Elephantus
The Trained Elephant
The king of Kashmir loves elephants above all other steeds, and has a loyal trainer whose sole job was to tame elephants for the king's service. One day, an enormous wild elephant is brought before the king, and the king commands the trainer to tame the beast. For three years, the trainer patiently works with the elephant until it understood all commands and obeyed the trainer's every order. Hearing the beast is completely tame, the king has the elephant saddled and personally mounts upon its back - only for the elephant to bolt. It races off into the wilds and the king, despairing of his life, prays for deliverance. At last, tired and hungry, the elephant returns to the king's palace, and the king is able to dismount. He has the elephant trainer bound and flung into the elephants' enclosure to be trampled to death, certain the man had wasted his time - but the trainer begs to be allowed to demonstrate the work he had done. Relenting, the king orders that he be released, whereupon the trainer puts the now-docile elephant through its paces. As the elephant obeys commands and performs tricks, the king realises that the one mistake was not an accurate reflection of either trainer or elephant.
Note
Critical Literature
Elephantus appears in the following versions and secondary versions
| Has Language Of Version | Has Branch Of Tradition | Is Adapted From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic Version A101 (Hundred and One Nights) | Arabic | Book of Sindbad |