Nights at the Circus Chapter Summary & Analysis - Book 3, Chapter 8 Summary

Book 3, Chapter 8 Summary

Walser submerges himself into the Shaman's culture, which is based solely upon the spiritual and ritual. Walser's language and cultural difference intrigues the people of the Shaman's village even more. Walser picks up on the basics of their language. Although his memory doesn't fully return, he regains his wits. Walser lives in a hut with the Shaman and the Shaman's bear, and he serves as an apprentice. One of the tribe's rituals is for the Shaman to find and keep a bear cub until its first birthday. At this time, someone is chosen to sacrifice the bear in their "god-hut." The sacrifice takes place in order for the bear's spirit to carry messages to the dead and for the tribesmen to gain the bear's strength and power by eating his flesh. Strangely, Walser points out that the person responsible for bringing the bear into the tribe, the Shaman, is the...
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