archaicwonder: Etruscan Bronze Turtle, 6th-5th Century BC In Greek mythology, the turtle is closely

archaicwonder:Etruscan Bronze Turtle, 6th-5th Century BCIn Greek mythology, the turtle is closely linked to Hermes and is his animal-attribute (Hermes made the first lyre with a turtle’s shell, see Homeric Hymn to Hermes, 24-61). Otherwise, other divinities, like Apollo, who received Hermes’s lyre, Zeus, Artemis, Hera and Aphrodite can be connected to this animal, even though their mythological connection is not always clear. Images of turtles are frequently offered as exvotos in many of the sanctuaries of the three above-mentioned female divinities.In the Greek world, this reptile is often seen as a terracotta ex-voto or a child’s toy, while the bronze statuettes are very rare: the majority of metal turtles were directly placed on the ground or riveted on a base, and were used as a support for the handle of a mirror or the rod of a bronze lamp (often modeled in the shape of a young man, a kouros, or of a young girl, a kore). In Etruria, three turtles sometimes support the tripods of candelabra or incense burners. When the object supported by the turtle is lost, it is very difficult to date these figurines precisely; the known examples can generally be dated between the late 6th and the 4th century BC. -- source link

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