Backward facing feet confuse trackers
A motif · Form · Thompson F517.1.1, Marvels
5 figures carry it.
Nearby in Thompson's index
Motifs this bestiary also holds from F510 and below. The codes are the index's; the names and counts are ours.
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F511.0.1Headless body 4 figures -
F511.0.1Faceless stranger reveals true form at startling moment 4 figures -
F511.0.1Floating detached head with organs 1 figure -
F511.0.2Oversized head disproportionate to body 5 figures -
F511.2.2Flayed skinless body exposing muscle 2 figures
Carried by
The descriptions are consistent and specific: very tall and thin, with bloodshot eyes, long hair, and feet that point both ways so that its tracks give no indication which direction it went.
its feet point backward, heels facing forward and toes facing behind
The backward feet are the practical heart of the design, since a track that seems to lead away from a boraro in fact leads toward it.
The Mapinguari's feet are said to be turned backward, a peculiar trait that adds to its mystique and potentially aids in confusing trackers.
In many tellings its hands and feet are said to be reversed, with the heel facing forward and the toes facing back, so that any tracks it leaves point the wrong way and mislead pursuers; other accounts instead give it unusually long fingers or nails.