Elephants in Folklore

You would expect elephants to show up in Indian or African folklore, but Scandinavian? The Elephant Prince by Flavia Weedn [JP WEE], is not really about an elephant, it's a story of love and courage:

With only his heart to offer the princess, a poor man's son braves the climb of a steep glass hill to try and bring her happiness. His courage shows that true love can give us the strength to do the impossible.

The illustrator has elected to tell the story using an elephant character.

The more traditional, The Blind Men and the Elephant by Karen Backstein [E BAC], hails from India, and the elephant is integral to the story in which six blind men all touch a different part of an elephant. Each man comes up with a limited idea of what an elephant really is--no one gets the complete picture.


A tale from Africa is retold by Eric A. Kimmel in Anansi and the Talking Melon [JP KIM]. The elephant is the "sucker" in a trick played by the spider, Anansi.

Folktales are not just for kids! Adults might enjoy the collection The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa told by Alexander McCall Smith [398.089 MCC] in which is found the pourquoi story, "Why Elephant and Hyena Live Far from People." McCall Smith is better known as the author of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series [F MCC].