Throughout the world there is a parallel idea of a bearer - the "Mother Turtle" who holds the world up. She represents the land, floating in the vast primal sea. Numerous stories about the Sea Turtle are told throughout the world's island nations.

In Samoan folklore, sea turtles were believed to have the power to save fishermen who were lost at sea by bringing them safely to shore. The Samoan word for sea turtle, I'a sa, translates literally to "sacred fish."

A Hawaiian legend tells about a green sea turtle named Kauila, who could change herself into a girl to watch over the children playing at Punalu'u Beach on the Big Island. When Kauila's mother dug her nest, a fresh water spring surged upward, quenching the children's thirst. Kauila is the "mythical mother" of all turtles.