White elephant

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White elephant at the Uppatasanti Pagoda in Myanmar

A white elephant (also known as an albino elephant ) is a very rare anomaly in elephants . In both Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand , white elephants have been a symbol of the power and happiness of rulers for centuries.

Thailand

Flag of Siam (1855-1916)

In Thailand the white elephants are called Chang Phueak ( Thai : ช้างเผือก , pronunciation: [ t͡ɕʰáːŋ pʰɯ̀ak ]), they are sacred and a symbol of royal power. Until the beginning of the 20th century, a white elephant adorned the flag of Thailand , which was then still called Siam .

In the ancient Siamese text Traiphum Phra Ruang (The Three Worlds of King Ruang) it is written: “The glorious king possesses seven things: a perfect wife, a skilled treasurer, a wise minister, a horse as fast as an arrow (called“ Valahaka ”) Wheel of Law (called "Cakkaratana") and a precious gem to guide his actions, as well as the noblest of the White Elephants. "

Chroniclers mentioned as early as 1471 that King Borommatrailokanat (he was king of the Ayutthaya kingdom between 1448 and 1488 ) caught a white elephant. The Portuguese explorer and adventurer Fernão Mendes Pinto narrates from his visit to Siam in 1554 that the king's title was "Phra Chao Chang Phueak - Lord of the White Elephants". At the end of the 19th century, the American Frank Vincent wrote a travelogue with the title "In the land of the white elephants", after which the white elephant was widely known as a miracle of the Kingdom of Siam.

All white elephants discovered are presented to the king (usually in a ceremony - they are not captured) according to the law (The Elephant Maintenance Act, 1921). The more white elephants the king has, the greater his reputation. The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej owned ten.

A white elephant in Thailand is not necessarily an albino , but it must have pale skin. Potential candidates are assessed according to various criteria that are laid down in old texts:

  • a white or pink color of the eye around the cornea
  • the palate must be pink and smooth,
  • a characteristic fold of skin on the shoulders,
  • the skin around the tusks is the same color as that under the shoulders,
  • white or pink genitals,
  • white or pink toenails,
  • the cuticle must be lighter than the surrounding skin,
  • the hair is light brown in color and translucent when held against the light,
  • two hairs grow from one hair follicle,
  • the tail hair must be particularly long,
  • the opening of the musth gland is lighter in color than that of ordinary elephants,
  • the general body color is a "chestnut gray".

Elephants that pass this test are divided into four categories and then offered to the king. Sometimes elephants are rejected from the lower categories.

The Royal Elephant National Museum

On the grounds of the Dusit Palace in Bangkok , south of the Wimanmek Throne Hall , there is a small museum on Uthong Nai Road: The Royal Elephant National Museum . In two houses that originally housed the king's white elephants in the Grand Palace, there are not only a life-size model of an elephant but also numerous photos and cult objects as well as tusks of deceased elephants. All descriptions are in Thai script.

Historical meaning

In the past, elephants that performed poorly were given as gifts to friends of the king and allies. The animals needed a lot of care and because they are sacred they were not allowed to be used for work. Therefore, they were a heavy financial burden on the recipient - only the king and very wealthy people could afford them. According to one story, white elephants were sometimes given away to enemies (mostly the lower nobility who had fallen out of favor with the king). The unfortunate recipient had to pay for the animal's upkeep and could not make a profit from the animal because it was not allowed to work. Due to the obligation to take good care of the king's gift, the recipient suffered severe financial losses, including bankruptcy.

Curiosity

In 1884 the White Elephant War took place in the USA between competing ring directors PT Barnum and Adam Forepaugh , during which the colored elephant The Light of Asia was shown to the public.

The "white elephant" that zoo director Bernhard Grzimek presented to Frankfurters in the post-war period to advertise the zoo is legendary . The number of visitors was to be increased through free sensational reports. It was also an April Fool's joke . The common elephant had been colored with non-toxic whiting chalk .

See also

Other meanings

Phrase

In the English-speaking world, one speaks of a white elephant when something causes more trouble than it is useful or has lost its usefulness for its owner. While the thing is quite useful to other people, the owner wants to get rid of it if possible. From an economic point of view, a “white elephant” is available at a very affordable price, but it produces enormous follow-up costs. For example, a mansion would be a "white elephant" if the maintenance costs exceeded the owner's budget. The term is also used for little-used sports facilities (e.g. soccer stadiums or Olympic stadiums ).

In the story The Stolen White Elephant, the American writer Mark Twain describes how a man who was given responsibility for a white elephant by the King of Siam is ruined.

In development policy , development projects that cost a lot, cause social and ecological damage and bring little benefit (e.g. controversial dam projects) are sometimes referred to as “white elephants”.

The term is used especially in the English-speaking world for large-scale projects and expensive technical developments that do not meet the ambitious demands and hopes for the future. Dirk van Laak mentions the Kalkar fast breeder and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal as further examples .

In Austria, the term “white elephant” is understood to mean employees for whom there is little or no employment, but who cannot be terminated. Such work situations arise in particular in the case of party political changes, for example at the public broadcasting corporation ORF and in the federal ministries.

See also

literature

  • Rita Ringis: Elephants Of Thailand In Myth, Art And Reality . Oxford University Press, New York 1996, ISBN 967-65-3068-9 (English).
  • Ping Amranand, William Warren: The Elephant in Thai Life & Legend . Monsoon Editions, Bangkok 1998, ISBN 974-86302-9-3 (English).
  • On the phrase white elephant:

Web links

Commons : white elephant  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Photo gallery - Image 11 - Legendary April Fools jokes - Where jumbos fly under bridges. In: Spiegel Online photo gallery. March 31, 2008, accessed June 9, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Andrea Rickert: Bernhard Grzimek - the adventurer, the media professional, the eccentric. daserste.de , 2017, accessed on November 21, 2017 .
  3. ↑ White elephants. Lexicon on Public Budget and Financial Management, 2017, accessed on November 21, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Christian Putsch: South Africa's “white elephants” are Brazil's horror. Welt.de , June 24, 2014, accessed November 21, 2017 .
  5. ↑ The trail of the white elephants: The dispute over major sporting events. ARD / Arte , August 2, 2016, accessed on November 22, 2017 . ( Film online )
  6. ↑ Dirk van Laak : White elephants. Demand and failure of major technical projects in the 20th century . Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 978-3-421-05185-1 .