How the Elephant Lost the Right to Rule

Long ago, when the world was being organised and each creature was given its role, the Elephant was made king of all the land animals. He was the largest and the strongest, and in those early days, it was thought that size and strength were the most important qualities in a ruler.

For a time, the Elephant ruled well enough, but slowly, power changed him. He began to demand tribute from every creature that passed through the forest. He claimed the best watering holes for himself and his family. He uprooted trees carelessly, crushing the homes of birds and small animals. When anyone complained, he would say: "I am the largest. The largest decides."

The animals were unhappy but afraid. No one was strong enough to challenge the Elephant directly.

Except for the Rabbit.

The Rabbit, small and quick and quiet, watched the Elephant carefully for many months. She watched how he moved, when he slept, what made him proud and what made him angry. And she began to form a plan.

One day, the Rabbit went to the Elephant and bowed very low. "Great king," she said, "the animals have heard of a wonderful place, a valley on the other side of the mountain where the grass grows taller than your back and the water is cold and sweet and never dries. But there is one difficulty: the path passes through a canyon so narrow that only the cleverest of creatures can navigate it. The animals have all failed. We thought perhaps the King of the Forest would succeed where we have failed?"

The Elephant was delighted at the chance to demonstrate his superiority. He followed the Rabbit to the canyon, a long passage of rock that wound between two great cliffs. The Rabbit disappeared into it easily. The Elephant squeezed in after her, and got stuck. The canyon was far too narrow for his great body.

He pushed forward. He could not advance. He pushed backward. He could not retreat. For two days, the Elephant was stuck in the canyon while the other animals gathered at both ends and watched.

On the second evening, when the Elephant was exhausted and had called for help many times, the Rabbit returned and sat just out of reach.

"Great king," she said, "what is the first law of the forest?"

The Elephant, embarrassed and tired, said nothing.

"You made it yourself," the Rabbit said. "You said: the largest decides. But your size, which is your greatest advantage, is also what trapped you here. The forest does not need a king who is merely large. It needs a king who can find water for all, not just for himself. Who can judge fairly. Who can protect the small as well as the mighty. Size is a gift, but it is not wisdom."

When the Elephant was finally freed (it took the effort of many animals working together to widen the canyon), he returned to the forest a changed creature. He did not lose his size or his strength. But he began to use them differently. He dug waterholes that all could share. He cleared fallen trees from the paths. He listened before he decided.

The Rabbit never claimed the kingship for herself. She only wanted what was fair.

And from that day, it was said in the forest that the greatest rulers are not those with the most power, but those who understand what power is for.