loyal ally who protects and aids Jane during her captivity and escape attempts.

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

_friendship_

Sven becomes a trusted ally to Tarzan, helping him rescue Jane and fight Rokoff.

### [Nikolas Rokoff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/characters/nikolas_rokoff)

_rivalry_

Rokoff sees Sven as a traitorous obstacle, as Sven helps Jane escape his clutches.

### [Jane Clayton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/characters/jane_clayton)

_friendship_

Sven is a loyal ally who protects and aids Jane during her captivity and escape attempts.

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

_friendship_

Sven becomes a trusted ally to Tarzan, helping him rescue Jane and fight Rokoff.

### [Nikolas Rokoff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/characters/nikolas_rokoff)

_rivalry_

Rokoff sees Sven as a traitorous obstacle, as Sven helps Jane escape his clutches.

### [Jane Clayton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/characters/jane_clayton)

_friendship_

Sven is a loyal ally who protects and aids Jane during her captivity and escape attempts.

## In the story

### [Chivalry or Villainy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/chapters/ix-chivalry-or-villainy)

The cook who secretly understands French, protects Jane, and orchestrates her escape with her child.

### [The Swede](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/chapters/x-the-swede)

Wounded Swede who reveals Rokoff's abduction of Jane and the child; dies after explaining he tried to protect them.

### [XI: Tambudza](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/chapters/xi-tambudza)

Mentioned as the man Rokoff pursued; his flight with Jane and the child suggests an attempt to cross the continent to Zanzibar.

### [XII: A Black Scoundrel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/chapters/xii-a-black-scoundrel)

Cares for Jane and the baby; leads the flight; shows chivalry and devotion; hides Jane when Rokoff closes in.

### [Escape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/chapters/xiii-escape)

Anderssen is recalled as the one who placed the substitute baby in Jane's arms on the Kincaid, and is believed dead.

### [On the Deck of the Kincaid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/chapters/xvii-on-the-deck-of-the-kincaid)

Mentioned as having assured Jane that the only child aboard the Kincaid was the one he brought to her cabin.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/characters/sven_anderssen
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beasts_of_tarzan_se/characters