I absolutely LOVE elephants. The real ones, but also any kinds of figurines of these magnificent beasts. On our first wedding anniversary, Master T gifted me a Swarovski baby elephant, and several months later we also bought the mom. This was the start of my Swarovski collection, which only includes animals I feel some kind of connection for.
But, those are not the only elephant figurines I have. I have a couple of ceramic figurines in the window sill, and added to those are a small elephant that was once on a key ring, and a glass version a friend gave me. In our hallway there are five elephants varying in height from 7 to 15 centimeters, some made of wood, one in Delftware and even Dumbo, which was bought at a Disney story.
And then there’s the big wooden elephant right next to my desk – about 40 centimetres in height.
Over the hills, a song that always makes me cry
I don’t know how many of you know BZN, which is a Dutch band that stopped in 2007, but they had international success before then. I knew most of their music back when I still lived in South Africa.
One of their songs – Over the hills – always makes me cry. It’s about the killing of elephants, something that was and probably still is a problem in Africa, with trophy hunters going there and love having their pictures taken standing next to the animal they have killed (don’t even get me started on this).
Through the ages: upon the land,
where he belongs to: the elephant,
slowly swaggering: a giant view,
the pride of nature, inviolate and pure.
Blood and slaughter. A staggering blow,
they use machine guns, to kill jumbo,
millions of them, already have died,
there is no mercy, my god, they have no right.
Over the hills, down in Africa,
in the shades of green, the silence of the past,
a memory’s alive, down in Africa,
hear the roll of drums, that guide the caravans,
but here in this land, beneath the purple sky,
down the barrel of a gun, they see the elephants die,
it makes me cry.
Why am I telling you about elephants?
It must seem strange indeed, sharing the above with you, but I have a reason for it. You see, when Sweet said she was making all of her friends a toy animal of their choice, and she asked me what I wanted, without hesitation I said… and elephant. My love for elephants instantly surfaced, and it was only later that I feared an elephant might just be too difficult to make.
But not for the incredibly talented Sweet. When I unpacked the beautiful gift, I was in awe of the beauty of this stuffed animal, and her craftsmanship. The head moves. The arms and the legs moves. Beautiful eyelashes gave the face a feminine look and instantly made me call her ‘she’. Her ears are beautiful and big, and she has the most lovely blush on her cheeks. She’s been on my desk from the day I got her, except for a photo shoot or two!
© Rebel’s Notes
Awe Marie this post was so sweet. I have a stuffed elephant that was given to me by one of my most favorite people, his name is Ephalant. I think they are so majestic and the song just breaks my heart. I wasn’t sure where you were going with this but in the end it was a wonderful read, thank you.
Thank you, Jae. That song makes me cry every time.
That elephant looks familiar. I enjoyed seeing the band and the elephants, thank you.
You might have seen it on Twitter 😉
Wow. That really is a beautiful elephant. Especially to have moving parts. I love those lashes!
It gives her such a beautiful expression 🙂
Oh sweet is so talented and the elephant is just beautiful
Great image Marie
xx
Sweet has blown me away with her craftsmanship! Thanks, May 🙂 xox
OMG Marie, elephants are my animal too! I have so many around the house and stuffies for my son. Even still at ten years old he loves taking them down to snuggle occasionally. There is an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee that is on my bucket list to volunteer at. I even have “adopted” an elephant there many moons ago. I love your new elephant that Sweet made. She is so cute. ❤️
Stella
XxOo
Oh Stella, I love that you have adopted an elephant. An elephant sanctuary sounds like a great place to go volunteer. They are such beautiful animals <3 xox
My wife loves elephants too, since we were young. Love the photo!
Thank you. Elephants are magnificent!
I love elephants too and your is just beautiful!
It’s so much fun to see how many people love elephants 🙂
That is a very sweet stuffed animal! Too cute! 🙂
I like elephants too. I pared down my collection at one point because it was just unmanageable, but I have a 1940s elephant cookie jar and some Twin Winton elephant S&P shakers that I love. 🙂
Brilliant, Feve! It’s a good thing I haven’t found any more elephants (yet) I want to add to my collections, as otherwise I might just have to put all of them in one room. A possibility, since I now have 2 rooms empty 😉
I’ve read that elephants are good luck and bring longevity and stamina to your life. We should all be so lucky. I also collect elephant figurines. I have a black onyx carved set and a brass set, both with a momma and three babies. Elephants have the most living relationships and even bury and grieve their passed one. They may be more human than most humans. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I so agree with you… they might be more human than most humans. I love their good memory too. Before I had my burnout, I always described myself as someone with the memory of an elephant, and one of my assignments when I did my bachelor even had ‘elephant’ in the title 😉
That is an amazing toy elephant. Sweet did a wonderful job!! Now about this photo—for it to be perfect, the elephant needs to be a wee. It more to your left…😜😜😜
Haha Michael, I will have to redo this photo shoot then and grant you your request 😉
We have a friend who is a talented artist. but for years one of her main sources of income has been her adorable sketches of baby elephants. Elephants are amazing creatures….their little babies are the cutest!!
Elephants definitely are the best! Stunning animals 🙂