Mystery Footprints-what or who made them?

Some time ago now, i came across this story in a book titled 'Occult In The West' It happened in Devon, England In 1855- the 8th of February..it certainly caught my interest, and then not long ago i found a video of the same story on youtube.. I would like to share it here and would be most interested in anyone and everyones ideas as to what may have caused these bizarre prints ..I have a few theories of my own, but will wait to see if the thread picks up at all first

Here it is:

www.youtube.com...

See what ya think!

[edit on 2-11-2009 by Full_Vision]

[edit on 2-11-2009 by Full_Vision]

[edit on 2-11-2009 by Full_Vision]

I watched the video, there is no telling what the culprit was: no eyewitnesses to what made it, no pictures, etc. But it certainly isn't like there isn't ample evidence in many many other instances that the devil is as real as you and I.

Without being able to see the actual footprints, anything here is just speculation.

All I know is that the devil getting drunk and wandering pigeon-toed in the snow for 100 miles in some small town in England is the LEAST likely answer. Even if the devil existed, what purpose would doing this serve? I think a being as powerful as a demon would have better things to do than play subtle, elaborate pranks to frighten an ignorant town. He could observe the town without having to physically manifest and walk around it, or he could hide his footprints or change them into anything he wanted. If he feeds off fear and wanted to be seen, why not do something a little more dramatic and undeniable?

From what I understand, snowfall in the UK is very uncommon... maybe once or twice per year? Chances are people aren't used to seeing animal footprints in snow, and even expert animal trackers could be messed up by it.

Originally posted by Bombeni
But it certainly isn't like there isn't ample evidence in many many other instances that the devil is as real as you and I.

I would be very interested in seeing as much as you can provide.

[edit on 11/2/2009 by Yarcofin]

I remember reading this story as a child many years ago. Kangaroo seems like a good possibility as does a large bird like a crane or heron although neither would leave tracks that looks like "hooves". It's a classic story though, I'd almost hate to have a good answer for it. We need good mysteries.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
Kangaroo seems like a good possibility

2 small problems with that hypothesis mate

1. Kangaroos are native to Australia, not the U.K. which is virtually on the other side of the planet to Australia.

2. Kangaroo prints look nothing like the prints described in the story: "they resembled the hoofmarks of a pony or donkey, 4 inches long and some 2 and 3/4 inches wide....". Kangaroo prints are up to 18 inches long with 3 toes at the end.

EDIT: Silly me wrote this post before watching the video - I didn't realise the kangaroo hypothesis was mentioned there But my points are still valid

[edit on 2/11/2009 by Kryties]

I remember this, I forget what they figured it was in the end. I think it was a rabbit.

excuse double click post

[edit on 2-11-2009 by damwel]

I am going to make me a pair of stilts with cloven hooves carved into the bottom. Then I am going to walk all over the field next to the local Baptist church.

I am not saying that is what was done in the video, it just gave me the idea.

Oh my God!! It's the Devil!!!

Yes i am highly doubtful on the Devil thing, that just seems to be the nickname media and locals dubbed the story as.. Interesting case, i will have a look and see if i can find any actual pictures or drawings of the actual incident, if so i will post them asap.. I know that it was claimed to be birds and or rabbits at one point, but it seems unlikely given the way it was described that the prints appeared, no push off marks in the snow for a creature to have jumped over gates..i vote shapeshifting witches, lol..

reply to post by Full_Vision


Hey there Full_Vision, thanks for the story I'd heard similar tales before but never heard this version ... I love it.

However don't blame the shapeshifting witches ... we don't like getting our hooves wet ... or is that just me ?

Thanks again. Woody

[edit on 2-11-2009 by woodwytch]

Thanks for this story I've never heard of this one before, I love these old stories/legends that are so bizarre the mystery of it eats at you and makes you think long and hard about what it could be. S&F for you.

This thing was able to go over high walls, onto roofs of houses and buildings, make it across wide rivers and fit through a small 2-foot hole if I remember correctly from the story. Definitely sounds like something small with wings. The tracks it left behind are interesting, small print marks in a straight line 8 inches apart, with no actual pictures being the time it was, no drawings or molds of it to narrow down the possibilities it could be anything. I am leaning more towards something with wings to be able to get high up on roofs and over rivers. My guess of what it could be; Snow Owl, maybe one or a number of them either playing in the snow or looking for food.

[edit on 2-11-2009 by InvisibleObserver]

Originally posted by woodwytch
reply to post by Full_Vision

 

Hey there Full_Vision, thanks for the story I'd heard similar tales before but never heard this version ... I love it.

However don't blame the shapeshifting witches ... we don't like getting our hooves wet ... or is that just me ?

Thanks again. Woody

[edit on 2-11-2009 by woodwytch]

cold wet hooves arent ever a good thing! (i consider myself a Pagan in general terms but lean more towards the title of witch, the Arts having been handed down through family line) But really the shapeshifting witches comment was meant only as a bit of a joke...
Your avatar is beautiful by the way..very expressive

Originally posted by InvisibleObserver
Thanks for this story

I've never heard of this one before, I love these old stories/legends that are so bizarre the mystery of it eats at you and makes you think long and hard about what it could be. S&F for you.

This thing was able to go over high walls, onto roofs of houses and buildings, make it across wide rivers and fit through a small 2-foot hole if I remember correctly from the story. Definitely sounds like something small with wings. The tracks it left behind are interesting, small print marks in a straight line 8 inches apart, with no actual pictures being the time it was, no drawings or molds of it to narrow down the possibilities it could be anything. I am leaning more towards something with wings to be able to get high up on roofs and over rivers. My guess of what it could be; Snow Owl, maybe one or a number of them either playing in the snow or looking for food.

[edit on 2-11-2009 by InvisibleObserver]

Many many thanks for the reply here as well as the S&F! I agree with you about older stories especially that grab ones interest and wont let go! this one was one of those kinds to me..though i dislike the term strongly- a 'supernatural' being comes directly to mind.. the theory of it being a small winged critter does add up as well in some respects.. but the prints apparently looked nothing like those of a bird.. yet it would explain the places it was able to get to..

reply to post by Full_Vision


Bless you, I know you were only joking and my reply was merely a clumsy attemt to return the humour. I've been off-line for several months so it might take me a while to get back to previous form. Nice to meet a fellow witch. Woody

May i relate a story remarkably similar to yours.

"The Day The Devil Walked in Liverpool"

On 12 January, 1866, a great snow storm struck Liverpool, The blizzard was so fierce that it blew down a telegraph lines and all communication with London and the rest of the country was suspended for over a week,As tempertures plunged below zero, the River Mersey froze over and Liverpool gradually came to a standstill, People hurried indoors to escape the snow covered streets.

The date this happened is only rougly ten years after the event in devon. I have often thought that the culprit here was the elusive Spring Heeled Jack, could he have taken a trip down to Devon?

The youtube video peaked my interest and i admit i have only glanced at the tracks as i am in work. They immediately stood out as sharing the same characteristcs described in the account from Liverpool,1866.

At six O'Clock the fllowing morning a policeman in the south end of the city centre came upon a curious sight, In the fresh Virgin snow on Great George Street, He noticed a trail of what looked like hoof prints but they were very peculiar, It was as if the Animal had put one hoof exactly in front of the other and walked in a precise straight line, The policeman measured the distance between each horseshoe shaped print and saw that it was eight inches, He knew of no Animal that could walk in such a manner. He followed the trail and saw that the tracks could not have been made by a four legged animal he was a aware of Nothing impeded the progress of the unidentified animals The tracks went right up Great George Street and where found on each side the wall, Strangeer still at one point the tracks went across the roof of the snow covered house oin Oldam Street, Where a postman had also noticed the strange prints, The trail extened up St anne Street and onto Scotland Road where they suddleny came to a dead end, As if the strange creature had taken off like a bird at that point. News of the eerie trail spread across Liverpool and the local population, which comprised of many superstitious Irish Immagrants Thought there was a something unearthly about the prints in the snow, People were soon referring to the tracks as the Devil's Footprints,Believeing Satan had strolled through the desserted streets of Liverpool, And who else could walk over the Walls and RoofTops? Who else had hoofed feet?

Perhaps we should compare these two events in more detail and see if there were any other strange coincidences that we could tie together.

Winc(-(

There was a theory about a certain type of mouse that makes an imprint in the ground similar to the shape of a hoof. That would explain how the animal went through the small gap that was a drainpipe.

Have a look at this thread also on the subject - www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by Kryties


I don't know about other people, but to me the idea of a kangaroo in Britain somehow sounds scarier than the devil....

So far I like Yarcofin's theory best.









[edit on 2-11-2009 by Ethereal Gargoyle]

[edit on 2-11-2009 by Ethereal Gargoyle]

it was spring heeled jack, and i don't think those prosthetic hooves are a million miles away from the truth.

Damn, I just lost my original post thanks to the new clickable sidebars - arrgh! Anyway, as it just me who found the presentation of the video extremely grating? It is somewhat interesting (made more so as it's not far from where I live) but there are too many holes in the story for it to be totally convincing such as descriptions of the footprints themselves varying and the actual day(s) they were made. Also worthy of note, there was an article in a certain red top recently which directly relates to this: www.thesun.co.uk....

reply to post by Winchester_La

Thank you for relating the story here, there are a few striking similarities right away! very interesting, i shall look into both cases further..or as much as i can due to the ties they took place.. and will certainly get back to you on anything i find its sounds very much like the same being who did both areas..and i am hesitant to believe the simple animal theory, it seems a bit too...strange i guess.. for such a basic answer, as though its the easiest way for some to just dismiss the incident all together.. many people know alternate dimensions bring with them alternate dimensional beings...and it isnt so far fetched to assume these tracks were made by something either currently unknown or widely known as 'myth'

Thank you again for your post, excellent to compare the two