Elephant tattoo

Have you considered an elephant tattoo for your personal animal totem? Elephant tattoo designs are not too common, but have deep symbolic associations.

Being the largest land animal, elephants have a special place in the animal kingdom. Sadly, they were almost hunted to extinction for the ivory in their tusks, and now only two species – the Asian and the African elephant – remain.

Though mentioned in Greek, Roman, Hmong, and African lore, the Hindu story of the god Ganesha is the richest of the elephant tales. The god Ganesha has the head of an elephant and is often depicted with one tusk, a pot belly, and four arms. Some legends say that he impregnated the virgin goddess Maya, who then gave birth to Buddha. Ganesha is a jolly and good-natured god, and is sometimes depicted in a humorous manner, such as riding on the back of a mouse. Even though the image is whimsical and colorful, do not get a Ganesha-inspired tattoo without thinking it through. He still remains a powerful religious symbol to many Hindus today, and one should be careful not to offend.

Just a regular elephant tattoo still has deep meaning. In India, the elephant is a symbol of power, patience, wisdom, success, prosperity, and benevolence. Ironically, elephants are also a symbol of both chastity and great sexual energy. And, though elephants appear heavy and clumsy, their image is also symbolic of both clouds and gracefulness. The Hmong have similar interpretations, and admonish people not to insult elephants; to do so could lead to destruction of property.

Many of these fascinating interpretations of elephant symbolism comes from the fact that elephants are fascinating creatures. They have a unique social structure in which group of females, as many as 400, band together to raise the offspring – while the males roam alone. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about elephants are their death rituals. Elephants often bury their dead with branches and dirt and, when coming upon the skeletal remains of a deceased elephant, they will pass the bones around from mouth to mouth, then return them just as they found them. No wonder Hmong legends also assume elephants lead spirits of the dead to the underworld.

Contemporary elephant symbolism includes Disney’s flying Dumbo, the pink elephants we allegedly see during detox, the white elephant knick-knacks in our homes we can’t get rid of, the myth of the enormous elephant being scared by a little mouse.

Any tattoo ideas in there?

Well, they say an elephant never forgets. Just as their memory is permanent, so is your elephant tattoo – so plan it carefully.

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