Symbolism and meaning of the elephant spirit around the world
Many nations around the world derive fantastic meaning from the world around them and the animals with which they share their world. Elephants are native to Africa and Asia and are featured in many mythological and cultural traditions.
What is a spirit animal? Can elephants be spirit animals?
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Simply put, an elephant cannot be a spirit animal. The term “Spirit Animal” is unique to Native, Indigenous and First Nations people, especially those in North America. Since elephants are not native to North America, they cannot be considered a spirit animal.
Additionally, First Nations and Indigenous peoples find it quite offensive when others appropriate the term “Spirit Animal”. Spirit animals are a sacred cultural zeitgeist for Indigenous and First Nations peoples. We must treat them with the utmost respect.
For more information on spirit animals, consider reading this article from the National Museum of the American Indian. It explains why adopting spirit animals and clans into your “ideology” is offensive to them. This article from Discover Magazine also raises crucial local voices into the conversation.
What does the Elephant symbolize?
Of course, the exact symbolism of the elephant will vary based on what culture you are researching. However, most cultures view the elephant positively as a symbol of power for its prowess in war. Thus, many African and Asian religions view the elephant with great reverence. On the other hand, however, there are some cultural depictions of the elephant as a negative symbol.
In general, elephants symbolize wisdom, intelligence, memory, strength and protection. This comes from the elephant’s high intelligence, extraordinary memory and ability to recognize and act on emotions. They are even intelligent enough to turn to a corpse and desecrate it in cold blood! Additionally, elephants are the largest and strongest land mammal on Earth. It makes sense to honor this powerful creature; after all, 300 people die in India every year in elephant-related conflicts.
Cultural depictions of elephants around the world
Most cultural depictions of elephants come from African and Asian cultures, where these animals inhabit and live among humans. However, depictions of elephants date back to the Stone Age, where we can see them represented in ancient petroglyphs and cave art. Today we see depictions of elephants in art, film, music and even architecture.
Prehistoric descriptions
As we mentioned, the depiction of elephants began in prehistoric times. Since the Stone Age, the peoples of North Africa have depicted the elephant as a symbol of strength, longevity and intelligence. Many African cultures and tribes continue to revere the elephant as a symbol of strength and wisdom.
Some prehistoric depictions of elephants include a Tadrart Acacus rock carving in Libya, the Neolithic rock art of southern Oran, and a white elephant painting in “Philip’s Cave” in Namibia. Additionally, there are images of elephants by San bushmen in the Cederberg wilderness area of South Africa that experts believe suggest the bushmen had a “symbolic association with the elephant”. The research also suggests that the Bushmen had “a deep understanding of the communication, behavior and social structure of elephant family units”. They may have “developed a symbiotic relationship” with elephants that probably lasted thousands of years.
Ancient
Elephant appearances didn’t stop once we left the prehistoric era. As civilizations emerged, so did their beliefs about the animals they lived next to. Ancient Indian rock reliefs often depicted elephants, with the most notable example being this Descent of the Ganges in Mahabalipuram. Moreover, at Unakoti, Tripura, there is a group of reliefs dating back to the year 11th century depicting the goddess Shiva with several elephants.
Asian depictions of elephants
Since Asian elephants are (obviously) native to Asia, these gentle giants have featured in Asian cultures almost universally, both in ancient and modern times. Some gods and goddesses are depicted living alongside these giant animals or as elephants themselves in Asian cultures.
Ganesha
Ganesha goes by many names, including Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar. However, his elephant head is one of his most defining and visible features. He is among the most popular and worshiped deities in the Hindu pantheon. Ganesha is considered the Supreme Lord in the Ganapatya sect of Hinduism.
Hindus don’t just worship Ganesha; Jains and Buddhists also widely worship Ganesha. Its presence is known in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia (the islands of Java and Bali), Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Bangladesh. Ganesha is also widely worshiped in countries with large Indian populations, such as Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius and Trinidad and Tobago.
Ganesha is considered the God of Wisdom, aligning his depiction with other depictions of elephants around the world. He is worshiped as the God of Fortune, New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles.
Airavata
Airavata is a five-headed elephant that carries the deity, Indra. The name “Airavata” means “belonging to Iravata”, referring to Airavata’s mythological father Iravata, of whom he is the third son.
Airavata is depicted in many different forms throughout Southeast Asia, where his names include Erawan, abhra-Matanga, and Naga-malla. Furthermore, Airavata is often depicted in Southeast Asia with three heads instead of five. However, in some traditions, he may be depicted with over 33 heads.
Airavata is featured on many Southeast Asian flags, including the former flag of Laos, the former flag of Thailand (called Siam at the time), and the flag of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Girimekhala
Girimekhala is a giant elephant carried by Mara in the Theravada sect of Buddhism. According to legends, Girimekhala was 250 yojanas. The jojana is an ancient unit of measurement used in India, Thailand and Myanmar, equal to 12-15 kilometers. So Girimekhala was about 3750 kilometers long.
Girimekhala was the mountain of Mara who tried to stop the future Buddha from attaining enlightenment by using his evil army in Theravada scriptures. However, when he did, the Buddha asked the Earth to bear witness to his deeds, and Girimekhala fell before the power of the Buddha’s spirit.
Vinayaka
Vinayaki is an elephant-headed goddess in Hindu tradition. However, it appears only sparingly and does not even have a consistent name throughout its descriptions. Because of her elephantine features, she is often associated with Ganesha, and many of her names, such as Stri Ganesha Vainayaki, Gajananā, Vighneshvari, and Ganeshani, are all feminine forms of the name Ganesha. She is often considered the shakti – or female form – of Ganesha because of her elephantine features and her name being associated with Ganesha.
Sometimes Vinayaki is considered as one of the 64 yogini or Matrika goddesses. However, scholar Krishan believes that Vinayaki, Ganesha’s shakti and the Tantric yogi are three distinct goddesses.
African depictions of elephants
We have many descriptions of elephants from Africa. However, there is less textual knowledge to rely on when trying to understand them. Many of the depictions of elephants we see in Africa are cave paintings and ancient rock art that depict elephants without a clear religious or cultural motif. However, the elephant is depicted on the coat of arms of Ivory Coast.
There are more than a few African myths surrounding the elephant. Some say the elephant was once a human woman whose husband tricked her into taking the form of an animal. Another myth tells of a man who stole the skin of a female elephant and forced her to live as his human wife. A third tale tells of a fight between the mighty elephant and a crocodile which explains why the elephant’s trunk is so long.
The Kamba tribe of Kenya
The Kamba tribe of Kenya tells the story of a poor man who heard of a successful and generous person named Ivonya-Ngia (He who feeds the poor). On arriving at the residence of Ivonya-Ngia, he was offered 100 cattle and 100 sheep. However, he refused this charity, instead seeking the secret of Ivonya-Ngia’s success.
The man was given an ointment and told to rub it on his wife’s canine teeth. After he convinced her to allow him to do so, her teeth grew into large tufts of ivory. The husband took out the bundles and sold them, then impatiently rubbed the ointment on his wife’s teeth again.
This time, however, she did not allow him to bring out the tufts; eventually, her body turned gray and she turned into an elephant. She then ran off into the wild, never to be seen again.
Chad
A similar myth from the nation of Chad tells of a hunter who discovered a beautiful elephant skin in the forest. He took it and later found a young woman crying because she had lost her clothes. He took her and married her, but eventually, she found her hide and escaped back into the woods with him.
Shamanistic depictions of elephants
Kasogonagá
Kasogonagá is a shamanic weather spirit that takes many forms, but is often depicted as a colorful elephant that shoots lightning from its mouth.
According to legend, a man found Kasogonagá slumped to the ground, having fallen from her cloud. He took care of her and she asked him to light a fire so she could ride the smoke up to the sky. He obliged, and she brought rain to the parched land and gave him the powers of a shaman, telling him to ask her if he needed anything.
Final Thoughts
Elephants are majestic creatures and it makes sense that they would be present in the mythology of many cultures. Thankfully, while they have the capacity for violence, elephants are generally peaceful creatures if not disturbed. We should feel blessed that the strongest and largest mammal on Earth is typically gentle with us!
