KAME

The kame (turtle synonymous with tortoise)
is one of the four celestial guardians (dragon, phoenix, tiger and turtle) of Chinese mythology.
Symbolic of long life, strength and endurance.
Turtle is also called the “Black Warrior”

Represents the water element, the yin principle,
the northern region and the color black.

The turtle has great significance in many ancient cultures of the world.
The tortoise shape symbolizes the entire cosmos,
with the dome-shaped back as the sky, the body in the middle the earth,
and the undershell the water.
The Hindu believe the turtle is an incarnation of Vishnu.
According to Native American tradition
the turtle represents the support of the world as the beginning of creation,
portrayed as the Cosmic Tree growing out of the back of the turtle.
In Egypt the turtle appears with the sign of the Scales
as the measure of the floodwaters of the Nile.