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I'd just like to note that the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds has a probably-unique surviving suit of elephant armour, which is displayed on a stuffed elephant

I'd just like to note that the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds has a probably-unique surviving suit of elephant armour, which is displayed on a stuffed elephant in pride of place: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/43/bb/15/43bb154f887b493c76c300535bbf47c8.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/43/bb/15/43bb154f887b493c76c3... Not on display due to conservation issues (but noted on the display text) are the tusk swords, because once you've got an angry Indian elephant wearing armor pointed at the enemy why wouldn't you strap a pair of giant swords to its tusks? If you're ever in Leeds — in the UK — I'd highly recommend a day trip to the Royal Armouries, especially if you have any kind of interest in the history of armour, guns, and murder cutlery. (Posted to add a reality-based perspective to the 100% fictional imagery of war elephants in the OP.)

PhasmaFelis 7y ago
Nice! It's a shame they don't have replica tusk swords mounted, but it's a fantastic piece either way.
stronglikedan 7y ago
Were the tusk swords just strapped on? If so, I find it odd that displaying them would be controversial.
- rhcom2 7y ago
  FYI he said "conservation issues", not controversial. They're probably brittle and can't support their own weight safely.
  - will_pseudonym 7y ago
    Ah, thanks. It was confusing to me. Another word that I think might fit better would be, "preservation."
    - ithkuil 7y ago
      Perhaps that's yet another case where British English diverges a bit from American English. I didn't find an explicit quote, but for example look: there is this institute in UK called "institute of conservation" https://icon.org.uk/groups/archaeology/about-archaeological-conservation https://icon.org.uk/groups/archaeology/about-archaeological-...
  - pixelbash 7y ago
    In the natural history museum London fake ivory is used due to theft concerns (says as much on the signs), might be the same here?

PhasmaFelis 7y ago

Nice! It's a shame they don't have replica tusk swords mounted, but it's a fantastic piece either way.

stronglikedan 7y ago

Were the tusk swords just strapped on? If so, I find it odd that displaying them would be controversial.

rhcom2 7y ago
FYI he said "conservation issues", not controversial. They're probably brittle and can't support their own weight safely.
- will_pseudonym 7y ago
  Ah, thanks. It was confusing to me. Another word that I think might fit better would be, "preservation."
  - ithkuil 7y ago
    Perhaps that's yet another case where British English diverges a bit from American English. I didn't find an explicit quote, but for example look: there is this institute in UK called "institute of conservation" https://icon.org.uk/groups/archaeology/about-archaeological-conservation https://icon.org.uk/groups/archaeology/about-archaeological-...
- pixelbash 7y ago
  In the natural history museum London fake ivory is used due to theft concerns (says as much on the signs), might be the same here?