Sacred white elephants
were and are kept by some Southeast Asian monarchs. Possessing a
white elephant was regarded, and still is in Thailand and Burma
(Myanmar) as a sign that the monarch reigned with justice and
power, and that the kingdom was blessed with peace and prosperity.
It derives from stories that the kings of Siam would make a
present of one of these animals to courtiers who were obnoxious or
unpleasing, in order to ruin the recipient by the cost of its
maintenance. A white elephant was a valuable, but burdensome
possession, which its owner could not dispose of and whose cost
and upkeep was out of proportion to its usefulness or worth.
These days a white elephant can mean an object, business venture,
etc., that is without practical use or value. The term is used in
business and even more frequently used during the gift-giving
holiday season as friends and relatives strive to find unique
gifts to give. Many people consider dried fruit cakes as white
elephants.