PHOTOS: At U-Md., 'Offerings' To Testudo Are Time-Honored Tradition

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- If you went to the University of Maryland, you know the best way to get some last-minute luck for finals.

You're supposed to rub the nose of the bronze Testudo statue in front of McKeldin library, or leave it an "offering."

There are several other "Testudos" around the grounds, but the one on the mall is the original.

According to the school's website, the Class of 1933 bought the statue as its graduation gift to the university. It was stolen by students from rival colleges — Johns Hopkins and the University of Virginia — a few times before officials decided to have it filled with 700 pounds of cement in the 1950s.

When McKeldin Library was built in the 1960s, Testudo was moved to the spot where he has rested ever since. Since McKeldin Mall houses many of the school's academic buildings, he's in a prime location for students to get some last-minute luck before exams.

According to the university's archives, this poem was among the items left for the statue in the late 1990s:

"A Prayer to Testudo

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of exams
I shall fear no question, for thou art with me
Thy shell and thy nose, they comfort me
Thou preparest a pen for me in the face of mine professors
Thou anointest my head with knowledge, my cup runneth over
Surely good grades and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Terrapin forever
Help us in our hour of need, Testudo!"

And here's an old photo from the archives of the offerings from 1998:

In recent years, Testudo offerings have continued to pile up, and the tradition even made headlines in 2013 when Testudo's treasure pile caught on fire overnight.

Here are some photos from this semester:

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