Roles of White Elephants in Early Rattanakosin Literature

Abstract

            The purpose of this qualitative research article entitled “Roles of White Elephants in Early Rattanakosin Literature” was to examine the white elephants’ roles mentioned in 16 pieces of Early Rattanakosin literature during the reigns of King Rama I – King Rama V. Its descriptive analysis results are shown as follows.

            It can be concluded from the research results that there are 6 literary roles of the white elephants: 1) the white elephants as an element of royal ceremony – the elephant admission ceremony and the elephant troop-marching ceremony; 2) the white elephants as kings’ beasts of burden in royal ceremonies, during wartimes and to represent the kings’ charismatic figures; 3) the white elephants as a type of sacred animal of a universal monarch, the so-called Chakravarti Raja, together with one who would become a future Buddha; 4) the white elephants as literary characters – not only in dramatic literature but also the subjects leading to the use of many pieces of literary works in the elephant admission ceremony; 5) the white elephants as metaphoric characters for teaching 5 moral values which were relevant to the Early Rattanakosin society; and 6) the white elephants, standing in full-formed garments in front of diplomatic state guests, as an element of the state guest-welcoming ceremony that implicitly represented the king’s grace.