Devil's Bridge

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For the village and bridge in Wales, see Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion. For the natural arch in Antigua, see Devil's Bridge, Antigua and Barbuda.
Devil's Bridge (Italian: Ponte del Diavolo) in Lanzo Torinese, northern Italy.

Devil’s Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement. Each of the Devil's Bridges has a corresponding Devil-related myth or folktale.


Associated legends[edit]

Little Devil's Bridge by J. M. W. Turner, 1809
Pont du Diable in Céret, southern France

The bridges that fall into the Devil's Bridge category are so numerous that the legends about them form a special category in the Aarne-Thompson classification system for folktales (Number 1191).[1] Some of the legends have elements of related folktale categories, for example Deceiving the Devil (AT #1196), The Devil's Contract (AT #756B), and The Master Builder legends.

One version of the tale presents the bridge builder and the Devil as adversaries. This reflects the fact that frequently, such as in the case of the Teufelsbrücke[2] at the St. Gotthard Pass, these bridges were built under such challenging conditions that successful completion of the bridge required a heroic effort on the part of the builders and the community, ensuring its legendary status.


Each of the bridges that have received the Devil's Bridge appellation is remarkable in some regard; most often for the technological hurdles surpassed in building the bridge, but on occasion also for its aesthetic grace, or for its economic or strategic importance to the community it serves.

Devil's Bridges (incomplete list)[edit]

The three bridges of Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion, Wales.


There are 49 Devil's Bridges in France,[3] including:



United Kingdom[edit]

Other countries[edit]


  1. ^ D. L. Ashliman, "The Devil's Bridge: folktales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 1191"
  2. ^ See the article Die Teufelsbrücke (German) on the German language Wikipedia.
  3. ^ Graham Robb, The Discovery of France, p131, Picador (2007), ISBN 978-0-330-42761-6
  4. ^ "Devil's Bridge". Ceredigion Tourism. Retrieved 2011-01-16. 
  5. ^ "Devil's Bridge, Kirby Lonsdale". Engineering Timelines. 
  6. ^ "Devils Bridge, Pennington". British listed buildings. Retrieved 2011-01-16. 
  7. ^ "The Devils Bridge, Weston Super Mare". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2011-01-16. 
  8. ^ "The Devils Bridge Weston Park, Weston Underwood". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2011-01-16. 

External links[edit]