Turtles+and+Tortoises

The Turtle and Tortoise in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Ka-mnh// or //Shtyw//

The ancient Egyptians did not distinguish between the Nile Soft-shelled Turtle and the Egyptian Tortoise, and classified them both as a type of fish. They were hunted for their meat and shells. The shells were used as containers, sound boxes for musical instruments, and served as raw material for jewelery.

The turtle, like other aquatic creatures such as crocodiles and frogs, was a symbol of regeneration, and a protective spell describes the deceased as having "clad myself as a tortoise (in its shell)." Turtle amulets made of green jasper, faience, gold, ivory, amethyst, serpentine, and carnelian were buried with the dead. The turtle was sacred to the moon-god Khonsu.

Despite this, because they were both classed as fish (seen as negative creatures), both turtles and tortoises were sometimes seen as enemies of the sun-god Ra, and agents of the evil god Set. Magical formulas such as "Ra shall live, the turtle shall die" were written on coffins during the New Kingdom.

The Reptiles and Amphibians of Ancient Egypt