In ancient times, when digging a well, a turtle was usually put in. What's the purpose? Do you know that?/You know what? Do you know that?/You know what?

This question is quite interesting, because I have several small turtles, and I often pull a turtle to relieve boredom. So, I was shocked by this question and decided to think about it.

In traditional culture, the tortoise is a spiritual animal. During the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the ancients used tortoise shells for divination, and later generations also said that turtles were used to cushion beds. But it's the first time I heard that turtles were put into wells when digging wells in ancient times.

Then why put the tortoise at the bottom of the well?

In fact, the main reason is the pursuit of safety. There was a shortage of water in ancient times, unlike tap water used in various equipment now. At that time, people only wanted to drink the water from the well, but in the stream, because of too many uncertainties, people often washed clothes and bathed by the stream instead of drinking water.

It turns out that in ancient times, it was very interesting to put a turtle into the water after people dug and completed the well. In ancient mythology, the tortoise is a beast called basalt, which has water resources in mythology.

Legend has it that Yu's father, Gong Gong, was Xuanzang, who managed water before Yu. Although he is not like this, he is also a skilled diver. Therefore, Xiongnu is usually considered as the embodiment of basalt. So people throw turtles into the well, hoping that the power of basalt can save their well water to infinity.

Of course, the above is only a reminder of animals, but there are also four ancient animals in China (Qinglong, White Tiger, Mushroom and Basalt). Although this basalt is a combination of tortoise and snake, we often find snakes in wells. They were thought to be responsible for the management of water resources in ancient times.

According to legend, in the process of water resources management, his father tried to block the water flow because of improper methods, which not only had no benefit, but also often led to flooding. Until his death, he still insisted on how to manage water resources. It is said that after his death, he became a turtle to help jade deal with the flood.

Nothing mysterious, just an early warning system. You can also put fish. It's just that turtles have a long life span, can live for a long time, have strong adaptability to the environment and are easier to feed.

Well is an open public resource, which is easily polluted and poisoned. How to prevent it? The wisdom of the ancients was to raise fish in wells and turtles in wells. If a fish dies and the turtle is restless, it means that the water is not safe.