page_title: Cultural depictions of elephants
section_title: In Europe
hierarchical_section_title: Cultural depictions of elephants / Politics and secular society / In Europe
caption_attribution_description: English: Source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/laszlo-photo/132990022/in/photostream/ Description:Elephant and Castle, London Image taken by:laszlo-photo
context_page_description: Elephants have been depicted in mythology, symbolism and popular culture. They are both revered in religion and respected for their prowess in war. They also have negative connotations such as being a symbol for an unnecessary burden. Ever since the Stone Age, when elephants were represented by ancient petroglyphs and cave art, they have been portrayed in various forms of art, including pictures, sculptures, music, film, and even architecture.
context_section_description: Aside from being a curiosity for Europeans, the elephant also became a symbol of military might from the experience of fighting foreign powers that fielded war elephants throughout history. After Alexander the Great's victory over King Porus of India, the captured war elephants became a symbol of imperial power, being used as an emblem of the Seleucid Diadoch empire. Later, when Napoleon Bonaparte wanted a monument to his own imperial power, he decreed that a colossal bronze elephant fountain be cast from guns captured at his victorious Battle of Friedland, for the site where the Bastille once stood.
  The Order of the Elephant (Danish: Elefantordenen) is the highest order of Denmark.  This very select religious organization was founded by King Christian I in 1478, using the elephant as a symbol of docility, sobriety and piety; instituted in its current form in 1693 by King Christian V.
  The killing and eating of the elephants Castor and Pollux from the Botanical gardens during the 1870 Siege of Paris received considerable attention at the time. This became emblematic of the hardships and degradation caused by siege and war, especially since the two elephants were previously very popular with the Parisian public.
  The city of Catania, Sicily has an immemorial connection with the elephant. The local sorcerer Heliodorus, was credited with either riding a magic elephant or transforming himself into this animal. Under medieval Arab rule Catania was known as Medinat-Al-Fil or Balad-Al-Fil (City/State of the Elephant). The symbol of the city is the Fontana dell'Elefante (Fountain of the Elephant) assembled in its present form in 1736 by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini.
  In Central London, England, an area known as the "Elephant and Castle" (or "The Elephant") is centered on a major road intersection and a station of the London Underground.  The "Castle" in the location's name refers to a medieval European perception of a howdah. The heraldic elephant and castle has also been associated with the city of Coventry, England since medieval times, where it denotes religious symbolism and with the town of Dumbarton, Scotland.  More recently in Britain, Welephant, a red elephant cartoon character with a fireman's helmet, was originally used as a mascot by fire brigades in the United Kingdom to promote fire safety for children and has become the mascot for the Children's Burn Trust.
caption: Iconic statue at London's Elephant & Castle tube station
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