They’re slow. They’re steady. They win races against arrogant bunnies. Turtles and their tortoise brethren have long been fabled creatures—they may be seen as purveyors of wisdom, or transport characters to new worlds. In some myths (and some newer stories as well), they hold parts of the world (or all of it) aloft.
Once, these creatures carried the weight of Aesop’s pithy morals. Now, they shoulder so much more, and our fantasy stories are often better off with turtles and tortoises in the mix. Here are five of my favorite turtles and tortoises in fantasy, and I hope you’ll add your own in the comments below!
Great A’Tuin — Discworld
I won’t sully Great A’Tuin’s good name by putting the turtle anywhere other than the very top of this list. Four giant elephants (perhaps a redundant descriptor, that, but these elephants are especially giant)—Berilia, Tunul, Great T’Phon, and Jerakeen—stand on Great A’Tuin’s shell. Above them sits Discworld.
Great A’Tuin swims through space carrying the literal world on its back. Little else is known about the beast. Its sex remains a mystery, for example—at one point Pratchett’s characters attempt to solve it by sending Rincewind below Great A’Tuin in a spaceship. (They fail.) Great A’Tuin remains an enigma, perhaps a humor-tinged hint from Terry Pratchett that some questions don’t require answers. How is the world suspended in space? It may as well be a giant turtle.
Lion Turtles — Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra
I know they’re technically hybrids, but cut me some slack: Aside from the head, Avatar’s lion turtles are mostly turtle.
These are ancient, wise beings with a connection to both the spiritual realm and the physical world. Humans hunted them to near extinction in ancient times. Only one lion turtle lived on, becoming known as “Ancient One.” Aang encounters the creature near the tail end of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s core arc. The lion turtle serves many purposes for Aang. It allows him a quiet space to meditate on his upcoming battle with Ozai and his internal struggle with the need to neutralize the Fire Lord. It transports him to the site of said battle. It even reveals a nugget of parting wisdom that shifts the tide of the Aang-Ozai bout.
In The Legend of Korra, we learn how the lion turtles of yore played a role in the creation of the first Avatar. These beings and their wisdom were pivotal in the formation of Avatar’s world, allowing humans to build cities on their backs, protecting people from spirits and potential dangers that lay in the surrounding lands.
And yet, when the Avatar Cycle began, the lion turtles relinquished their responsibility. The wise and protective creatures were then hunted until only the singular lion turtle from Avatar remained. And that—as they say—is why we can’t have nice things.
Banchi — One Piece
Banchi is a morose-looking, cowboy-hat-wearing, cigar-smoking “all-terrain” turtle. He’s primarily affiliated with the Baroque Works bounty-hunting group.
There isn’t all that much to Banchi: He’s a big ol’ turtle, and people ride him. He takes direction pretty well, but otherwise, he doesn’t emote too often. He’s just a big, strong, uncharacteristically fast turtle transporting folks—usually Miss All-Sunday—wherever they need to go.
I love Banchi for his scowl and his unshakeable demeanor. He seems to tolerate his lot in life, but there’s an awareness there. He seems to understand that his purpose is fairly menial and content that it doesn’t require more of him. At least he isn’t carrying an entire world on his shell, right?
Psychic Tortoises — The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
The best fantasy book I’ve read in 2023 has its own version of the internet in the form of psychic tortoises. There are plenty of reasons to enjoy Simon Jimenez’ The Spear Cuts Through Water, including its unique take on the moon. Count the tortoises among them.
The book’s tortoises are relegated to towers, where they use their psychic connection to communicate with one another across long distances. Tortoises are used to send messages and share information, much like we use email and the internet. Sadly, they’re forced to remain in their towers and serve humans. Their mother, essentially a god, rests in the heart of the world. On her back rests an ocean-sized lake. Merchant houses and floating apartment buildings drift across the waters, and tributaries trickle down from her shell, creating the land’s rivers and lakes.
Jimenez gives the tortoises a very interesting role to play as the book’s story unfolds. This fresh perspective gives turtle-tortoise tropes new life, and I strongly encourage any fantasy fan to read it for themselves!
Giant Turtle — The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Finally, we come to Termina’s giant turtle, a nameless being who spends most of its time disguised as a small island… until Link needs to get to the Great Bay Temple, that is.
Like Banchi above, this Giant Turtle exists primarily to transport. Its life is slow and sleepy. The game’s conclusion sees the turtle return to its slumber after all the hard work of bringing our silent protagonist across the sea.
Honorable Mentions
A few other turtles and tortoises sprang to mind when I was writing this article, and I want to give them each a brief turn in the spotlight:
- Crush, Finding Nemo: He may be regular-sized to us, but for Marlin and Dory, this big, surfer-dude turtle is their one-way ticket through the gnarly East Australian Current.
- Fastitocalon, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil: Tolkien historians will know infinitely more about Fastitocalon (including how to pronounce it; someone help me out in the comments?). Still, worthy of a mention because Tolkien drew heavy inspiration from “Fastitocalon,” a medieval poem. Hobbits know the in-universe version of the poem well, which it tells of the eponymous creature luring sailors to their deaths.
- Bowser, Super Mario Bros.: Does King Koopa count? Let’s discuss!
Cole Rush writes words. A lot of them. For the most part, you can find those words at The Quill To Live or on Twitter @ColeRush1. He voraciously reads epic fantasy and science-fiction, seeking out stories of gargantuan proportions and devouring them with a bookwormish fervor. His favorite books are: The Divine Cities Series by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, and The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.
