Armoria
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Themes – elephants

To learn more about the arms illustrated, click on the images.

THE African elephant (Loxodonta africana) appears in many coats of arms, as a whole animal, the head only, or represented by its tusks. The oldest elephant in South African civic arms is that of Pietermaritzburg. The Port Elizabeth Divisional Council shares a statant elephant with its successor, the Nelson Mandela Metropole, which also has a pair of black tusks, while Knysna has an elephant’s head caboshed.

elephant in the 1854 arms of Pietermaritzburgelephant in the post-1963 arms of Pietermaritzburgelephant in the arms of Port Elizabeth Divisional Councilelephant in the arms of the Nelson Mandela Metropoleelephant’s head in the arms of Knysna

Venda intially had just a statant elephant, but on its “independence” changed this to an elephant’s head caboshed, and added two rampant elephants as supporters.

a statant elephant in the arms of Venda (pre-‘‘independence’’)three elephants in the arms of ‘‘independent’’ Venda

The elephant’s tusks were formerly prized as a source of ivory – elephants were hunted out of many parts of Africa because of the greed of hunters. While South Africa and some other African countries today take good care of their elephants, some parts of the continent are still in danger of losing every last one of its elephants. Elephants are symbolised by two tusks in the current arms of South Africa, which stand in the place of supporters. And in the arms of Ciskei, four ivory arm-rings, symbolising chiefly authority, were used as the base of the crest.

tusks in the arms of South Africa (2000)ivory arm rings in the crest of Ciskei

And although it is an intruder from another continent, the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is found in some South African arms, a borrowing from the augmentation of honour in the arms of Sir Rufane Donkin.

elephant in the arms of Port Elizabeth

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Comments, queries: Mike Oettle