Seven-league boots
Seven-league boots are an element in European folklore. The boots allow the wearer to take great strides—seven leagues each step—resulting in great speed. The boots are 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 40 kilometers.)
Mention of the legendary boots are found in:
- France - Charles Perrault's - Hop o' My Thumb
- Norway - Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe - Soria Moria Castle
- England - Jack the Giant Killer, Howl's Moving Castle, The Midnight Folk,The Bartimaeus Trilogy
- Germany - Sweetheart Roland, Goethe's Faust (Mephistopheles uses them at the start of Part Two, Act Four)
Other variations
In fiction
- Boots of speed are a frequent item in role-playing games and roguelikes. In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game they 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.
- Seven Mile Boots is a new media art piece by Erich Berger, Laura Beloff and Martin Pichlmair. It consists of two boots that allow the wearer to travel through the internet. By taking a few steps, the user traverses from one chat room to the next. The user can hear people chatting through the speakers that are built into the tips of the shoes.
- Ten-league boots is a common variant.[1]
- Seven-league-boots are used in Terry Pratchett's Discworld 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.
- 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.
Non fictional
- Seven League Boots is a 1935 travelogue by American adventurer Richard Halliburton
- Jumping stilts, a device for jumping and running
- Rocket boots