What was ancient Xuanwu like?

Xuanwu is a spiritual object composed of turtles and snakes in ancient myths and legends of China.

Introduction to Xuanwu: Xuanwu originally described the tortoise divination: the tortoise's back was black, and the tortoise divination invited the tortoise to ask questions in the underworld first, brought back the answers and showed them to the world in the form of divination. Therefore, the earliest Xuanwu was a turtle, and later the meaning of Xuanwu continued to expand.

Myth origin:

The earliest legend about the origin of Xuanwu comes from Xia Dynasty. According to legend, the father of Yu, the founder of the Xia Dynasty in China, was called "Gun", or Xuanwu, and helped Shun control water before the famous Dayu. Because it only uses blocking instead of dredging, it has not succeeded despite the help of the gods. Generally speaking, guns are the embodiment of turtles, while Tu Shanshi, a Xia clan member, thinks snakes are his ancestors. After Xuanwu was regarded as a god by Taoism, there was a saying that turtles and snakes were in harmony.

In ancient mythology of China, the four great beasts were Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu. Xuanwu, also called Xuanming, is a combination of tortoise and snake. It is the water god, living in Beihai, and the tortoise lives long. Xuan Ming has become a symbol of immortality, and the underworld is also in the north, so it is the god of the north. Qinglong and Baihu palm in all directions, Suzaku Xuanwu follows Yin and Yang, Xuanwu can ask divination in the underworld. Therefore, Xuanwu is different from the other three spirits. It is called "Zhenwu Emperor" and is the god worshipped by Taoism.