Seven-league boots
Encyclopedia
Seven-league boots are an element in European folklore
. The boot
s allow the wearer to take great strides—seven leagues
each step—resulting in great speed. The boots are often presented by a magical character to the protagonist
to aid in the completion of a significant task. (A league is three miles, so seven leagues is 21 miles or just under 35 kilometres.)
The idea arose from the practice of horse-messengers having their boots only touch the ground every seven leagues - when changing their tired horse for a fresh one.
Mention of the legendary boots are found in:
European folklore
European folklore or Western folklore refers to the folklore of the western world, especially when discussed comparatively.There is, of course, no single European culture, but nevertheless the common history of Christendom during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period has resulted in a number...
. The boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
s allow the wearer to take great strides—seven leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
each step—resulting in great speed. The boots are often presented by a magical character to the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
to aid in the completion of a significant task. (A league is three miles, so seven leagues is 21 miles or just under 35 kilometres.)
The idea arose from the practice of horse-messengers having their boots only touch the ground every seven leagues - when changing their tired horse for a fresh one.
Mention of the legendary boots are found in:
- GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Sweetheart RolandSweetheart RolandSweetheart Roland is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 56.It combines several Aarne-Thompson types: type 1119, Ogres Kill Their Own Children; type 313C, the girl helps the hero flee; and type 884, the forgotten fiancée. Others of the second type include The Master Maid,...
, Adelbert von ChamissoAdelbert von ChamissoAdelbert von Chamisso was a German poet and botanist.- Life :He was born Louis Charles Adélaïde de Chamissot at the château of Boncourt at Ante, in Champagne, France, the ancestral seat of his family...
's Peter SchlemielPeter SchlemielPeter Schlemihl is the title character of an 1814 novel, Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte , written in German by exiled French aristocrat Adelbert von Chamisso. In the story, Schlemihl sells his shadow to the Devil for a bottomless wallet, only to find that a man without a shadow is shunned...
, Goethe's FaustGoethe's FaustJohann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts: and . Although written as a closet drama, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages...
(MephistophelesMephistophelesMephistopheles is a demon featured in German folklore...
uses them at the start of Part Two, Act Four), Wilhelm HauffWilhelm HauffWilhelm Hauff was a German poet and novelist.-Early life:Hauff was born in Stuttgart, the son of August Friedrich Hauff, a secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs, and Hedwig Wilhelmine Elsaesser Hauff...
's "Der Kleine Muck" - FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Charles Perrault'sCharles PerraultCharles Perrault was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales. The best known include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , Cendrillon , Le Chat Botté and La Barbe bleue...
- Hop o' My ThumbHop o' My Thumb"Hop-o'-My-Thumb", also known as "Little Thumbling" , is a literary fairy tale by Charles Perrault . At the age of 67, Perrault decided to dedicate himself to his children and published Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals , with the subtitle: Tales of Mother Goose... - NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- Peter Christen AsbjørnsenPeter Christen AsbjørnsenPeter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore...
and Jørgen MoeJørgen Moeright|thumb|Norske Folkeeventyr Asbjørnsen and Moe Jørgen Engebretsen Moe was a Norwegian bishop and author...
- Soria Moria CastleSoria Moria CastleSoria Moria Castle is a Norwegian fairy tale made famous by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their classic Norske Folkeeventyr... - EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- Jack the Giant KillerJack the Giant Killer"Jack the Giant Killer" is a British fairy tale about a plucky lad who slays a number of giants during King Arthur's reign. The tale is characterized by violence, gore, and blood-letting. Giants are prominent in Cornish folklore and Welsh Bardic lore, but the source of "Jack the Giant Killer" is...
, Howl's Moving CastleHowl's Moving CastleHowl's Moving Castle is a young adult fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986. It won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and was named an ALA Notable Book for both children and young adults. In 2004 it was adapted as an Academy Award-nominated animated film by Hayao...
, The Midnight FolkThe Midnight FolkThe Midnight Folk is a children's fantasy novel by John Masefield first published in 1927. It is about a boy, Kay Harker, who sets out to discover what became of a fortune stolen from his sea-faring great grandfather Aston Tirrold Harker...
, The Light FantasticThe Light FantasticThe Light Fantastic is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the second of the Discworld series. It was published in 1986. The title is a quote from a poem by John Milton and in the original context referred to dancing lightly with extravagance....
, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Jenny NimmoJenny NimmoJenny Nimmo is a British author of numerous books for children, including many fantasy and adventure novels, beginning reader books, and picture books....
's Midnight for Charlie Bone', C.S. Lewis's The Pilgrim's RegressThe Pilgrim's RegressThe Pilgrim's Regress is a book of allegorical fiction by C. S. Lewis.This 1933 novel — Lewis's first-published work of prose fiction — and his third piece of work to be published; charts the progress of a fictional character through the philosophical landscape before eventually... - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Zane GreyZane GreyZane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the Old West. Riders of the Purple Sage was his bestselling book. In addition to the success of his printed works, they later had second lives and continuing influence...
's The Last of the Plainsmen
In fiction
- Boots of speed are a frequent item in role-playing gameRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s and roguelikeRoguelikeThe roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
s. In the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game boots of speed are a variation of the famous magical boots. They enable the wearer to run very fast—usually as fast as a galloping horse, or slower if the wearer is heavy. The wearer must usually rest for long periods after use. Sometimes, these items are still called 7 league boots. - One League Boots are used by Kay Harker in The Midnight FolkThe Midnight FolkThe Midnight Folk is a children's fantasy novel by John Masefield first published in 1927. It is about a boy, Kay Harker, who sets out to discover what became of a fortune stolen from his sea-faring great grandfather Aston Tirrold Harker...
. He takes them from the witch Mrs. Pouncer's cupboard, where there are many other magical items. - Seven League Boots appear in all three of the books of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, worn by the mercenary Verroq. In The Amulet of Samarkand, Bartimaeus remarks that the boots were created in Medieval Europe by imprisoning a djinniGenieJinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
in each boot who could operate on a theoretical eighth plane. Because of this, normal rules of time and space do not apply to them. - Ten-league boots is a common variant.http://www.google.com/search?q=ten-league+boots&hl=en&start=10&sa=N
- Seven-league-boots are used in Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's DiscworldDiscworldDiscworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
books by the wizards of Unseen University. It is noted that unless some basic precautions are taken, using the boots results in having one's feet twenty-one miles apart causing unacceptable groin strain. - The character Jack is reported to have attempted to use the boots to win the Boston Marathon in Fables (comic).
- Nostro's Boots of Striding are a legendary item described in Book 6 of the Dragon WarriorsDragon WarriorsDragon Warriors is a fantasy role playing game system written by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson and published by Corgi Books between the years 1985 and 1986. In 2009 it was re-collected in a new hardcover edition by Mongoose Publishing...
role-playing game, having a similar function to seven-league boots. - Seven league boots is an item in the computer game Ancient Domains of MysteryAncient Domains of MysteryAncient Domains of Mystery, or ADOM, is a roguelike game by Thomas Biskup first released in . The player's aim is to stop the forces of Chaos that invade the world of Ancardia....
(ADOM) that reduces the time to traverse wilderness and dungeon squares. - 7 League Boots (or simply "boots", if the item isn't detailed) is a usable item in the game Ogre Battle: March of the Black QueenOgre Battle: March of the Black Queenis a 1993 real-time strategy role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, directed by Yasumi Matsuno with artwork by Akihiko Yoshida...
. If used, it transports a player's unit to any freed town in the current map. - Boots of Blinding Speed are a pair of boots in the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind which allow the wearer to run at extremely high speeds, but blind the user during use.
- Ten Pace Boots also found in Morrowind, these boots increase the player's running speed and let the player fall from great heights without taking damage.
- Seven League Boots are used by Princess Addie in The Two Princesses of BamarreThe Two Princesses of BamarreThe Two Princesses of Bamarre is a 2001 novel by Gail Carson Levine, the author of Ella Enchanted and several other books. The story revolves around the lives of two sisters who are very close, but as different as night and day. Adelina , the younger and fearful sister, is frightened by many...
by Gail Carson LevineGail Carson LevineGail Carson Levine is an American author of young adult books. Her first novel, Ella Enchanted, received a Newbery Honor in 1998.-Early life:...
. - Seven League Boots are used by the protagionist Giannine Bellisario, in the fantasy novel, Heir Apparent (novel)Heir Apparent (novel)Heir Apparent is a science fiction/fantasy novel by young-adult fiction author Vivian Vande Velde, about a girl who becomes trapped inside a looping virtual reality role-playing game....
. They are used to travel to a dragon's lair that would have originally taken days, but was managed in a few hours. - Seven League Boots are used by SavantSavant (Wildstorm)Savant is a comic book fictional character from DC Comics/Wildstorm.-Fictional character biography:Savant's real name is Kenesha. She is the daughter of Lord Majestros and Lady Zannah, better known as Zealot. However, Zannah, wanting to be a warrior, could not be a mother...
in the Wildstorm comic WildCATS. - Seven League Boots were used in an episode of Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates in which Captain HookCaptain HookCaptain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most...
steals magical boots from a fairy that allow him to leap great distances and fly in order to make it easier for him to hunt down Peter PanPeter PanPeter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
. - Seven League Boots were used in the book Howl's Moving CastleHowl's Moving CastleHowl's Moving Castle is a young adult fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986. It won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and was named an ALA Notable Book for both children and young adults. In 2004 it was adapted as an Academy Award-nominated animated film by Hayao...
by Sophie in order to travel a great distance to Lettie's house.
Non fictional
- Seven League Boots is a 1935 travelogue by American adventurer Richard HalliburtonRichard HalliburtonRichard Halliburton was an American traveler, adventurer, and author. Best known today for having swum the length of the Panama Canal and paying the lowest toll in its history—thirty-six cents—Halliburton was headline news for most of his brief career...
- Jumping stilts, a device for jumping and running
- Rocket bootsRocket bootsRocket boots are a patented Russian invention to speed up walking. Created by scientist Viktor Gordeyev, the "boots" are actually a mechanical construction strapped on the legs and are powered by small internal combustion engines that add energy to every step....
- 7LeagueBoot is an Austrian company that manufactures spring aided stilts which allow the wearer to jump well over 2 metres high and run at 30+ km/h. They are used for general leisure and fitness, sport, weight control, competition, street theatre, and public shows.