ELEPHANT GOD
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Loa/minor god
Occupation: God of elephants
Group Membership: Connected to Vodu (African
pantheon)
Affiliations: Wamusa tribe (Keena,
witch doctor, others)
Enemies: Clem Carter,
Jensen (first name unrevealed), ivory hunters, poachers
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Wamusa tribal lands, Africa
First Appearance: Strange Tales I#55/1
(February, 1957)
Powers/Abilities: The Elephant God is a
vengeful protector of elephants and his adopted people of the Wamusa
tribe. He can be contained in a small box, but when released, manifests
in gigantic form with advanced superhuman strength given his size and
dense musculature. He has the
attributes of a loa/minor god with enhanced stamina and
resistance to injury.
Height: 55'
(by approximation when out of box)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black
History:
(Strange Tales I#55/1 (fb) - BTS) - Through
unrevealed means, the loa/minor African deity known as the Elephant God
became linked to the legendary elephants graveyard deep in the African
jungles. He also came to favor the Wamusa tribe whose village was near
the graveyard and who kept it secret. The Elephant God was usually
contained in a small box that the locals called a jack-in-the-box and
which lay on the outskirts of the graveyard. The box was tightly shut
but could be prised open, releasing mist (potentially a form of dimensional
transport) that would manifest the Elephant God in his full physical form.
(Strange Tales I#55/1) - The greedy ivory raider Clem
Carter and his party gathered as much ivory as they could, paying
worthless trinkets to locals when they couldn't steal, despite native
Africans' protestations. Carter heard of the elephants graveyard that
promised a huge haul of ivory. Ignoring their warnings of the
protective and vengeful Elephant God, Carter forced his Wamusa guide
Keena and fellow tribe member witch doctor to take the ivory hunters the
two-hour journey to the elephants graveyard. The witch doctor retrieved
the box from its hiding place and Carter grabbed it, forcing it open.
Knowing what would happen, Keena and the witch doctor fled as the
Elephant God rose from the box's mist, towering above the thieves,
ready to exact vengeance.
Comments: Created by uncredited writer & Mac L. Pakula.
The loa of African mythology are predominantly divided between Petro loa, or the more angry, aggressive loa, also more recent and more to do with the slave trade than with those Rada loa of older African origins, reinforcing that there are two types of loa: the more aggressive Petro (hot) and Rada (cool; Damballah is considered Rada loa), but this should not to be confused with evil vs. good loa.
I can't find information on an elephant-headed god in
African mythology, so I'll place him as a very minor deity, despite his
size. Elephants appear to be more of a totem recognized for their strength and power.
The Elephant God appeared on only one panel but was definitely the scene stealer!
Maybe it's the angle, but the Elephant God's head
looks a bit more like an Indian elephant than an African elephant...
Could he have some connection with the Indian elephant-headed god Ganesha?
This profile was completed 09/04/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary's celebratory event.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Elephant God has no known connections to:
Clem Carter was a greedy ivory hunter who led a
raiding party deep into the African jungles. He paid locals worthless trinkets to gain what ivory he couldn't steal and coerced
Wamusa tribe member Keena to act as a guide in the region. When Carter
heard from colleague Jensen about rumors of an elephants graveyard, he
grew angry at Keena for keeping it a secret and dismissed warnings of
its protective Elephant God. Keena escaped back to his village and
warned the witch doctor; Carter and his party caught up and demanded
that the pair lead them to the graveyard's ivory stockpile. Two hours'
journey into the jungle and the witch doctor picked up the
jack-in-the-box that secretly housed the vengeful Elephant God.
Coveting everything, Carter grabbed the box and prised it open as the
Wamusa duo fled. The gigantic Elephant God rose from the escaping mist
of the box, and Carter and his party were paralyzed with fear as the
god was about to exact vengeance.
--Strange Tales I#55/1
Kenna was a Wamusa tribe member. He was paid to help
Clem Carter and his ivory raiding party but was also coerced as Carter
threatened his family. Keena kept the secret of the elephants graveyard
until Carter found out about it via a colleague. Keena warned of the
Elephant God's vengeance, but Carter dismissed it as nonsense. Keena
rushed back to his village and alerted the witch doctor. Carter and his
party caught up and forced the pair to lead them to the graveyard
whereupon the witch doctor activated the jack-in-the-box that housed
the Elephant God. Keena and the witch doctor fled as the mighty god
manifested before the poachers.
--Strange Tales I#55/1
images:
(without ads)
Strange Tales I#55/1, p4, pan7 (main image)
p4, pan6 (box)
p2, pan7 (Carter)
p2, pan2 (Keena)
Appearances:
Strange Tales I#55/1 (February, 1957) - uncredited writer, Mac L.
Pakula (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 09/12/2021
Last updated:
09/10/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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