Shetu, sheta, ayotel, Alaska, tuki, mistletoe, Kame, suppose, kasyapathe most familiar dear, chelonaand testudo They are all words that have been used since prehistoric times to designate an animal: the turtle. This is not surprising if we take into account that the turtle is one of the first animals to have its slow features for the world of myths.

Prehistoric and ancient men felt that the animals preyed on them and deceived them and therefore tried to imitate their behavior. Early humans believed that gods and other higher beings, such as culture heroes and tribal ancestors, manifested through animals to teach them all about the mysterious ways of life.

The turtle is no exception: throughout time, various cultures praised its resilience, patience, and wisdom as qualities to strive for, and as such incorporated the shelled animal into their respective mythologies. As a long-lived and hard-shelled animal, the turtle became the perfect sustainer of the world, while its excellent swimming skills made it the perfect creator of the world. For the Mesoamerican peoples, the connection between the earth and the hard shell of the turtle was even more complex, since the latter was seen as the magical place where the dead dwell and from where they can rise. Some cultures, such as the Chinese, believed that the beautiful markings on the turtle’s shell contained the deep mysteries of the universe and helped spark the invention of writing.

Looking intently at the night sky, many cultures imagined the shape of the tortoise standing out among the multitude of stars, and thus entire stories of gods, heroes and wondrous adventures were woven around the figure of the shelled animal.

Mostly viewed positively, the tortoise sometimes played the role of a trickster and was even seen as a malevolent being. The case of ancient Egypt is best suited to illustrate this point: due to the damage it caused to people’s livelihoods and its shady behavior, the Nile soft-shell was considered an evil being. The ancient Egyptians feared it and wore tortoise-shaped amulets to ward off the demonic powers of the tortoise.

However, the appearance of a turtle were not the only traits that populated early and ancient mythology; its non-physical characteristics were also important. For the Romans, the patience of a tortoise and, above all, calmness, were seen as essential qualities of the perfect and submissive wife.

Although the details of its symbolism may elude us now, the turtle’s long lifespan and sense of wisdom are elements that are still recognizable today as they were long, long ago, in prehistoric times.