World Turtle

The World Turtle, also called the Cosmic Turtle or the World-Bearing Turtle, is a mytheme of a giant turtle (or tortoise) supporting or containing the world. This idea appears in many cultures.

In Hinduism, the World Turtle is an important symbol. Similar stories exist in Chinese mythology and among the mythologies of some of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

People have used the image of a giant turtle holding up the earth or the sky to explain how the world works. This idea connects us to nature and helps us imagine the universe in a simple way. Scholars like Edward Burnett Tylor have studied these stories and compared them to other myths, such as the World Elephant.

The World Turtle shows how different cultures think about big questions. It reminds us of the importance of turtles in nature and how stories can bring people together.

India

Further information: Kurma

In Hinduism, the World Turtle is called Akūpāra (in Sanskrit: अकूपार). Stories say the turtle holds up the Earth. The British philosopher John Locke wrote about this idea in his book An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Some tales also talk about a turtle named Chukwa supporting an elephant, which holds up the world.

China

See also: Nüwa Mends the Heavens

In Chinese stories, the goddess Nüwa helped create the world. She used the legs of a giant sea turtle named Ao to hold up the sky. This was after a strong figure called Gong Gong hurt Mount Buzhou, which had been keeping the sky in place.

North America

Main article: Turtle Island (Indigenous North American folklore)

Many Indigenous peoples in North America, such as the Lenape, Haudenosaunee confederacy, and Anishinaabeg, tell stories about a giant turtle that holds up the Earth. These stories were shared long ago and show how important turtles are in their culture. One story from the Huron people says that when the Sun darkened, it was because the great turtle moved and blocked the Sun with its shell.

Southern Africa

The usilosimapundu from Zulu folklore is like the idea of a world turtle. It is a very big creature that carries many countries inside it. On one side of this creature, it might be summer, while on the other side it could be winter.

In modern media

The idea of a giant turtle supporting the world appears in many modern stories. In the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, the world is a flat disc resting on four elephants that stand on the shell of a giant turtle named Great A'Tuin. In the film Strange World, characters must save a World Turtle from an infection.

Many other books, games, and shows reference this myth, including It by Stephen King, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and Naruto. These stories use the World Turtle to explore imagination, wonder, and big questions about how the world works.

In philosophy

The phrase "turtles all the way down" is used in philosophy and epistemology. It talks about problems that need many explanations. This idea shows why some questions might not have a final answer, because each answer leads to another question.