The World on Turtle's Back

“Among the ancients there were two worlds in existence. The lower world was in great darkness;—the possession of the great monster; but the upper world was inhabited by mankind.”

This quote establishes the tale’s setting. The woman begins the story in the upper world, where she is surrounded by family. Without meaning to, she falls into the netherworld, which is where she gives birth to her twins. The upper world symbolically suggests our world, or the space of humans, with the imagined world below representing a wilder or more chaotic world. The distribution of light between the two places introduces the theme of Primordial Darkness and the Human Need for Light.

“A large turtle came forward and made proposal to them to endure her lasting weight, which was accepted.”

The turtle provides an answer to the dilemma of where the woman will land, which none of the monsters have been able to solve. This action moves the plot forward: The woman can survive the landing and give birth. The turtle’s self-sacrificing becomes even more notable in retrospect given the self-absorption of Enigonhahetgea.

“While she was in the limits of distress one of the infants in her womb was moved by an evil opinion and he was determined to pass out under the side of the parent’s arm, and the other infant in vain endeavoured to prevent his design.”

There have been signs that the woman is not in control of her body or her future. This quote reveals that one of her twin sons is making decisions not only for himself but for her before even exiting her body.