| “ | See the TURTLE of enormous girth! On his shell he holds the earth. His thought is slow but always kind; he holds us all within his mind. On his back all vows are made; he sees the truth but mayn't aid. He loves the land and loves the sea, And even loves a child like me. | „ |
| ~ Poem about the Turtle. |
Maturin (also known as The Turtle) is the true main protagonist of the famous Stephen King novel, It, as well an unseen protagonist in fellow Stephen King series, The Dark Tower.
Biography
Maturin is one of the guardians of the Beams that support the Dark Tower. His physical form in Mid-World is presumably a cyborg like Shardik. It is hinted that this Beam is personified in the character of Stephen King. In actuality the turtle's true form is much more grand and powerful. There is evidence of this in several occasions when it has come to aid warriors of The White.
In the Dark Tower story it gives power in the form of the magic object that is left for the Ka-tet known as the Skoldpadda, which has the power to blind and entrance enemies.
The Turtle is said to have vomited out our Universe when it had a stomach ache. IT thought that the Old Turtle Enemy of his died after this. He bears a resemblance to the World Turtle of Hindu myth. He also has a grandfather-like voice and is shown to be kind and loving. There is a representation of the turtle in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, a building built to protect the Rose.
Described as being a Turtle of massive size with an ancient appearance, Maturin existed long before the creation of the mainstream universe in Stephen King's novels. By nature, Maturin is kind and benevolent, having a very grandfather-like demeanor when speaking to humans. Maturin is said to be constantly withdrawn into his shell, sleeping and rarely ever coming out for anything. One of the occasions he did come out of his shell was when he had a stomachache which caused him to vomit out the mainstream universe, after which he promptly retreated back into his shell. Because of this, It (a creature that existed in the void within the Macroverse and was an adversary of Maturin) considered the turtle to be old, lazy, and stupid. However, given his vast amount of wisdom, power, and the aid he has provided to those in need of it, It's perceptions of the turtle seem to be false.
In It, Maturin seems to serve largely as a spectator to the events that unfold in the battle between It and the Loser's Club. Maturin only involves himself to advise the young Bill Denbrough during the Ritual of Chüd in 1958 while Gan provided the Losers with most of their strength.
Trivia
- Despite being one of the most important characters of the Stephen King mythos, Maturin was ommited in the TV mini-series of It.