The witch Ayesha
The strongest image in the novel is the image of a white witch. In the black tribal communities of north-eastern Africa, the whiteness of Ayesha's skin is spooky and ominous, as if she were a ghost. Plus, the tribes have generations and generations of stories with the woman, so they know she is immortal. She is a witch with magical powers who got those powers by stepping into lava. In other words, the source of Ayesha's magic is her voluntary participation in death. This lets her live forever, which is a symbol for some kind of religious transcendence. This is an undeniable instance of the archetype sometimes referred to as the Femme Fatale, or sometimes it is called the Anima. The premise is simply that the woman in question should be so beautiful she can do whatever she wants (which Ayesha is), and that the woman should be selfish and manipulative, offering a kind of love that serves her interests. In other words, she is an absolute heartbreaker.
Ustane as a symbol for true love
Ustane is an unlikely character, because she volunteers to love Leo before she knows him, just based off of her impression of him. But, then when that love is tested, she hits a home run. She throws herself on him to protect him from spears. She tends to him in his wounded illness. She journeys with him to get him healed, and when Ayesha decides to take Leo for herself, Ustane proudly defies her and accepts her death. This makes Ustane a symbol for true love. She does all the things that indicate a person really loves another person, and when the villain kills her, she dies a hero's death.
The motif of religious mysticism and the occult
The motif of religion comes up early, since the tribal people claim there is an ancient priestess whom the worship as a goddess. When they arrive at Ayesha, the witch in question, she is indeed magical. She can kill with magic, she can reanimate dead corpses, she can perplex those who see her face, and she can do a whole litany of other things, like reading minds and influencing other people's emotions. These form a motif of superhuman abilities. The implicit question of the motif is, "What are the true limits of human power?" Ayesha is designed to challenge the reader's imagination.
Cannibalism and its meaning
When they get to Africa, the Amahagger people have their own customs. When Mohamed shows up with Leo, Job, and Horace, they decide to eat Mohamed. In an attempt to save themselves from the cannibals, the white men begin killing the tribe with bullets, but one of the bullets passes through a tribesman and kills Mohamed. In other words, the violence didn't save Mohamed (which is a sign for non-violence). Also, cannibalism ends up being a symbol for something else—for Ayesha's narcissistic position on love. She casually murders a man's wife to have him for herself. She has a cannibalistic approach to love, because she is all about consuming the other person's attention.
The Sherd of Amenartas
The Sherd of Amenartas is a family heirloom that Leo's father bequeathes to his son in a box that remains closed until Leo's 25th birthday. That means that the Sherd represents Leo's quest to re-identify with his father's story. This journey toward his father's legacy is represented in this symbol in two ways: in its content which is about Leo's ancestors, and its age—the document is ancient. The implications are that Leo's life is sacred and important, but he must find out why.
