Why did the ancients throw two turtles into the well after drilling it? What's the role?

As the saying goes, turtles that have lived for 80,000 years are very long-lived creatures, and because most of them live for a long time, they may be rich in nutrition, so the meat is quite delicious. In The Water Margin, Shen Zhi especially likes to eat turtle meat. When he first entered the temple as a monk, he was forced to meditate by the monk, which led to a joke:

The Buddhist monk on his upper and lower shoulders pushed him up and said, no; If you want to become a monk, why not learn to meditate? ""The dining room sleeps by itself, "Shen Zhi said." What do you care? "Zen first son said," good! " Shen Zhi shouted, "Jun Fish Restaurant also eats, so what's delicious? "? " "Chanda Kazuko said," But it is bitter! "Shen Zhi said," handsome fish is big and fat, fragrant and delicious, why bother? " ?

This shows that after Lu became a monk, he still thought about turtle meat. Turtles are not only regarded as delicious by the ancients, but also have many connections with people. For example, when the ancients divined, some people used tortoise shells, and the older the tortoise, the more accurate it was. What is unknown is that the ancients often threw two turtles into the water after drilling wells. Why?

According to legend, China invented the sinking technology very early, and an official named Boyi invented the sinking technology. Since then, people in China have dug wells to get water, which has brought great convenience to people living in some water-deficient areas in the north. According to archaeological findings, the Hemudu site more than 5,700 years ago had mature well excavation technology, which enabled ancient humans to settle down and live a farming life instead of living on weeds.

So why did the ancients throw two turtles into the well? On the one hand, this is a cultural belief, on the other hand, it is also of practical use value. In ancient China, there were five elements, saying that different orientations correspond to different attributes, while four orientations correspond to four great beasts, namely? Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku, Xuanwu? Qinglong is in the east, representing wood; The white tiger is in the west, representing gold; Suzaku is in the south, representing fire; Xuanwu is in the north, representing water. What is Xuanwu? "Fuyang miscellaneous? Nogor wrote:

In the eighth year of Taihe, Taoist Zhu, a frequent visitor to Lushan Mountain, rested on the rocks and suddenly saw a pile of cotton. When he was hungry, he turned into a giant turtle. All the mountains he has been to are covered with mountains and the clouds are basaltic. ?

Xuanwu is a tortoise. Some people say that Xuanwu is a combination of tortoise and snake. Li Xian said? Xuanwu, the god of the north, is a combination of tortoise and snake. ? So the tortoise is a beast representing water, so people throw the tortoise into the well to protect the water source from exhaustion. In addition, turtles in the well will also help people drink water safely.

First of all, turtles will eat some harmful parasites, as well as all kinds of aquatic plants, or rotten meat, or bugs that fall into wells. It is no exaggeration to say that putting a few turtles underwater is equivalent to putting a few free well washers, who will make the water inside very clean.

More importantly, people don't know whether the newly dug well water is drinkable. Although the ancients did not have the subject of chemistry, they also knew through historical experience that some well water would be poisoned for some unknown reason. If the turtle dies not long after going down, the well water is definitely not drinkable. If turtles can swim around in it, it means that well water is safe to drink.

By the same token, putting a turtle in a well can prevent it from being poisoned by others. This well concerns the safety of the family. Are there turtles here? Try poison with your own body? Everyone will be relieved after eating it. At the same time, many turtles eat snakes. In summer, snakes like swimming in wells very much. Whether it is poisonous or not, it is very dangerous for people to be bitten by it accidentally. Putting a turtle at the bottom of the water also plays a role in preventing snakes from running into the well and biting people when they are unprepared.

It can be seen that the ancients did not believe in putting turtles in wells. It contains profound biological wisdom, which makes people not only admire.