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You ever dance with the devil…

“Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?” (“Batman” 1989) The night before December 6, belongs to the Krampus, a beast-like demon in the Alpine folklore – and strange marks can be found on some rocks in the Dolomites - resembling the imprints of an exceptional large cloven [...]

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


"Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

("Batman" 1989)

The night before December 6, belongs to the Krampus, a beast-like demon in the Alpine folklore - and strange marks can be found on some rocks in the Dolomites - resembling the imprints of an exceptional large cloven hoof.


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Ancient stories tell of these secret places, where witches, sorcerers and lesser demons gathered in a wild dance - and at midnight the devil himself, disguised as a black goat, would appear. But at sunrise even the mightiest evil force had to return to hell - on the rocks only the imprints of the devil's hooves remain as grim reminder.

The geologist explains the strange hoof-like figures as cross sections of large extinct bivalves of the genus Megalodus, but then, wasn't the greatest trick of the devil convincing the world he didn't exist...

My name is David Bressan and I'm a freelance geologist working mainly in the Austroalpine crystalline rocks and the South Alpine Palaeozoic and Mesozoic cover-sediments in the Eastern Alps. I graduated with a project on Rock Glaciers dynamics and hydrology, this phase left a special interest for quaternary deposits and modern glacial environments. During my research on glaciers, studying old maps, photography and reports on the former extent of these features, I became interested in history, especially the development of geomorphologic and geological concepts by naturalists and geologists. Living in one of the key area for the history of geology, I combine field trips with the historic research done in these regions, accompanied by historic maps and depictions. I discuss broadly also general geological concepts, especially in glaciology, seismology, volcanology, palaeontology and the relationship of society and geology.

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