White Elephant С‚рёс‚р»рѕрірё Сѓсђрїсѓрєрё -

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.

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. Jovan soon realized the true nature of his "blessing

In the gray heart of the mountains, there lived a merchant named Jovan. Jovan was a man of high ambition but a shallow heart. He spent his life courting the favor of the Great Voivode (the local ruler), believing that to be near power was to be powerful himself. Through the window, he watched the horse standing

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. In the gray heart of the mountains, there

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.

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