Devil’s Footprints
Occasionally people have found odd footprints that are big enough to be a man’s but are shaped like those made by a cloven—that is, divided—hoof of the sort seen on goats, pigs, or deer. Such footprints are called devil’s footprints or devil’s tracks because the devil is often depicted as having cloven hooves. The first reference to devil’s footprints was in newspaper reports of an incident that took place in and around Exeter and Devon, England, on February 9, 1855. That morning, residents in the area discovered new snow on the ground, but it was marked with a line of strange tracks that extended for more than 100 miles (161km). These tracks were not in pairs but in a single line, each print about 8 inches (20.3cm) from the next, and their spacing and progress remained constant despite various obstacles in their path. They crossed walls, went through haystacks and gardens, and even went across the roofs of buildings. When this case was publicized in newspapers, other people came forward to report that they had seen similar tracks regularly near the border between Poland and Germany.
The most famous reported sightings of devil’s footprints in the United States were in New Jersey in the early 1900s, when the tracks of a creature dubbed the Jersey Devil were seen in a southern part of the state. These tracks were later revealed to be a hoax, however, and skeptics say that most other instances of such tracks are hoaxes as well. The remainder, skeptics say, are the result of ordinary tracks being distorted by changes in the environment, such as when snow melts or sand shifts. Believers in mysterious beasts, however, have suggested that the tracks are made by an animal that has yet to be found and scientifically classified.
SEE ALSO:
- The Jersey Devil
SOURCE:
The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Paranormal Phenomena – written by Patricia D. Netzley © 2006 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning
