File:Two-legged Sciapod.jpg

The Sciapods (shadow-foot) are one-legged people who survive in the hot desert by lying on their backs and shading themselves from the sun with their enormous foot. They were described by the ancient Greeks and illustrated on the 13th century Hereford Mappa Mundi map of the world. The 15th century oak church benches in the St Mary's church, Dennington, have beautiful carvings of various real and mythical animals including a Sciapod, the only known carved representation of this strange creature in England. The face of the Sciapod has been scratched out, probably by Puritans in the 17th century. If you look carefully you will see that the carver made the mistake of giving the Sciapod two legs. He was obviously unfamiliar with his subject! The three little round objects under the Sciapod's left arm were human faces until the Puritans literally defaced them.