Footprint - Footprints in Myth and Legend

Footprints in Myth and Legend

The appearance of footprints, or marks interpreted as footprints, have led to numerous myths and legends. Some locations use such imprints as tourist attractions.

Examples of footprints in myth and legend include:

  • Buddha footprint – an aniconic and symbolic representation of the Buddha.
  • The Devil's Footprints – an unexplained series of hoof-like marks that appeared in Devon, England on 8 February 1855 after a light snowfall during the night.
  • Golden calf – in Islam dust from the hoofprints of Haizum, the winged horse of archangel Gabriel, is used to animate the Golden calf.
  • Moso's Footprint – a 1m by 3m rock enclosure in Samoa made when the giant Moso stepped over to Samoa from Fiji, and the other footprint can be found on Viti Levu, the largest island of Fiji.
  • Footprints of Bigfoot, a cryptozoological animal, are said to give proof to its existence.
  • Sri Pada, or Adam's Peak, a mountain in Sri Lanka, has a large footprint-shaped impression in the rock at its summit, said by various religious adherents to be that of the Buddha, Shiva or Adam.
  • The reputed print of the right foot of Jesus is preserved in the Mosque of the Ascension in Jerusalem.
  • A set of Jesus's footprints, according to legend, are preserved at the Church of Domine Quo Vadis outside of Rome.
  • A mark in stone of the paving of the Munich Frauenkirche is known as the Teufelstritt ("Devil's Footstep").

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