La is a character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels, the queen and high priestess of Opar, a lost city in the jungles of Africa.

The city's population exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism caused by a combination of excessive inbreeding, cross-breeding with apes (which Burroughs treated as possible), and selective culling of offspring.

La is first encountered in The Return of Tarzan,[2] in which the ape man is led to the lost city of Opar by the Waziri tribe, who have raided it in the past for the gold they use for their ornaments.

They spirit away a great treasure, but the bestial Oparians capture Tarzan and condemn him to be sacrificed to their "Flaming God" (the sun).

Again Tarzan is captured, and La is pressured to sacrifice him by Cadj and Oah, a lesser priestess who hopes to displace her.

They take captive Gretchen von Harben, a young white girl they call "Kla", meaning "New La", planning to make her their new high priestess.

By the time of Tarzan the Invincible, rumors of Opar's existence are widespread enough that a Communist-led expedition heads there, seeking its gold to finance a plot to embroil France and Italy in a colonial war.

Tarzan, discovering their presence and purpose in his domain, arrives in Opar ahead of them, only to find La overthrown and Oah in power as high priestess, supported by Cadj's successor Dooth.

She is also assisted by French businessman Renard Dumont, who she has transformed into a gibbon (an animal which is native to Southeast Asia, not Africa).

Since the Disney version of Tarzan is aimed at a younger audience, its La is not nude, but wears a bikini-like loincloth and a top exposing her arms and midriff, both made of panther fur and decorated with animal teeth, as well as jewelry.