Bortoletti - Bronze seal symbol - turtle

Bronze seal for use with a seal holder. In China and Japan the turtle is a symbol of longevity. In Asian myth the turtle also represents cosmic order, the forces that ruled the world when it arose from the primeval waters at the beginning of time; according to legend, the whole earth was supported on a turtle's back. For a more recent reference, we have to look at the Discworld by Terri Pratchett. This wonderful flat world is carried by four elephants (or five?) on the back of the great space turtle A'Tuin on its never-ending journey through the multiverse...