sacred.
Elephants have always inspired awe if for no other reason than their ability to fit so many of themselves onto the head of a pin.
Spoiler alert. Some entries in the Table make veiled reference to entries elsewhere. Because some of you tell us you’ve enjoyed discovering these associations on your own, may we suggest holding off reading the rubric items until you’ve spent some time with the Table as a whole? Which, if you can’t spring for the print, you’re welcome to find here.
Sacred
90 | Airavata
Airavata, aka Elephant of the Clouds, is a white elephant ridden by the Hindu god Indra. He has ten tusks and five trunks. He originated out of the churning ocean of milk and is charged with guarding one of the points of compass.
Sacred
100 | Ganesha
or Ganesh, is an elephant-headed Hindu deity. He is one of the more popular gods; devotion to him extends to Jains and Buddhists. One story holds that Ganesha was created as a result of Shiva’s laughter. However, because Shiva considered Ganesh too handsome, he gave him an elephant head and potbelly. He is often shown riding or attended by a mouse or shrew.
Sacred
107 | Erawan
Erawan is the Thai version of Airavata. He is often depicted as a huge elephant with either three or thirty-three heads, each of which may feature more than two tusks. When Bry first drew him with his thirty-three heads, people kept thinking he was supposed to be a cauliflower.
Sacred
115 | Hierophant
In tarot cards, a hierophant is one who interprets the sacred mysteries and other esoteric matters. In Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, a hierophant interprets for Leontes the oracle of Apollo. When it appears in a tarot deck, it signifies insight and wisdom.
Aka Mystadon, when it appears as an elephant.