Flood Stories from Around the World
Tuvinian (Soyot) (north of Mongolia):The giant frog (or turtle) which supported the earth moved, which caused the cosmic ocean to begin flooding the earth.
They came across a turtle which said the two of them should marry.
Fuyi and his sister said, "How can a brother and sister marry?" and said if the turtle can come back to life after they beat it death, they would marry.
While Riiki pushed, Great Ray, Turtle, and Octopus tore at the roots of the sky while Naareau sang.
Rakaanga (Cook Islands):A chief named Taoiau, angered at his people for not bringing him the sacred turtle, roused all the sea gods on whose good will the islands depend.
Turtle tried and succeeded, though he returned nearly dead.
Dove took the earth from Turtle's fingernails to Eagle.
At the island of the turtle was Manabozho, grandfather of men and beings.
Men and beings swam, seeking the back of the turtle.
Manabozho prayed to the turtle to make them well again.
A few people survived on the back of a turtle which was so old its shell was mossy.
Then he flew far away, came back with some earth in his bill, and led the turtle back to some dry land.
Those saved by the turtle became the Turtle Clan.
He put the earth on the turtles back, and it increased in size.
The Mandans celebrate the subsidence of the flood every year with a ceremony called Mee-nee-ro-ka-ha-sha, held when willow leaves are fully grown because the twig that the turtle-dove brought home had such leaves.
But the turtle succeeded in bringing up a little mud.
He named it the Turtle Continent.
Turtle destroyed the monsters by digging under them and uprooting them.
The Deluge Legends of America
swimming afloat, asking which is the way to the turtle-back, Tula-pin.
They can go no farther; but some tarry at Firland, while the rest return to where they started from, "the old turtle land."
Thomas;Like a great green turtle slumberedOn the sea which it encumbered."
The Olympian Gods
Transition: The Great Turtle and other animals brought earth from the depths to create land, and Sky Woman's descendants, including her twin sons, brought order to the world.
Timeline of the Four Worlds
Iroquois Sky Woman: Sky Woman's descent from the Sky World and the creation of the earth on the back of a turtle form the basis of Iroquois cosmology and genealogy.
Turtle
Turtles are one of the oldest reptile groups, with a fossil record dating back over 220 million years, to the late Triassic period.
Here is a list of turtles in mythology, American native stories, and legends:
World Turtle (or Cosmic Turtle)
Hindu Mythology: The World Turtle, sometimes depicted as the god Kurma, an avatar of Vishnu, supports the world on its back.
Chinese Mythology: The turtle Ao carries the world on its back and is associated with longevity and stability.
Great Turtle (Turtle Island)
Iroquois Mythology: The Great Turtle carries the world on its back.
The land of North America is referred to as Turtle Island in various Native American cultures.
Lenape Mythology: A story tells of how the Earth was created on the back of a giant turtle after a great flood.
Sea Turtle
Hawaiian Mythology: Honu, the green sea turtle, is a symbol of good luck, endurance, and long life.
Kumukahi the Turtle
Hawaiian Legend: Kumukahi is a mythical turtle said to have guided the first Polynesians to Hawaii.
These stories reflect the importance of turtles in various cultures, often symbolizing longevity, stability, and creation.
Nana Beaujo holds on to a great big log
Today, I'm going to tell my daughter the story of Turtle Island and why the Ojibwe people call this place Turtle Island.
0:36A lot of times when I work with kindergarten kids and young kids, especially, and I tell them that we never called this place Canada, we called it Turtle Island, right?
A lot of them wonder why Turtle Island?
Why would you call this place Turtle Island?
So, we're going to tell the story today about why the Ojibwe people call this place Turtle Island.
In this great big sea turtle, back then, the animals were much larger than they are today, so he was a huge sea turtle.
The sea turtle came up underneath Nana Beaujo, caught him on his giant shell, and raised him back up to the water surface so he could breathe again.
5:07The turtle saved Nana Beaujo for the time being.
Nana Beaujo was laying on the back of this giant sea turtle.
He was dying still, and the turtle didn't know how to help because there was nowhere to go, no land anywhere in sight.
The beaver, muskrat, loons, seals, and walruses began to gather around the turtle's shell, looking at Nana Beaujo.
The turtle got a great idea and said to the creatures, "If you can get me a little bit of soil from the bottom of the ocean, with the help of the creator, I might be able to create something for Nana Beaujo."
I got this." He got up on turtle shells, took a deep breath, and down the walrus went, swimming and swimming.
He came back to the turtle shell, got up on the side of the turtle shell, and looked around at the other animals, trying to catch his breath.
The big leopard seal jumped out of the water, took a huge breath, and came back to the turtle's shell.
One after another, the animals were trying desperately to get to the bottom to bring up some soil and put it on the back of the turtle shell, but they were all failing.
I'm going to give it a try." He got up on the turtle shell, took a big breath, and down he went, disappearing under the waves, swimming down, down, and down.
They rushed over, grabbed little muskrat, brought him back to the turtle shell, and put him on the back of the turtle shell.
11:42They took that little bit of soil in muskrat's paw and slapped it on the back of the turtle shell.
As soon as the soil hit the back of the turtle shell, the shell started to expand, getting bigger and bigger.
The little bit of soil spread out across the shell, and pretty soon, grass started to pop up off the back of the turtle shell in that little bit of soil.
Before the animals knew it, they were looking around and couldn't even see the edge of the turtle shell, which had gotten so big.
The grass turned into bushes, the bushes turned into trees, and before they knew it, they were standing around Nana Beaujo in the middle of this thick, dense forest that had grown on the back of the turtle shell.
It grew into the home that we call Turtle Island.
There's this relationship that the beaver has with that little muskrat, taking care of him, and I think it directly relates to that story of Turtle Island.
13:39That is why we call North America, Canada, Turtle Island.
I hope you enjoyed that story of Turtle Island.
There are regional differences around Turtle Island, but generally, a lot of the teachings are very, very similar, if not exactly the same.
World Elephant
The concept of the World Turtle supporting elephants has appeared in various cultures.
Waynaboozhoo and the Great Flood
Mikinaak (the snapping turtle) came forward and said, "I have a broad back.
The Civilisation of Atlantis
The masses of the people ate meat, fish, and even reptiles — perhaps one should not say 'even,' remembering the turtle of our City Fathers.
Numerology
the Four Holy Beasts (四靈獸), the Turtle, the Qilin, the Phoenix, and the Dragon.