The Longevity of a Turtle with Plants on Its Shell

The Iroquois sure are interesting people. Not only did they manage to come up with the idea that they live on a giant sea turtle, they also managed to plagiarize off of older creation myths. I wonder how they copied off of people an ocean away from them (on both sides).

Joking aside, the Iroquois creation story really does highlight that the majority of humans think similarly: the Great Tree in Sky-World is similar to the Yggdrasil of Norse mythology; the twins similar to yin and yang of Chinese Philosophy; and where the twins ended up is similar to Heaven and Hell. However, it does have a few unique elements: namely, the sea turtle that everyone lives on.

The sea turtle in the story of "The World on the Turtle's Back" is what the Iroquois believe land on Earth came from. While the concept of a "World Turtle" isn't necessarily new, the turtles of Chinese and Hindu mythology don't (directly) support whole worlds. The sea turtle of Iroquois myth is the world itself, and that makes it pretty special.

It's also a good example of how deeply connected to nature and wildlife the Iroquois are. The turtle is symbolic to life itself, as it has everything people need to survive. These people respect the animals and respect them for being wise, brave, determined, and many other attributes someone would strive to embody. The fact that "all the creatures" (Iroquois 36) help the woman securely fall down and obtain the dirt from the bottom of the ocean necessary for vegetation to grow proves how important animals are to the Iroquois culture.

On the other hand, the sea turtle is also pretty prevalent in our culture as well, especially in video game design. Take Torterra for instance: literally the "Continent Pokémon," this turtle-like creature has a large tree and some mountains on its back. Most Pokémon don't have this level of intricacy, having symmetrical designs with intricate patterns instead of exterior details. The design highlights an attention to detail, and, consequently, the importance of the turtle in Iroquois myth (to the Iroquois people and culture). It may only be a land turtle with a tiny world on its back, but it is clear that Game Freak was thinking of the Iroquois when designing Torterra.

Another similar turtle is the Turtle (yes, that is its name) from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The Turtle is originally hidden underwater, and only its back is visible. Its back looks like a tiny island, with two palm trees and some grass. Waking it up reveals that it has been asleep since ancient times, but it has been watching over the seas in its slumber. This may be akin to Iroquois thinking, with the sea turtle protecting them with its plentiful harvests and other resources. In any case, the turtle is important in helping Link save Zelda, as is the sea turtle in the myth in helping people survive and thrive in a world that was once only water.

To be frank, the sea turtle plays a really small role in the Iroquois myth; the myth focuses more on the grandmother and the twins. In other words, the turtle has a few minutes of screen time before being replaced by the movie stars. That turtle is, however, an important part of Iroquois culture: it's what they live on!  Video game designers definitely see that importance, but they may also see the deeper meaning behind the sea turtle and its role in Iroquois culture as well.

Or, it could just be me overanalyzing things again.