Lucky Elephants: Pachyderms of Protection

Elephants are powerful symbols of protection and good fortune. As the largest living land animals, they represent strength and wisdom. And maybe because of their size, they also represent the destruction of evil. According to principles of feng shui, you should keep a pair of elephants near your door to protect the home and its inhabitants. Elephants with their trunks up represent prosperity and success; with their trunks down, they represent longevity and fertility.

(The House of Good Fortune was always taught: trunks up = lucky… so naturally the House assumed that trunks down meant "unlucky.” For this reason, the House is slightly uncomfortable with an elephant whose trunk is down and makes a point to avoid them. Of course, the House makes an exception for Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu deity and “Remover of Obstacles” who is usually depicted with his trunk facing downward.)

Reverence for elephants is not limited to Asia. Elephants were popular symbols of power and protection around the world. The elephant, for example, has been the symbol of the Republican party in America since the 1870s. Elephant charms were popular cracker jack prizes in the early 20th century, and elephants were often depicted alongside other good luck symbols such as horseshoes and four-leaf clovers during this time.

White elephants (which are not actually white) are particularly auspicious creatures, and The House has written separately about them on the Bonheur Blog.

Some believe that bracelets made from elephant hair can bring good luck, and that wearing an elephant hair bracelet will be protect you from harm. Bruce Lee apparently wore one in G.O.D. and also had a Gucci “elephant hair” bracelet made of silver. Amelia Earhart reportedly had an elephant hoof bracelet inlaid with silver that she regarded as a good luck charm, but left it behind on her final 1937 flight.