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\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright \f8\fs20\lang2057\cgrid \snext0 Normal;}{\*\cs10 \additive Default Paragraph Font;}}{\info{\title Tortoise}{\author D Neale}{\operator Julian Aburrow}{\creatim\yr2002\mo7\dy23\hr14\min52}
{\revtim\yr2002\mo7\dy23\hr14\min52}{\version2}{\edmins1}{\nofpages3}{\nofwords1027}{\nofchars5858}{\*\company  }{\nofcharsws7194}{\vern71}}\paperw11907\paperh16840 
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{\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}{\*\pnseclvl9\pnlcrm\pnstart1\pnindent720\pnhang{\pntxtb (}{\pntxta )}}\trowd \trgaph108\trleft-108\trkeep \clmgf\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx7626\clmrg\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx7626\clmrg\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx7626
\clmrg\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx7626\pard\plain \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright \f8\fs20\lang2057\cgrid {\b\f176\fs28 Tortoise\cell }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176 \cell }{\f176 \cell }{\b\f176 \cell }\pard 
\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176 \row }\trowd \trgaph108\trleft-108\trkeep \clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx1620\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx4069\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx5487\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx7936\pard 
\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Latin name\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\i\f176\fs24 Testudo spp.\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Polarity\cell }\pard 
\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 Yin\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 \row }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Family\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {
\i\f176\fs24 Testudinidae \cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Element\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 Water\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 \row }\pard 
\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Folk name\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\i\f176\fs24 galapago}{\f176\fs24  (Spanish)}{\i\f176\fs24 \cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Planet
\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 Moon, Venus, Mercury\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 \row }\trowd \trgaph108\trleft-108\trkeep \clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx1620\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx4069
\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx5487\clvertalt\cltxlrtb \cellx7936\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Etymology\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 Middle English }{\i\f176\fs24 tortuce,}{\f176\fs24 
 from Old French }{\i\f176\fs24 tortue,}{\f176\fs24  from medieval Latin }{\i\f176\fs24 tortuca}{\f176\fs24 \cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Deities\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
Venus/Aphrodite, Mercury/Hermes, Pan, Hsi-wang-mu, Kumpira, Benten, Ea-Oannes, Kasyapa\cell }\pard \nowidctlpar\widctlpar\intbl\adjustright {\f176\fs24 \row }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 
\par Varieties
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 The tortoise and the turtle were not distinguished before the sixteenth century, so many mythologies regard them as interchangeable.  The Greek Tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 Testudo graeca}{
\f176\fs24 ) is found in the region of the Mediterranean.  There are several species of Giant Tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 Testudo gigantica}{\f176\fs24 ), which come from the Galapagos Islands.  The Margined Tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 Testudo marginata}{
\f176\fs24 ) is found in south-eastern Europe and Asia Minor.  The Spurred Tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 Testudo sulcata}{\f176\fs24 ) is found in Africa.  The Four-toed Tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 Testudo horsfieldii}{\f176\fs24 
) is found from the western Caspian region, through central Asia, as far as western Pakistan.  The Red-footed Tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 Testudo carbonaria}{\f176\fs24 
) is a South American species, and has a black carapace with yellow markings.  The Forest Hinged Tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 Kinyxis erosa}{\f176\fs24 ) is found in tropical West Africa; it has a divided carapace.  The Radiated Tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 
Testudo radiata}{\f176\fs24 ) is found in Madagascar.  The scariest-looking Tortoise is a South American carnivorous species called Matamata (}{\i\f176\fs24 Chelys fimbriata}{\f176\fs24 ).
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Folklore
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 According to Greek legend, the tortoise could hatch its eggs just by looking at them. 
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 The Chinese made stone tortoises with large slabs on their backs; this was a form of sympathetic magic to prevent earthquakes and bring the celestial and terrestrial realms closer together.

\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Mythology
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
The tortoise represents the waters, the Moon, the Earth Mother, creation, time, immortality, fertility, and regeneration.  It is regarded as the sustainer of everything and the support of the earth.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
In Hindu mythology, the tortoise Chukwa supports the elephant Maha-pudma, which upholds the world. (The elephant is a masculine power, the tortoise feminine; together they represent the potential for life.)  In another legend, the tortoise Akupera support
s the world on its back.  Kasyapa, the Nor
th Star, was the first living creature, and the progenitor of all life (he was a tortoise).  He was the husband of Vinata, the sister of the queen of the serpents (one of the Nagas).  He was an avatar of Vishnu, the Preserver and the Power of the Waters. 
 His lower shell is the earth, and his upper shell is the heavens.  Kasyapa and Vinata were the parents of Garuda, the divine bird-man and steed of Vishnu.  Kasyapa was one of the seven great Rishis or sages.  In another myth cycle he was married to Diti,
 t
he goddess of infinity, and she gave birth to the Daityas (the Vedic equivalent of the Titans) and the Maruts (the companions of Rudra, the storm god).  Kasyapa's titles are the Old Tortoise Man and the Lord Progenitor of All Creatures.  The second avatar
 of Vishnu was also a tortoise; he was called Kurma, and he dived to the bottom of the ocean to recover the treasures of the Vedic tribes which were lost in the great flood.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 In China, the tortoise is regarded as one of the Four Spiritually Endowed (or Ausp
icious) Creatures (the others being the dragon, the phoenix, and the unicorn).  It represents the North, Yin, and the element of Water.  It is known as the Black Warrior, and denotes strength, endurance, and primordial chaos.  It was believed to live for 
a long time and hence it was a symbol of longevity.  In Chinese cosmology, the tortoise supports the world, and the four corners of the earth are its four feet.  In Taoism, it represents the great triad of the heavens, the earth, and the waters: the dome 
of
 its back is the sky, its body is the earth, and its lower shell is the waters.  The imperial army carried tortoise and dragon banners to represent indestructibility, because neither can destroy the other: the dragon cannot crush the tortoise and the tort
oise cannot reach the dragon.  The goddess Hsi-wang-mu (see }{\b\f176\fs24 Toad}{\f176\fs24 ) is also known as the Golden Mother of the Tortoise.  The shell of the tortoise can be used in divination.  
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 In Japan, the Cosmic Mountain and the dwelling of the Sennin (the Taoist Immortals
) are supported by a tortoise.  It is also an attribute of Kumpira, the god of sailors, and of Benten, the goddess of the sea.  Benten was mainly worshipped on the outlying islands of Japan; there was a shrine to her at Enoshim, where she was said to have
 enchanted and married a dragon which was devouring the children of the area.  She was one of the seven deities of good luck, the Shichi Fukujin.  The tortoise is also an attribute of Fukurokuju, the god of wisdom and longevity, and of Jorojin, the god of
 longevity and good luck.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
In Graeco-Roman myth, the tortoise was regarded as the feminine power of the waters, and was associated with Venus and Aphrodite, who was born from the sea. It was also an emblem of Hermes and Mercury.  According to Pausanias it was sacred to Pan in Arcad
ia, and it was forbidden to kill it.  (There are wild tortoises in Greece.)
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 In indigenous American mythology, the tortoise and the turtle are interchangeable.  The continent of America was known as Turtle Island.  In Lakota (Sioux)
 myth, the world is a huge turtle floating on the waters.  In Huron cosmology, the tortoise supports the world.  There are various turtle clans and the people of the Pueblos hold turtle dances in spring and autumn.  The tortoise and the turtle are associa
ted with the earth and the waters, and the feminine power.  In some legends, the cosmic tree grows out of the tortoise's back.  Among the Maidu of California, the god Talvolte was the head of a tortoise clan and one of the survivors of the deluge.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 In Mexico, the tortoise was the Great Mother in her terrible aspect.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
In West African mythology, the tortoise gave ju-ju to humanity, and it is incorporated into fertility rituals.  The tortoise is sometimes a trickster figure, but it is always outwitted.  Like Brer Rabbit and Anansi, tortoise stories were taken to the Cari
bbean from Africa.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 In ancient Egypt, the sign of Libra was associated with two tortoises, as the measure of the flood waters of the Nile.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 In Sumer, the tortoise was sacred to Ea-Oannes as Lord of the Great Deep.
\par 
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\b\f176\fs24 Symbolism
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 The tortoise is generally regarded as a manifestation of feminine power, and is associated with the element of Water.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
The tortoise typifies plodding persistence.  In the fable of the hare and the tortoise, the tortoise wins because it plods along till it gets to the end of the course, whereas the hare doesn't bother to start till later because it is so sure that it will 
win, and it loses.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 The name tortoise (}{\i\f176\fs24 testudo}{\f176\fs24  in Latin) was given to the battle formation where soldiers placed their rectangular shields over their heads to attack a fort.
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 In Alchemy, the tortoise symbolised the }{\i\f176\fs24 massa confusa}{\f176\fs24 .
\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 In Christianity the tortoise was a symbol of the chaste wife living retired in the house.  In early Christian art it, however, it was a symbol of evil, as opposed to the cockerel of vigilance.

\par }\pard \sa120\nowidctlpar\widctlpar\adjustright {\f176\fs24 
\par }}