Today, there is a large market for miniature elephant figurines. The popularity of elephant figurines is growing throughout the world. One explanation of this phenomenon may be due to the environmental movement and the plight of the elephant. However, the ecumenical movement in the world regarding religions may have an important role in the growth and diversity of meanings surrounding elephant figurines.
Many scholars avoid considering animal worship as a form of religion due to the broad and often elusive interpretations given to animal worship. However, the elephant has a long tradition as being regarded as a deity. With the advent of the internet, worldwide sharing of ideas and religious beliefs is a popular avenue of investigation of religions. The popularity of the elephant figurines may give a clue to the spread of ideas and interest in the elephant as a deity. The western world is discovering the religious implications of the eastern cultures as they relate to the worship of elephants.
In Thailand, the white elephant has special religious implications. One of the beliefs is that the white elephant contains the soul of a dead person. When a white elephant is captured it is brought to the king to be kept for its natural life. The white elephant cannot be bought or sold. In a special ceremony the white elephant is baptized and feted. Upon the death of the white elephant it is mourned like a human beings death.
In Cambodia the white elephant is revered as the one who brings luck to the kingdom. This belief is also held in Ennarea in southern Ethiopia. One of the beliefs that surround the gift of an elephant figurine is a good luck charm. Many women were an elephant figurine on their charm bracelets to indicate or maybe hope for good luck.
In India, the popular Hindu god Ganesha is the image of an elephant head with a human torso. This image represents the deity of the elephant. This is a form of elephant worship that is interpreted as the elephant gave rise to the creation of humanity. In Sumatra there is evidence of an ancient elephant culture that made stone elephant figurines that became the “seats of the souls” in the Sumatran culture.
Another rather morbid elephant figurine is found in North Borneo. Wooden elephant figurines were placed on the top of bamboo poles and erected after the tribal chieftain had collected a certain number of human heads. You may want to consider this image the next time you see an elephant figurine. However, the writer would rather consider the elephant figurine as a symbol of good fortune.
