In the winter of 1855, after a heavy fall of snow, residents across a large area of the county of Devon, in the South West of the UK, awoke to find a mysterious trail of prints in the snow. Looking like an hoof, the single-file line of prints allegedly covered a distance of some 100 miles, ignoring obstructions in their path and continuing over high walls hayricks and even the roofs of houses. No satisfactory explanation has ever been given for the event, which became known as the Great Devon Mystery.
Although the case has been widely reported, interestingly it is not the only time that this has happened. Very similar lines of marks have been found in different parts of the world over the last 175 years or so. It's just that the other cases are much more obscure.
In this episode of The Folklore Podcast, creator and host Mark Norman compares and contrasts cases from 1840 through to 2009.
Episode 122: COOPER BRAUN
Episode 121: ENGLISH FOLKTALES
Episode 120: TERRORS OF THE SEA
Episode 119: REWRITING HISTORY
Episode 118: BELLA IN THE WYCH ELM
BOOK CLUB 28: Bohemian Magick
BONUS CONTENT: Divination
Episode 117: POLARI
Episode 116: ARCHAEOLOGICAL STORYTELLING
Episode 115: SELKIES
Episode 114: THE SPIRIT ENGINEER
BOOK CLUB 27: The Body Fantastic
Episode 113: FOLKLORE AND DR WHO
BOOK CLUB 26: Her Dark Wings
Episode 112: HAUNTED FORESTS OF ENGLAND
BOOK CLUB 25: Calling the Spirits
Episode 111: A GOTHIC COOKBOOK
BOOK CLUB 24: Parallel Hells
Episode 110: REBECCA SONNENSHINE
BOOK CLUB 23: Pan - The Great God's Modern Return
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