What does the elephant symbolize in African culture?
In Ancient India, the elephant symbolizes sacred wisdom, dignity, calmness, and kindness.
In Indian mythology, the snow-white Airavata is known, on which the deity Indra, the lord of the gods in Buddhism and Hinduism, rides. Airavata has seven trunks and four tusks. He is the progenitor and king of all elephants. In Hinduism, Ganesha, the god of happiness, prosperity and wisdom, is depicted as a creature with the body of a man and the head of an elephant. It has one tusk and a varying number of arms (from two to thirty-two).
Ganesha was deprived of his “human head” by his father, Shiva, who subsequently put the head of an elephant nearby on him. According to another belief, the god Shani incinerated Ganesha’s head in infancy with his gaze. After this, the god of prosperity and happiness received the head of Airavata. Ganesha bestows mental strength, good memory and prosperity.
In Buddhism, the white elephant is considered a sacred animal. According to legend, he visited Buddha's mother, Queen Maya, announcing to her the birth of a royal child. Temple animals, sparkling with rich decoration, participate in rituals and holidays, and also bless believers by touching their heads with their trunks.
In ancient India they were also used for combat purposes. The giant animals had a strong intimidating effect on their enemies. An elephant with its trunk raised is a sign of triumphant victory.
In African culture, he is revered as a totem animal, serving as the personification of a wise and fair leader. Elephant - the meaning of a symbol of nobility, power, dignity. Some tribes believe that they were once human, but by the will of the gods they were turned into animals.
The ancient Romans believed that he was the incarnation of the god Mercury. With its impressive size, it instilled admiration and fear into the souls of people.
In Thailand, these majestic mammals are especially revered. They are considered sacred and bring great luck. Elephants take part in various festive events, and sculptures depicting them decorate temples, squares and streets.
In Thailand, there is the Order of the White Elephant - a state award awarded for special military and civil merits. In Ancient China, this animal symbolized peace, prosperity, energy, indestructibility, power, wisdom and protection from evil spirits.
The elephant is considered one of the seven “treasures of Buddhism.”
In African culture, as well as in others, a special place was given to the animal world. The inhabitants of ancient Africa not only used various witchcraft and magical rituals in their daily lives, but also endowed the animals living nearby with such abilities. In their opinion, the elephant also had mystical powers.
- strong character;
- deep mind;
- developed intelligence;
- logic and intuition;
- peacefulness and patience;
- integrity.
It was also a symbol of longevity and prosperity. There is evidence that an elephant standing on its hind legs was an adornment of the banners under which warriors went into battle. But an elephant with its trunk raised was a symbol of victory in Africa. Many frescoes that have survived and survived to this day depict the direct participation of these strong animals in battles.
Feng Shui turtle: meaning
Where to put elephants in the house
To achieve certain goals, first of all, it is worth determining the place where the elephant should stand. After all, a lot depends on this choice.
- To attract good luck, the elephant should be placed on the windowsill, with its trunk facing the street. With it, he will, as it were, draw positive energy from the outside. But here you should be careful, as soon as you feel a surge of well-being, the figurine must be turned to face the inside of the apartment, for its further preservation;
- By installing two elephants facing the entrance opening, you can protect your home from negative energy;
- To neutralize the negative energy “Sha” arising from a large number of sharp corners, the so-called “arrows”, figurines must be placed opposite them;
- If you place the talisman in the southeast of the apartment, your financial situation will stabilize;
- In the northwest, an elephant will help attract a strong patron, strengthen the authority of the head of the family, and in the east improve health;
- On the chest of drawers in the bedroom, 2 figures can strengthen family ties and improve relationships;
- The symbol can protect against negative energy at work in the office; for this you need to place an elephant on your desk;
- In a children's room, especially on a desk for studying, a talisman will increase perseverance and efficiency, and attract good luck;
- In a room where a lot of things along with negative energy usually accumulate, a figurine can neutralize its influence on others.
You cannot place figurines in dark corners, next to torn dirty wallpaper, broken things, otherwise their energy may affect the figurines and drown out the positive influence.
Nowadays, elephant figurines are not only confidently returning to our apartments, but it is also customary to give them as gifts. But before you buy such a gift, you need to decide what you want the souvenir elephant to be, a symbol of what? If you give such a figurine, you need to know exactly what you want to wish for its new owner.
If you want to please a woman in a leadership position with such a souvenir, then she needs to buy a silver elephant
Being responsible in her position for the work of her subordinates, it is very important for her to have wisdom in making certain decisions. It is the figurine of a silver elephant that can endow her with such quality
A malachite elephant as a gift is ideal for people who want to start a new stage in their life (find a new job, get an education, open their own business), but are too indecisive for this. A figurine of an elephant made of white marble is an excellent gift for hot-tempered and unbalanced people. This will help them become calmer and more resilient, resistant to life’s adversities.
A crystal elephant figurine would be very beautiful as a gift. It must be treated very carefully, since such an elephant is able to ward off all adversity from its owner and protect it from the blows of fate. It is customary to give a golden elephant (or a figurine made of another yellow metal) as a talisman to athletes.
Maybe someone remembers that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had seven figurines of elephants on their chests of drawers, small or small, lined up by height? Remember? But they, even in those years, had never even heard of the science of Feng Shui and its symbols and talismans, and there were no elephants in Rus'. And then you put up the elephants, and they wiped the dust off them, and they didn’t allow anyone to touch them.
11 elephants - Bring health, strength, energy (provided that you lead a healthy lifestyle. No help for smokers and drinkers!). 10 elephants - Promises positive changes in life. 9 elephants - You can install as many figures in the room of a student child . This talisman helps develop intelligence.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with what you dream about
