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{{Short description|Element of European folklore}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2013}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}
[[Image:Poucet11.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Hop-o'-My-Thumb]] stealing the Seven-league boots from the [[Ogre]], by [[Gustave Doré]]]]
[[Image:Poucet11.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Hop-o'-My-Thumb]] stealing the Seven-league boots from the [[Ogre]], by [[Gustave Doré]]]]


'''Seven-league boots''' are an element in [[European folklore]]. The [[boot]]s allow the person wearing them to take strides of seven [[league (unit)|leagues]] per 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.
'''Seven-league boots''' are an element in [[European folklore]]. The [[boot]]s allow the person wearing them to take strides of seven [[league (unit)|leagues]] per 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. From the context of English language, "seven-league boots" originally arose as a translation from the French {{Lang|fr|bottes de sept lieues}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/seven-league%20boots|title=the definition of seven-league boots}}</ref> popularised by [[Charles Perrault]]'s fairy tales.


Mention of the legendary boots are found in:
Mentions of the legendary boots are found in:
* [[Germany]] – [[Sweetheart Roland]], [[Adelbert von Chamisso]]'s ''[[Peter Schlemiel]]'', [[Goethe's Faust]] ([[Mephistopheles]] uses them at the start of Part Two, Act Four<ref>{{cite book|last=Goethe|title=Faust, Part Two|year=1959|publisher=Penguin|location=Middlesex|isbn=0-14044093-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/faustpt200goet/page/216 216]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/faustpt200goet/page/216}}</ref> ), [[Wilhelm Hauff]]'s "[[Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck|Der Kleine Muck]]"
* [[France]] – [[Charles Perrault|Charles Perrault's]] ''[[Hop o' My Thumb]];'' [[Madame d'Aulnoy|Madame d'Aulnoy's]] ''[[The Bee and the Orange Tree]];'' [[Marcel Proust]]’s ''[[In Search of Lost Time]]''.
* [[Germany]] – The [[Brothers Grimm]]'s [[Sweetheart Roland|''Sweetheart Roland'']]; [[Adelbert von Chamisso]]'s ''[[Peter Schlemiel]];'' [[Goethe's Faust|Goethe's ''Faust'']] ([[Mephistopheles]] uses them at the start of Part Two, Act Four<ref>{{cite book |last=Goethe |title=Faust, Part Two |year=1959 |publisher=Penguin |location=Middlesex |isbn=0-14044093-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/faustpt200goet/page/216 216] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/faustpt200goet/page/216}}</ref>); [[Wilhelm Hauff]]'s ''[[Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck|Der Kleine Muck]]''.
⚫
* [[Norway]] – [[Peter Christen Asbjørnsen]] and [[Jørgen Moe]]'s''[[Soria Moria Castle]]''
* [[France]] – [[Charles Perrault|Charles Perrault's]] - ''[[Hop o' My Thumb]]'', [[Madame d'Aulnoy|Madame d'Aulnoy's]] ''[[The Bee and the Orange Tree]]'', [[Marcel Proust]]’s ''[[In Search of Lost Time]]''.
* [[Great Britain|Britain]] – [[Richard Doyle (illustrator)|Richard Doyle]]'s [[Jack the Giant Killer|''Jack the Giant Killer'']]; [[John Masefield]]'s ''[[The Midnight Folk]];'' [[C.&nbsp;S.&nbsp;Lewis]]'s ''[[The Pilgrim's Regress]];'' Master Merlin (Pseudonym) and Dugald A. Steer's ''Wizardoligy, A Guide to Wizards of the World;'' [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[The Light Fantastic]];'' [[Jonathan Stroud]]'s[[The Bartimaeus Trilogy|''The Bartimaeus Trilogy'']]; [[Jenny Nimmo]]'s ''[[Midnight for Charlie Bone]];'' [[Diana Wynne Jones]]' ''[[Howl's Moving Castle (novel)|Howl's Moving Castle]];'' [[Evelyn Waugh]]'s ''[[The Loved One (book)|The Loved One]];'' [[E.&nbsp;Nesbit]]'s ''[[The Enchanted Castle]];'' [[George Eliot]]’s ''[[The Mill On The Floss]].''
⚫
* [[Norway]] – [[Peter Christen Asbjørnsen]] and [[Jørgen Moe]] - ''[[Soria Moria Castle]]''
* [[Great Britain|Britain]] – [[Jack the Giant Killer]], [[John Masefield]]'s ''[[The Midnight Folk]]'', [[C.S. Lewis]]'s ''[[The Pilgrim's Regress]]'', [[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[The Light Fantastic]], [[The Bartimaeus Trilogy]], [[Jenny Nimmo]]'s ''[[Midnight for Charlie Bone]]'', [[Diana Wynne Jones]]' ''[[Howl's Moving Castle]]'', [[Evelyn Waugh]]'s "[[The Loved One]]," [[E. Nesbit]]'s "[[The Enchanted Castle]]," [[George Eliot]]’s “[[The Mill On The Floss]],”
* [[United States]] – [[Zane Grey]]'s ''The Last of the Plainsmen;'' [[Ruth Chew]]'s ''What the Witch Left;'' [[Gail Carson Levine]]'s ''[[The Two Princesses of Bamarre]];'' [[Mark Twain]]'s ''[[The Innocents Abroad]];'' [[Roger Zelazny]]'s ''[[Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming]];'' [[Beverly Gray#Clair Blank|Clair Blank]]'s ''[[Beverly Gray#Beverly Gray at the World's Fair|Beverly Gray at the World's Fair]];'' [[Kelly Barnhill (author)|Kelly Barnhill]]'s ''[[The Girl Who Drank the Moon]];'' and [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s ''The Village Uncle''.
* [[Russia]] – [[Arkady and Boris Strugatsky]]'s ''[[Monday Starts on Saturday]]''.
* [[United States]] – [[Zane Grey]]'s ''The Last of the Plainsmen'', [[Ruth Chew]]'s "What the Witch Left," [[Gail Carson Levine]]'s "[[The Two Princesses of Bamarre]]," [[Mark Twain]]'s "The Innocents Abroad," [[Roger Zelazny]]'s "Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming," [[Beverly Gray#Clair_Blank|Clair Blank]]'s "[[Beverly Gray#Beverly_Gray_at_the_World's_Fair|Beverly Gray at the World's Fair]]", [[Kelly Barnhill (author)|Kelly Barnhill]]'s "[[The Girl Who Drank the Moon]]," and [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s "The Village Uncle."


== Etymology ==
== Etymology ==
From the context of English language, 'Seven-league boots' originally arose as a translation from the French 'bottes de sept lieues',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/seven-league%20boots|title=the definition of seven-league boots}}</ref> popularised by [[Charles Perrault|Charles Perrault's]] fairy tales. A league (roughly {{convert|3|mi|km}}) was considered to represent the distance walked in an hour by an average man. If a man were to walk 7 hours per day, he would then walk 7 leagues, or about {{convert|21|mi|km}}. In the 17th century, post-boys' boots were called 'seven-league boots'. While some suggest that the '7 leagues' references the distance between post houses (post-boys would only have their boots touch the ground at every coach inn, when changing the horses), this is inaccurate: the distance between coach inns was fixed at no more than 5 leagues.<ref>{{cite book |first=Joseph |last=Jobé |title=Au temps des cochers : histoire illustrée du voyage en voiture attelée du XVe au XXe siècle |location=Lausanne |publisher=Édita-Lazarus |year=1976 |page=54 |isbn=2-88001-019-5 }}</ref>
From the context of the English language, "seven-league boots" originally arose as a translation from the French {{Lang|fr|bottes de sept lieues}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/seven-league%20boots|title=the definition of seven-league boots}}</ref> popularised by [[Charles Perrault]]'s fairy tales. A league (roughly {{convert|3|mi|km}}) was considered to represent the distance walked in an hour by an average man. If a man were to walk seven hours per day, he would, then, walk seven leagues, or about {{convert|21|mi|km}}. In the 17th century, postboys' boots were called "seven-league boots". While some suggest that the "seven leagues" references the distance between post houses (postboys would only have their boots touch the ground at every coach inn, when changing the horses), this is inaccurate: the distance between coach inns was fixed at no more than five leagues.<ref>{{cite book |first=Joseph |last=Jobé |title=Au temps des cochers : histoire illustrée du voyage en voiture attelée du XVe au XXe siècle |lang=fr |location=Lausanne |publisher=Édita-Lazarus |year=1976 |page=54 |isbn=2-88001-019-5 }}</ref>


== Other variations ==
== Other variations ==
Line 20: Line 22:


==== Folklore ====
==== Folklore ====
⚫
* [[Russian folklore]] has a similar magic item called {{lang|ru|Сапоги-Скороходы}} (fast-pace boots), which allows the person wearing them to walk and run at an amazing pace.

⚫
* In [[Finnish language|Finnish]] and [[Estonian language|Estonian]] translations of stories with seven-league boots, they are often translated as {{Lang|fi|Seitsemän Peninkulman Saappaat}} (Finnish) and {{Lang|et|Seitsmepenikoormasaapad}} (Estonian),<ref>{{Cite book |title=Põhjamaade muinasjuttude kuldraamat |lang=et |publisher=TEA Kirjastus |year=2014 |isbn=9789949243303 |location=Estonia}}</ref> literally "boots of seven [[Scandinavian mile]]s".
⚫
* [[Russian folklore]] has a similar magic item called сапоги-скороходы (fast-pace boots), which allows the person wearing them to walk and run at an amazing pace.
* Japanese scholar [[Kunio Yanagita]] listed a tale titled ''The Thousand-ri Boots'' from [[Yamanashi Prefecture|Yamanashi]] and wondered about its great similarity to a tale in the ''[[Pentamerone]]'' with a pair of seven-league boots.<ref>Yanagita, Kunio; Translated by Fanny Hagin Meyer (1986). ''Yanagita Kunio Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale''. Indiana University Press. p.&nbsp;97. {{ISBN|0-253-36812-X}}.</ref>
⚫
* In [[Finnish language|Finnish]] and [[Estonian language|Estonian]] translations of stories with seven-league boots, they are often translated as "''seitsemän peninkulman saappaat''" (Finnish) and "''seitsmepenikoormasaapad''" (Estonian)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Põhjamaade muinasjuttude kuldraamat|publisher=TEA Kirjastus|year=2014|isbn=9789949243303|location=Estonia}}</ref>, literally "boots of seven [[scandinavian mile|Scandinavian miles]]".
* In Latvian tales, the phrase "nine-mile boots" ({{lang|lv|deviņjūdžu zābaki}}) is used.

* Jewish Folklore: the concept of kefitzat haderek (קפיצת הדרך), jumping, or folding, the way, is a concept found in Talmud, midrash, folklore, and mysticism.
==== Modern fiction ====

* One League Boots are used by Kay Harker in ''[[The Midnight Folk]]''. He takes them from the cupboard of the witch, Mrs. Pouncer, where there are many other magical items.
* Seven League Boots are a library artifact used several times in ''The Grimm Legacy'', written by [[Polly Shulman]].
* Seven-league-boots are used in [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'' books by the wizards of Unseen University. It is noted that, as their mode of operation places the user's feet twenty-one miles apart, skipping the required preparations leads to spectacular but tragic incidents.
*The character Jack is reported to have attempted to use the boots to win the Boston Marathon in [[Fables (comic)|''Fables'' (comic)]].
*Seven League Boots are used by Princess Addie in ''[[The Two Princesses of Bamarre]]'' by [[Gail Carson Levine]].
*Seven League Boots are used by the protagionist Giannine Bellisario, in the fantasy novel, ''[[Heir Apparent (novel)|Heir Apparent]]''. They are used to travel to a dragon's lair that would have originally taken days, but was eventually undertaken in a few hours.
*Seven League Boots were used in the book ''[[Howl's Moving Castle]]'' by Sophie in order to travel a great distance to Mrs. Fairfax's house.
*Seven League Boots appear in all three of the books of [[the Bartimaeus Trilogy]], worn by the mercenary [[Characters of the Bartimaeus trilogy#The Baerded Mercenary .28Verroq.29|Verroq]]. In ''The Amulet of Samarkand'', Bartimaeus remarks that the boots were created in Medieval Europe by imprisoning a [[Genie|djinni]] 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.
*Seven League Boots are used by [[Savant (Wildstorm)|Savant]] in the Wildstorm comic ''[[WildCATS]]''.
*Seven League Boots were used in an episode of ''[[Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates]]'' in which [[Captain Hook]] 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 Pan]].
*Seven Thousand League Boots appear briefly in Lev Grossman's ''[[The Magician's Land]]'', created by Mayakovsky at Brakebills South
*Seven League Boots are one of the magical artifacts used by Loki in ''Loki: Agent of Asgard''. They are apparently able to traverse any surface, including waterfalls, rainbows, and glass.
*Seven-league moon boots are mentioned in Michael Chabon’s ''[[Moonglow: A Novel]]''.

==== Games ====

*Boots of speed are a frequent item in [[role-playing game]]s and [[roguelike]]s. In the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' role-playing game, boots of speed are a variation of the famous magical boots. They enable the person wearing them to run very fast. In most cases, as fast as a galloping horse, or a bit slower if the person wearing them is slow to move around. The person wearing them must usually rest for long periods after use. They are sometimes referred to as 7 League Boots.
*7 League Boots (or simply "boots", if the item isn't detailed) are a usable item in the game ''[[Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen]]''. If used, they transport a player's unit to any freed town in the current map.
*Seven-League Step are a unique pair of boots from the game ''[[Path of Exile]]'' which greatly increase the movement speed of the wearer.
*Nostro's Boots of Striding are a legendary item described in Book 6 of the ''[[Dragon Warriors]]'' role-playing game, having a similar function to seven-league boots.
*Seven league boots is an item in the computer game ''[[Ancient Domains of Mystery]]'' (ADOM) that reduces the time to traverse wilderness and dungeon squares.
*Boots of Blinding Speed are a pair of boots in the Elder Scrolls III: ''[[Morrowind]]'' which allow the person wearing them to run at extremely high speeds, but blind the user during use.
*Ten Pace Boots, also found in ''[[Morrowind]]'', increase the player's running speed and let the player fall from great heights without taking damage.

=== Non fictional ===
*''Seven League Boots'' is a 1935 travelogue by American adventurer [[Richard Halliburton]]
*There is a brand of [[jumping stilts]], a device for jumping and running, named "7Leagues"
*[[Rocket boots]]
*Song "Seven League Boots" by Rick and Michael Curtis.
*Song "Seven League Boots" by [[Zoë Keating]] (Album "Into The Tress", 2010)


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
<references />


==External links==
==External links==
* {{commonscatinline}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Boots]]
[[Category:Boots]]
[[Category:Mythological clothing]]
[[Category:Mythological clothing]]
[[Category:Recurrent elements in fairy tales]]
[[Category:Recurrent elements in fairy tales]]
[[Category:Magical objects]]
[[Category:Magic items]]
[[Category:Fictional footwear]]
[[Category:Fictional footwear]]

Latest revision as of 12:22, 15 November 2024

Hop-o'-My-Thumb stealing the Seven-league boots from the Ogre, by Gustave Doré

Seven-league boots are an element in European folklore. The boots allow the person wearing them to take strides of seven leagues per 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. From the context of English language, "seven-league boots" originally arose as a translation from the French bottes de sept lieues,[1] popularised by Charles Perrault's fairy tales.

Mentions of the legendary boots are found in:

Etymology

[edit]

From the context of the English language, "seven-league boots" originally arose as a translation from the French bottes de sept lieues,[3] popularised by Charles Perrault's fairy tales. A league (roughly 3 miles (4.8 km)) was considered to represent the distance walked in an hour by an average man. If a man were to walk seven hours per day, he would, then, walk seven leagues, or about 21 miles (34 km). In the 17th century, postboys' boots were called "seven-league boots". While some suggest that the "seven leagues" references the distance between post houses (postboys would only have their boots touch the ground at every coach inn, when changing the horses), this is inaccurate: the distance between coach inns was fixed at no more than five leagues.[4]

Other variations

[edit]

In fiction

[edit]

Folklore

[edit]
  • Russian folklore has a similar magic item called Сапоги-Скороходы (fast-pace boots), which allows the person wearing them to walk and run at an amazing pace.
  • In Finnish and Estonian translations of stories with seven-league boots, they are often translated as Seitsemän Peninkulman Saappaat (Finnish) and Seitsmepenikoormasaapad (Estonian),[5] literally "boots of seven Scandinavian miles".
  • Japanese scholar Kunio Yanagita listed a tale titled The Thousand-ri Boots from Yamanashi and wondered about its great similarity to a tale in the Pentamerone with a pair of seven-league boots.[6]
  • In Latvian tales, the phrase "nine-mile boots" (deviņjūdžu zābaki) is used.
  • Jewish Folklore: the concept of kefitzat haderek (קפיצת הדרך), jumping, or folding, the way, is a concept found in Talmud, midrash, folklore, and mysticism.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "the definition of seven-league boots".
  2. ^ Goethe (1959). Faust, Part Two. Middlesex: Penguin. pp. 216. ISBN 0-14044093-3.
  3. ^ "the definition of seven-league boots".
  4. ^ Jobé, Joseph (1976). Au temps des cochers : histoire illustrée du voyage en voiture attelée du XVe au XXe siècle (in French). Lausanne: Édita-Lazarus. p. 54. ISBN 2-88001-019-5.
  5. ^ Põhjamaade muinasjuttude kuldraamat (in Estonian). Estonia: TEA Kirjastus. 2014. ISBN 9789949243303.
  6. ^ Yanagita, Kunio; Translated by Fanny Hagin Meyer (1986). Yanagita Kunio Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale. Indiana University Press. p. 97. ISBN 0-253-36812-X.
[edit]
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