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It is not true that the world rests on the back of an elephant standing on the shell of a turtle. It could be true — because in an infinite number of universes, anything might be true — but, it is not. It could also be true because the turtle has the strength and wisdom to bear the weight of the entire world (plus an elephant) — but it is not. It could be true as well because the turtle is a steadfast creature, patient and long-lived. It could be true — it surely could — but it is not.
There are so many reasons to believe the world might be carried on the back of a turtle. Some Hindus believed it (and maybe some still do), and so did the Delaware and Lenape Indians, and the ancient Chinese (although in the interest of accuracy, they only believe a turtle held up the sky, and then only because Gong Gong the water god broke Mount Buzhou which had, up to that point, done a perfectly fine job of holding up the sky). So yes, it could be true — and yet it is not true.
If you spoke Chelonian, and you happened to ask this particular fellow about why he wasn’t holding up the world — or even just the sky — I think it’s pretty clear what he’d say: “Why don’t you go ask the elephant.”
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