Black Turtle-Snake

Lore & Background

During the Han dynasty, people wore jade pendants shaped like turtles. A legend held that turtles could not mate with other turtles, only snakes, explaining the intertwined depiction. The northern gates of Chinese palaces were often named after Xuanwu; most famously, the Incident at Xuanwu Gate occurred at the north gate of the Taiji Palace in Chang'an. In ancient China, the tortoise and serpent were spiritual creatures symbolizing longevity, and the Min people built turtle-shaped tombs to place graves under the Black Turtle-Snake's influence.

In the classic novel Journey to the West, Xuanwu was a king of the north with two generals: a Tortoise General and a Snake General. Taoist legend says Xuanwu was a prince who left his parents at age 16 to study Taoism, eventually achieving divine status as a deity of the northern sky. Another legend holds that during his study, he purged his human stomach and intestines, which became a tortoise and a snake that terrorized people; Xuanwu subdued them and let them train under him as generals. A variant says he washed his sins in a river, forming a black tortoise and snake.

Reader's Guide

The Black Turtle-Snake holds significance as one of the Four Symbols, representing the north and winter. In Japan, it is known as Genbu and is said to protect Kyoto on the north side, with the Kenkun Shrine on Mount Funaoka as its guardian. An important Taoist priest also uses Xuanwu as his clergy name, and in Journey to the West, Xuanwu is portrayed with a turtle and snake. The symbol's legacy extends to geography: the Wudang Mountains in Hubei house a temple to Xuanwu, and near Wuhan, Tortoise Mountain and Snake Mountain face each other across a river, linked to legends of Xuanwu's discarded organs. The image of intertwined tortoise and snake likely symbolizes a state of inner struggle. As with the other three Symbols, the Black Turtle-Snake has seven astrological 'Mansions' (positions of the Moon).

Did You Know?

• The character wu (武) meant 'knight' in the Jianghuai dialect, per Eastern Han philologist Xu Shen.
• The northern gates of Chinese palaces were often named after Xuanwu, including the site of the Incident at Xuanwu Gate.
• In Japan, Xuanwu is pronounced Genbu and is one of four guardian spirits protecting Kyoto.
• Taoist legend says Xuanwu's discarded stomach and intestines became a tortoise and snake, later his generals.