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2. The
ancient Chinese used to drill holes in turtle shells and then place
them in the fire
to see what cracks developed. The cracks foretold the future:
(Ref. Lindqvist)
Turtles can be associated with earth (the Middleworld) and earth is resistant to fire.
The Polynesians had earth-ovens (umu) in which food was
prepared. The heavenly firedrill had a turtle at the bottom
presumably to
isolate the earth from a general conflagration when at new year a
fire must be ignited.
(Ref. Hamlet's Mill)
| "...
the tortoise cannot be burnt ... a characteristic which
is confirmed objectively by ethnography, since the
wolf's trick [in M192]
of trying to cook the tortoise while it was lying on its
back is based on a method which may seem barbarous but
is still current in central Brazil: the tortoise is so
difficult to kill that the peasants cook it alive among
the hot wood cinders, with its own shell acting as the
cooking-dish; the process may last several hours,
because the poor beast takes so long to die ..." (From
Honey to Ashes) |
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