Questions:

1. Any famous local stories where turtles star?
2. Any myths associated with turtles?

- Asked by Ellen Whyte

Answers:

I will answer the second question first.

The myth and one that I love to debunk is that turtle eggs are aphrodisiacs. They certainly are NOT. People have analysed the nutrient content of turtle eggs and found them to be no better than chicken eggs.    However, I do understand why coastal villagers claim them to be so. In the past when they very poor, under- and mal-nourished, they ate plenty of turtle eggs collected during the nesting season.  Hence their nutrition status improved tremendously because of the added and much needed protein. This naturally gave them a sense of well-being and hence libido. In these modern days, they do not need to depend on turtle eggs any more as chicken eggs are readily available and much cheaper too.

In some South Pacific Islands, legends abound. In Fiji, there is this story about an ancient ancestor transforming herself into a turtle so that she could swim and fly through the water forever. In Satawal, Micronesia, the hawksbill was treated like a god and could not be caught or eaten (I like this one).

Famous local stories where turtles star: None so far, and thus perhaps waiting to be written. Interested, Ellen?? I have written a children’s story book and it is now being illustrated. No idea if it will ever become famous, but here is a peak preview of pages 10 and 11. I am looking for a sponsor to publish it under the Turtle Conservation Centre. Do tell me what you think, Ellen :)

page 10 of chiildren's book yet to be published

page 11, artwork by Tan YiSin

This post is part of Turtle Blogathon 2009, where we stayed up for 24-straight-hours to blog about turtles. To make a donation, please visit the Donations page. Posts written during the Turtle Blogathon are filed in the Turtle Blogathon 2009 category.

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