Spiritual Beliefs In The Sacrifice
The spiritual beliefs of the characters in The Sacrifice had a powerful influence on their choices throughout the course of the novel. Their most influential beliefs include their faith in dreams, ceremonies, prophecies and superstitions. For example, because of a prophecy in a dream, the Apsaalooka believed Grizzlyfire would die young and her twin Born-great would become the greatest Apsaalooka to ever live. In envy, Grizzlyfire broke his charm or ‘medicine’ carrying good fortune. Born-great died soon after, and she thought she was responsible for his death and believed his ghost continued to haunt her after she left her village. The spiritual beliefs of these characters influenced their decisions for Born-great died after being taken to battle
for his good fortune, fulfilling the prophecy, and caused Grizzlyfire to be both discouraged and motivated to become a great warrior.