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 68 - ZMEY
Episode 67 - CELTIC AND WESTERN EUROPEAN FAIRIES
Episode 66 - BONUS: THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
Episode 65 - CHARMS AND CHILDBIRTH
Episode 64 - CORNISH FOLK TALES OF PLACE
Episode 63 - SLAVIC WITCHCRAFT
Episode 62 - THE GIRL WHO SPEAKS BEAR
Episode 61 - WORLD OF THE UNKNOWN: GHOSTS
Episode 60 - MAGICAL HOUSE PROTECTION
Episode 59 - THE GLASS WOMAN
Episode 58 - ICELANDIC FOLKLORE
Episode 57 - TALES OF BRITAIN
Episode 56 - REDISCOVERING RENAISSANCE WITCHCRAFT
Episode 55 - CUNNING FOLK
Episode 54 - BOTANICAL FOLK TALES
Episode 53 - ROSES ARE RED
Episode 52: GHOSTS IN CINEMA
Episode 51 - HAPPY NEW YEAR
Episode 50 - PERCHTEN
Episode 49 - IN COMES I ...
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