The mighty elephant, usually used in the past as a mode of transportation, is one of the strongest animals in this world. It may not be the most graceful animal, stumbling upon its feet, but this animal is known to serve royalty. Thus, it is a royal animal.
What is Elephant Symbolism?
Elephant symbolism is a reminder of how we must take care of ourselves before helping others. Reminding yourself of your importance and taking care of yourself is what the elephant represents and is all about. The animal is a symbol that portrays how one should nourish themselves and constantly work on the growth of different parts of their personality.
In the past, elephant symbolism was directly related to good luck as well as wisdom. Fertility, protection, love, and loyalty are all aspects that reflect the features of an elephant and what makes it important. Their heavily-built body can welcome a victorious end, or even protect one from a threatening casualty.
Willful and instinctive protectors, elephants are defined for these symbols as they roam the land with their heads held high. Strength is not enough; one should be able to control their qualities and use them in a way that would welcome a fruitful result. Incorporating what the elephant symbolizes is when one’s mind works to achieve a defined purpose.
Where Does Elephant Symbolism Come From?
The humongous size and shape of the elephant are due to its qualities of strength and power. Despite being intimidating and bulky in stature, these gentle creatures are harmless and caring, unless one provokes them. They have complete and utter control over their aggression and thus are trusted to be leaders, paving the way for their herd.
In the past, the elephant was utilized by royalties, such as kings and princesses, either as a mode of transportation or to wage wars. Nobility is commonly associated with this idea, and alongside it portrays the concept of honor and dignity. The elephant is a very tenacious animal as they persevere and have the ability to grasp things with ease.
Humans have the innate ability and urge to take care of their younger generation and their elders, which is similar to what the elephant does. It is related to the idea of responsibility. The totem arises, from its nature, to protect, to be loyal, and to create a concrete bond with those they look after.
Elephant Symbolism and Culture
In Asian countries, specifically China and India, and in African states, the elephant symbolizes many things. The elephant represents and welcomes the idea of beauty, dignity, and power. The elephant exudes a sense of peace and intelligence and is a symbol that means the arrival of good fortune and luck.
Elephant symbolism and divinity are definite in many Asian countries. There are ceremonies where people make abundant offerings, wash this animal, and cover it in aromatic oils to showcase their appreciation for this animal. As the elephant is an animal that symbolizes strength and good health, it is only natural for them to take care of it.
Asian culture denotes the elephant as a creature closely related to the cosmos, where they believe that it carries the world on its back. Elephant symbolism stems from other cultures as an animal that is connected to not only divinity and theology, but ancient knowledge as well. This is because the elephant is believed to have a very remarkable memory.
What Does it Mean if You Have an Elephant as Your Spirit Animal?
Where the elephant symbolizes power, strength, and a sense of authority, it does not stop there. Elephant symbolism extends as far as it is your spirit animal, which marks you as a person who has a collected and calm thought process and composure. This is because the elephant is very strategically strong and methodologically inclined to fulfill its tasks, that too, with success.
While the elephant can be your spirit animal, it also acts as a guide. The elephants represent one’s ability to enhance your senses and, ultimately, sensuality. Be it affection, trust, or compassion; this animal is the guiding light that helps you to get in touch with yourself.
If you're curious, check out this Elephant Spirit Animal guide.
How is the Elephant a Power Animal?
The elephant is an animal that is celebrated for its extensive sagacious nature. Where physical power and strength are important for survival, elephant symbolism is related to the fact that they are very wise animals. Thus, having an elephant as your spirit animal makes you knowledgeable.
Having an elephant as your power animal further strengthens your stance, as this animal is believed to retrieve ancient wisdom. An elephant’s symbolism is linked with messages that are projected from divinity, for they symbolize the clouds, due to their gray color and huge build. The lost meanings, secrets, and knowledge of the past can be all sought if you have an elephant as your power animal.
How is the Elephant Related to Totems?
The lion is called the king of the jungle, due to its leadership skills, and elephant symbolism extends there as well. An elephant advocates not only the protection of their herd, related to loyalty but also to protect themselves. A leader takes his or her herd with them, which the elephant does with finesse.
Elephant symbolism relates to a sense of responsibility and duty. Someone who is related to the elephant would take charge of what they have and would be willing to sacrifice their well-being for the greater good.
Elephant symbolism with relation to totems is formulated the day you are born, for the quality of being a responsible individual is on your shoulders. Caring for your elders and the children in your area, and being able to take on certain situations is what defines you as a responsible individual, earning you the totem of the elephant.
Whether it’s the chance to risk your life, or the underlying urge to fulfill your duty is closely related if your totem is an elephant. The symbolism and the totem have a strong social connection as well. This totem promotes one’s ability to seek nature’s help and become a symbol of determination with a sense of leadership.
Where elephant symbolism extends to a far end, acquiring this animal’s totem means being able to work past all of the issues and problems that one may face. Where they use their tusks to remove anything that blocks their path, having an elephant as your totem means that you can look past the problem and find a plausible solution.
Elephants and the Native Americans
Elephant symbolism and Native Americans go hand-in-hand, but the Native Americans encountered this animal rather late. An indigenous tribe in the Southeastern Woodlands state of the USA would relate the elephant to medications. For memory and intelligence, this animal symbolized a sort of ritual in the Cherokee tribe that was closely related to medicine and cure.
Elephant Symbolism in the East
With a figure so huge and daunting, elephant symbolism in the East is of its exquisite beauty. As stated above, the cosmic relation that is associated with this animal is unreal. The elephant is one of the animals that symbolizes happiness and good health and is even worshipped in many Eastern-based countries.
Elephant and the Celts
The symbolism in the Celts is linked with the element of surprise. In the past, this animal was used in battles that not only led the battles to be victorious but also left the Celts in a state of shock for they had never encountered an animal so grand in stature.
Elephant Symbolism and Buddhism
Elephant symbolism in Buddhism is closely interlinked, for it relates to the mind. The Buddhists relate the mind to two different types of elephants: white and gray. Where the white elephant symbolizes a sense of peace and calm, controlled by our will, the gray elephant is the exact opposite, violent, fueled with rage, tromping on the ground with stubbornness.
From Buddha’s birth, the significance of elephants grows into a religious belief. Elephant symbolism is dignified for Queen Maya, Buddha’s mother, who dreamt of a white elephant that gave her a white lotus flower, circumambulating around her three times, and entering her womb. It was this vivid dream that made her understand the divinity that it held, and she was thus, able to bear a child.
Elephant Symbolism and Hinduism
Elephant symbolism in Hinduism is related to their strong religious history and belief. Ganesh, the Indian god, has an elephant head. Everyone wants good luck and good fortune, which the god symbolizes and is the reason why it is prayed to.
Hinduism and the symbolism extend further as it is paired with the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi. Together, Ganesh and Lakshmi depict a power couple who ‘open the way.’ This is for success in one's personal life or family life.
Water and rain are associated with the god Indra in Hindu belief. Elephant symbolism is fused with Hindu mythology, which clearly states that Indra was a god who rode a white elephant and was in control of thunder, rivers, and rain. Moreover, the elephant became a royal animal, for it was used to carry the likes of gods and kings.
Elephant Symbolism and Christianity
Elephant symbolism and Christian theology are connected by the belief that these animals are chaste and patient. A mammal that has full control over its temperament. This animal represents Adam and Eve in the form of a man and a woman. The ancient artworks and Bestiaries state that this animal is of great symbolic importance in Christian belief.
The elephants were believed to be creatures without joints in their knees, and, therefore, represented the fall of man, of Adam and Eve specifically. This symbolism in Christianity, linked to the fact that an elephant is fallen, is a person who has gravely sinned. Moreover, the chaste demeanor of this animal is apparent, for they have no adoration of what is worldly and fleeting.
Elephant Symbolism and the Chinese Culture
Elephant symbolism and Chinese culture are intertwined because they associate this powerful animal with happiness. In Feng Shui, the elephant represents a symbol of wisdom and good luck. An elephant with its trunk raised illustrates good luck, whereas, with its trunk down, it symbolizes fertility.
The idea does not stop here. In Chinese culture, two elephants situated at an entrance are meant to denote protection. In Chinese culture, they believe that the elephant holds our world on its back, making it a being that is stable and powerful.
Elephant Symbolism and Other Areas of the World
Elephant symbolism is closely related to a religious group based in the country of Denmark. The Order of the Elephant is the religious group that familiarizes the animal with piety. Gentleness and controlling their temperament are other primary features present in this religion.
Where a religious group relates the elephant with piety, another group relates the animal with necromancy. Heliodorus, a mage so powerful and utterly stagnant, would change itself into this grand animal. Elephant Symbolism is related to magic and sorcery in what is closely associated with the Sicily Elephant Spirit.
The symbolism and the African folktales are related to one another. They represent cooperation and endurance. This animal possesses numerous qualities that hone its cultural importance in different areas.
Being named as excellent Chieftains of the forests that surround them, elephant symbolism does not stop here with the African culture. They are seen as the reincarnation, the new form of their previously passed chieftains, who were a symbol of utmost strength and devotion.
This idea of symbolism in both Hinduism and Buddhism is perhaps the most dominant, where both religions associate it with divinity. This animal is represented as a god, a deity that is worshipped and appreciated in these two religions. The elephant portrays the provision and life that a human is expected to follow.
As per the lifestyle of one who aims to find a sense of semblance or spiritual awakening, elephant symbolism cannot get better than this. This animal is a guide to those people who want to adopt a lifestyle that would make them better. The obedient nature of these animals makes them impossible not to love and adore.
Elephants and Dreams
Dreams leave a very positive meaning and impact. Seeing an elephant in your dream means that you will be able to overcome an issue. Specific to relationships, this animal also symbolizes the responsibility and role one adopts as a member of a new family.
What Does the Elephant Symbolize for Humans?
Elephant symbolism is linked with human nature in the most complex ways because they are believed to have a lot in common. For one, both mammals have evolved and are now more open and aware of the world around them. This makes both humans and elephants beings that are understandably dynamic and can adapt to change.
The elephant's nature to cherish their relationships, teach their offspring, and belong to a tribe or herd is also common with humans. Elephant symbolism with humans illustrates that this animal is emotionally inclined and very strategic. The relationship between elephants and humans shows that they are beings that are similar to us and have almost complementary personalities.
The Elephant and Feng Shui
Elephant symbolism and the Chinese culture have been greatly stated, where the animal is the epitome of beauty, power, fertility, and royalty. As per the Feng Shui symbol, it is believed that the elephant can be something as delicate as a flower, or as huge as an animal and is a guide that complements your intuition and your choices. Elephants are wise animals, kind by nature, and are used in homes and offices to represent different things that can empower the individual.
Symbolism and Feng Shui can have many links and connections, but the connection that one has with this animal or a personal level is not to be mistaken as false.
As Feng Shui energies welcome into any space, elephant symbolism extends to being a source of good luck, protection, and wisdom. The trunk of the elephant holds different significance and is kept into account when choosing this animal for its Feng Shui, as it is both sensitive and strong and utilized for many purposes. An elephant with its trunk up is for good luck, and intertwined trunks mean friendship and love.
Elephants and Fertility
Elephant symbolism and Feng Shui are closely interlinked with the fertility cure, as the elephant’s trunk is seen to be more beneficial, which symbolizes the storage of energy. Moreover, an elephant with its trunk down can overcome obstacles that may fall in its way. This is linked with couples who are looking for ways to overcome infertility, and having this symbol in their homes can motivate them to do so.
Elephants and Protection
Protection and elephant symbolism complement one another dearly, as the animal represents power and strength. Usually, statues of elephants are placed in front of entrances, mainly in Asia, to represent protection and stability. Respectfulness and humbleness are a part of the elephant’s nature, which does not hinder the strength of the animal but rather emphasizes it as the animal exudes an aura that demands respect.
Elephants and Nurturing
The mother elephant cares a great deal for her offspring and would go to lengths to protect them. Thus, elephant symbolism and nurturing are two halves of the same soul. Where the image of a young elephant with its mother represents the love and adoration, the strong bond that exists between a mother and her child.
Elephants and Good Luck
With respect to ancient folktales and religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism of many, good luck and elephants are a match made in heaven. An elephant with its trunk in an upward position allows energy that is positive and allows luck to come to one's disposal. Having any sort of image or figure of this sort can bring luck to your homes or offices.
Elephants and Wisdom
In Buddhism, the elephant depicts divinity and is an animal that is extremely sacred. The animal thus also represents the flow of wisdom and knowledge and placing it in an area would motivate the person to look for wisdom and acquire knowledge of the simplest things.
Elephants and Love
Despite its humongous size and demeanor, this animal is adored for its silliness and is known for symbolizing love. Elephant symbolism is interlinked with Feng Shui because it activates a love relationship. The figure of an elephant is usually in an area that would entice the emotion of love and adoration between two people.
Elephants and Career Success
If you are looking for success, elephants and career success are two peas in a pod, where placing an image or figure of it outside your workplace invites promotion. Where the elephant does impart wisdom, it also represents success. Placing it near your desk or the room you work in also welcomes energy that is favorable to one's success in their career.
Conclusion
The elephant is an animal, that, despite its sheer size and shape, is the most playful and nurturing mammal of all. The symbolism for humans is to give them a source of comfort, complementing their own personality. Where there may be a difference in perception with different cultures and religions, the positive impact of this animal cannot be ignored.
Elephant symbolism is harmonious with culture, religion, and even folktales. An elephant welcomes the presence of wisdom, love, stability, and power, all of that is essential to us human beings. The positive energy that flows within its presence is what makes the elephant stand out from the rest in the animal kingdom.
Karen Hyman
Karen is a Psychic Medium, a Professional Astrologer, a Spiritual Advisor, and a Life Coach who has been in this career for 19+ years. She specializes in numerology, tarot and oracle cards, twin flames, love & relationships, zodiac, horoscope, dreams interpretation, and astrology. She aims to provide comfort and assurance using her abilities to offer answers to those who seek professional guidance. Read More About Karen Here.
