Lord of the White Elephants

By Suzanne Norquist

As Christmas season approaches, many of us will be invited to “white elephant” gift exchanges. The invitation may specify that guests are to find an unwanted item in their home to bring as a gift to exchange. The gifts themselves don’t have anything to do with elephants but with ancient myths.

Be aware that white elephants are not actually white, not like albinos in other animal species. They tend to be light pink instead of the typical gray. They can look white when wet. This distinction, however, didn’t diminish their value in the eyes of kings in Southeast Asia.

In Buddhist tradition, the beasts were revered as symbols of royal power and divine favor. Kings would collect them and pamper them in the royal stables. Wars were fought over them, particularly between the 1500s and the 1700s. Even today, some countries maintain a small herd.

The Thai and Burmese kingdoms fought the “elephant wars.” A couple of the kings chose to be known by the title “Lord of White Elephants.” Until 1917, the animal appeared on the national flag of Siam.

These valuable animals were seldom given as gifts, and few could afford to keep them. In 1514, Pope Leo X received a white elephant named Hanno from King Manuel of Portugal—a great honor. The Pope arranged for a special building to house the animal as part of the papal collections. Sadly, Hanno only lived a couple of years in his new home.

Stories have circulated about ancient kings giving white elephants as gifts to people they didn’t like—those they wanted to ruin. Because the animals were so expensive to keep and impossible to get rid of, the recipient would face financial disaster. However, it is unlikely that these stories are true. The beasts were too valuable to use in this manner.

In 1863, Charles Dickens published a story in the popular magazine, All Year Round, about the King of Siam gifting white elephants to ruin people. Later, an 1873 article from the New York Times also helped to spread the myth.

P.T. Barnum realized the difficulty of maintaining a white elephant when he brought one named “Toung Taloung” or “Gem of the Sky” to New York City. People were disappointed that the animal wasn't white—not compared to the elephant one of his rivals had painted white in order too fool his patrons. The investment didn’t bring the returns he had hoped for.

Since then, many large, expensive projects that didn’t pay out have been referred to as white elephants. The Empire State Building is one. Planned during the Roaring 20s and completed during the Great Depression, it took decades for the building to reach full occupancy. And its fancy docking station for airships (dirigibles) didn’t even work.

What we call white elephant parties today were known as swap parties in the 1880s. The white elephant name wasn't adopted until 1907, taking on the premise of giving useless gifts taking space in one's house. Some women joked that they'd bring their husbands. A year later, guidelines for hosting parties and exchanging gifts appeared in newspaper columns.

If I’m invited to a party this year, I may ask if I can be called the “Lord of the White Elephants.”

What will you bring to a white elephant party this year?

***

Love In Bloom 4-in-one collection

“A Song for Rose” by Suzanne Norquist

Can a disillusioned tenor convince an aspiring soprano that there is more to music than fame?

“Holly & Ivy” by Mary Davis

At Christmastime, a young woman accompanies her impetuous younger sister on her trip across the country to be a mail-order bride and loses her heart to a gallant stranger.

“Periwinkle in the Park” by Kathleen E. Kovach

A female hiking guide, who is helping to commission a national park, runs into conflict with a mountain man determined to keep the government off his land.

“A Beauty in a Tansy”

Two adjacent store owners are drawn to each other, but their older relatives provide obstacles to their ever becoming close.

Republished from Bouquet of Brides

Buy links: https://books2read.com/u/bOOx8K

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Bloom-Mary-Davis/dp/B0FPLFYCXR/

 

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class.