The Elum Trap (below) presumably just held Elum in place with glowing blue rings of energy. The honey method of trapping Elum, and the bee technique for releasing him, is much more imaginative and fun in my opinion.
Elum was planned for
Munch’s Oddysee, but didn’t make the final cut. He wouldn’t have made any sense in
Stranger’s Wrath because Stranger is capable of fast speeds and long jumps by himself.