| Mock Turtle | |
|---|---|
| Alice character | |
 TheGryphon and the Mock Turtle, illustrated byJohn Tenniel | |
| First appearance | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland |
| Created by | Lewis Carroll |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Formerly aTurtle/Sea Turtle, now aTurtle/Cow hybrid |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | Wonderland |
TheMock Turtle is a fictional character devised byLewis Carroll from his popular 1865 bookAlice's Adventures in Wonderland. Its name is taken from a dish that was popular in theVictorian period,mock turtle soup.[1]
Then theQueen left off, quite out of breath, and said toAlice, "Have you seen the Mock Turtle yet?"
"No," said Alice. "I don't even know what a Mock Turtle is."
"It's the thing Mock Turtle Soup is made from", said the Queen.[2]
Carroll enjoyed such puns onVictorian fashions andetiquette, and showed this frequently. The drawing byJohn Tenniel gives comedic value: mock turtle soup was made fromcalves' heads and feet to mimic the taste of real turtle soup, and Tenniel gives Carroll's creature the body and front flippers of a turtle and the head and feet of a calf.[3]
Alice encounters the Mock Turtle with theGryphon. The Mock Turtle is a very melancholic character; his sombre attitude is believed to be a result of his having once been a real turtle. He tells Alice his history of going to school in the sea. He says his teacher was an oldsea turtle calledTortoise, and when Alice asks him why he was called Tortoise if he was a turtle the Mock Turtle answers, "We called him tortoise because he taught us!"[4] ("tortoise" and "taught us" both being pronounced[tɔːtəs] instandard English:pronunciationⓘ).[5]
