Megasthenes’ account on Elephants

Megasthenes’s account also mentions about captive elephants and also about those which were not worthy of keeping. The account mentions that such elephants which are too young, through the weakness of their constitution not worth keeping, their captors allow to escape to their old haunts; while those which are retained they lead to the villages or stables where they tie their feet one to another, and fastened their necks to a firmly fixed pillar and tame them by hunger^[1]. After this at first they give them green stalks of corn and grass to eat. The creatures, however, having lost all spirit, have no wish to eat; but the Indians, standing round them in a circle, soothe and cheer them and to teach them obedience by chanting songs to the accompaniment of the music of drums and cymbals (or with, as Arrian mentions an instrument in common use which had four strings and was called skindapos^[2]), for the elephant is all brutes the most intelligent^[3]. Few of them are found difficult to tame, for they are naturally so mild and gentle in their disposition that they approximate to rational creatures^[4]. Some of them, for instance, have taken up their riders when slain in battle and carried them away for burial; others have covered them, when lying on the ground, with a shield; and others have borne the brunt of battle in their defence when fallen. There was one even died of remorse and despair because it had killed its rider in a fit of rage^[5]. Megasthenes himself have actually seen an elephant plying on cymbals, while other elephants were dancing to his strains: a cymbal had been attached to each foreleg of the performer, and a third to what is called his trunk, and while he beat in turn the cymbal on his trunk he beat in proper time those on his two legs. The dancing elephants all the while kept dancing in a circle, and as they raised and curved their foreleg in turn they too moved in proper time, following as the musician led^[6].

The elephant, like the bull and the horse, engenders in spring, when the female emit breath through the spiracles beside their temples, which open at that season. The period of gestation is at shortest sixteen months, and never exceeds eighteen. The birth is single, as in the case of mare, and is suckled till it reaches its eighth year. The elephants that live longest attain an age of two hundred years, but many of them die prematurely of disease. If they die of sheer old age, however, the term of life is what has been stated. Diseases of their eyes are cured by pouring cows‘milk into them, which is first used as a fomentation for the eye, and is then injected into it. The animals open their eyelids, and finding they can see better are delighted, and are sensible of the benefit like human beings^[7]. Remedy for other distempers was to administer draughts of black wine; and if this potion fails to work a cure nothing else can save them^[8]. Other hand for cure their wounds they are made to swallow butter, for this draws out iron^[9] and their sores are cured by the application of roasted pork, hot but still retaining the blood. Such are the remedies used by the Indians^[10].

According to Megasthenes sixth division of the city magistrate had charge of the elephants. Like horses there were royal stables for elephants. He also informs that after the war soldiers had to return their elephants to the stables. They used the elephants without bridle^[11]. The war-elephant carries four men–three who shoot arrows, and the driver. The war-elephant, either in what is called the tower, or on his bare back in sooth, carries three fighting men, of whom two shoot from the side, while one shoots from behind. There is also a fourth man, who carries in his hand the goad wherewith he guides the animal^[12].

According to Aelian (2^nd-3^rd century CE), a commentator on Megasthenes’s writings, the elephant when feeding at large ordinarily drinks water, but when undergoing the fatigues of war is allowed wine, -not that sort, however, which comes from the grape, but another which is prepared from rice (ārak). The attendants even go in advance of their elephants and gather them flowers; for they are very fond of sweet perfumes, and they are accordingly taken out to the meadows, there to be trained under the influence of the fragrance. The animal selects the flowers according to their smell, and throws them as they are gathered into a basket which is held out by the trainer. This being filled, and harvest work, so to speak, completed, he then bathes, and enjoys his bath with all the zest of a consummate voluptuary. On returning from bathing he is impatient to have his flowers, and if there is delay in bringing them he begins roaring, and will not taste a morsel of food till all the flowers he gathered are placed before him. This done, he takes the flowers out of the basket with its trunk and scatters them over the edge of his manager, and makes by his device their fine scent be, as it were, a relish to his food. He strews also a good quantity of them as litter over his stall, for he loves to have his sleep made sweet and pleasant^[13]. Aelian also speaks about an Indian white elephant and his loyalty to his master^[14].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

John W. McCrinddle, Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian, p. 91.

[2]:

Ibid., p. 93.

[3]:

Ibid., pp. 220-221.

[4]:

Ibid., p. 91.

[5]:

Ibid., p. 221.

[6]:

Ibid.

[7]:

Ibid., pp. 93-94.

[8]:

Ibid., p. 94.

[9]:

Ibid., p. 92.

[10]:

Ibid., pp. 221-222.

[11]:

Ibid., p. 88.

[12]:

Ibid., pp. 89-90.

[13]:

Ibid., pp. 117-118.

[14]:

Ibid., pp. 119-120.