White Elephant С‚рёс‚р»рѕрірё Сѓсђрїсѓрєрё Link

The horse required the finest oats imported from the coast and a stable lined with silk. Jovan had to hire three grooms just to keep its coat from staining in the mountain mud.

Jovan soon realized the true nature of his "blessing." The horse was sacred; it could not be used to pull a plow, carry goods to market, or even be ridden for travel. To work the animal was an insult to the Voivode. The horse required the finest oats imported from

"A gift for the most faithful," the Voivode declared. But as the gates of the palace closed, Jovan saw the faint, cruel smile on the ruler's face. To work the animal was an insult to the Voivode

He became a prisoner of his own prestige. He was "The Lord of the White Elephant," but he was starving. He became a prisoner of his own prestige

He could not sell it, for to sell a gift from the Voivode was treason. He could not give it away, for who would take a burden that would bankrupt them?. The Empty Treasury

During a particularly brutal blizzard, Jovan sat in his freezing home. Through the window, he watched the horse standing in its heated stable. He realized that the Voivode hadn't given him a gift; he had given him a . The "White Elephant" was a mirror—it showed Jovan that his vanity was the very thing that had ruined him.

One winter, to "honor" Jovan’s loyalty, the Voivode gifted him a magnificent white horse—so pure it was called the . It was a creature of mythic beauty, with a coat like polished marble and eyes that seemed to hold the cold wisdom of the peaks.