All Black Tortoise of the North (Chinese Xiu Mansions)

The seven lunar mansions of the north, which Chinese astronomers placed under the Black Tortoise, also called the Black Turtle-Snake or Black Warrior, the northern guardian among the Four Symbols. They are Dipper, Ox, Girl, Emptiness, Rooftop, Encampment and Wall, each marking a stretch of the sky the Moon crosses on its monthly journey. In the system that links the four creatures to the five phases, the Black Tortoise of the North represents Water, so these seven mansions share the tortoise's direction and element.