# Why are so many natural formations called "Devil's \*\*\*\*\*" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261 "2008-08-25T23:31:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eklektik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Eklektik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eklektik)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/1 "2008-08-25T23:31:25Z")
I was looking at some beautiful pictures of Devil’s Postpile, and then I realized that there are a lot of things that the Devil lays claim to (most of them also seem to be in the West): Devil’s Postpile Devil’s Punchbowl Devil’s Tower Devil’s Lake Devil’s Den Devil’s Head I’m sure there are a lot more, but my Google-fu is weak today. So what’s the ‘straight dope’? Did early American pioneers believe that the Devil was some giant who left his mark across the land? And wouldn’t referring to these beautiful natural monuments and areas as the property of the Devil go against the belief that pioneers would’ve had about God created the Earth? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/2 "2008-08-26T00:09:24Z")
Yes, and no. The belief is quite old in Christianity and is found in Europe as well as America. Sometimes the Devil is responsible, and sometimes giants or fairies or other supernatural beings. This is the devil of folklore, whose characteristics are a little different than the devil of scripture. Folk tradition has stories about the devil where he’s evil, but also a trickster figure who is prone to making mistakes. As a figure of legend, his mistakes tend to have larger-than-life consequences for the landscape. There’s quite a lot of literature on the devil in folk tradition — Jeffrey Burton Russell has some good books on the history of the devil, and any basic folklore encyclopedias (Cassell’s, Funk & Wagnalls, Oxford, etc.) will go further on some of the folkloric devil’s distinctive characteristics. Wikipedia’s _Devil_ article mentions the basics. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/3 "2008-08-26T00:18:40Z")
PS: Folk Motif G303 is “The Devil,” and notes “not clearly differentiated, especially in German tradition, from the stupid ogre.” G303.9.1 is “The devil as a builder,” including Devil as builder of bridges Devil as builder of dams Devil as builder of mill Devil as builder of walls Devil as builder of palaces (châteaux) Devil as builder of churches Devil builds a road Devil builds a ditch Devil builds two islands in a lake Devil builds an inn for a man in competition with a church being built Devil builds Mont Saint Michel Devil helps build Halverstadt Cathedral thinking a tavern is being built Devil builds a building and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Eklektik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Eklektik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eklektik)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/4 "2008-08-26T00:23:33Z")
Thank you for the speedy and detailed reply! It makes more sense that it’s one of those trickster devils from long ago that’s doing all this Earth remodelling. Though, I have to say, the Bible mentions Jesus was a carpenter… and he’s clearly being outpaced by the Devil. =D ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/5 "2008-08-26T00:25:44Z")
Of course, one needn’t actually literally believe that the Devil created a formation, or even exists, in order to think it would make an apt name… ---
**Author:** ![Eklektik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Eklektik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eklektik)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/6 "2008-08-26T00:28:33Z")
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable] Of course, one needn’t actually literally believe that the Devil created a formation, or even exists, in order to think it would make an apt name… [/QUOTE] Well, yes, I wholeheartedly agree… although I know of a few women who would argue that when it comes to Devil’s Food Cake… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/7 "2008-08-26T00:29:15Z")
. [QUOTE=[Frequently Asked Questions - Devils Tower National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)](http://www.nps.gov/deto/faqs.htm)] Some Indians called it Mato Tipila, meaning Bear Lodge. Other American Indian names include Bear’s Tipi, Home of the Bear, Tree Rock and Great Gray Horn. In 1875, on an expedition led by Col. Dodge, it is believed his interpreter misinterpreted the name to mean Bad God’s Tower, later shortened to Devils Tower. [/quote] . ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/8 "2008-08-26T01:03:50Z")
_Aut Caesar aut Diaboli_, wrote Sir Ruchard Burton of naming things throughout Europe and the Near East, meaning that everything seems to be named after either Caesar or the Devil. It’s not really true – there are plenty of things named after local heros, too – Robin Hood’s Well, King Arthur’s Chair, and so on. But Caesar and the Devil would be famous individuals after whom a lot of thinhgs could be named, especially if they looked nasty. Heck, they’re still at it. Look up The Devil’s Stair as a mathematical entity. Some folks, like Richard Loewen, see the naming of things as "The Devil 's _whatever_ as some act of neocolonial oppression, submerging native names under the Devil’s appelation, or equating local spirits with demons, but, as Burton’s examples show, it’s just part of a long-standing European (and Near Eastrern) tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/9 "2008-08-26T01:16:41Z")
People liked the word “Devil” because it sounded dirty, but they could tell the more straightlaced that is a perfectly cromplulent word from the Bible. Hence my favorite, a Go-Devil, a type of plow. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/10 "2008-08-26T14:10:23Z")
[QUOTE=Eklektik] I was looking at some beautiful pictures of Devil’s Postpile, and then I realized that there are a lot of things that the Devil lays claim to (most of them also seem to be in the West)… [/QUOTE] Here in the East, we also have a few. There’s [Devil’s Hopyard State Park](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_Hopyard_State_Park) here in eastern Connecticut, named after the numerous potholes in the waterfalls allegedly caused by the Devil hopping around. There’s also an area on the Farmington River in Connecticut with the picturesque name of [Satan’s Kingdom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan%27s_Kingdom). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/11 "2008-08-26T14:16:28Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] _Aut Caesar aut Diaboli_, wrote Sir Ruchard Burton of naming things throughout Europe and the Near East, meaning that everything seems to be named after either Caesar or the Devil. [/QUOTE] [Bill Bryson] Whereas in America, everything is named after the first white person to show up or the last Indian to leave. [/Bill Bryson] ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/12 "2008-08-26T14:29:13Z")
The Devil’s Asshole (or Ass Hole) is a man-made bunker at the Pine Valley Golf Course in New Jersey. > **[Pine Valley Golf Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Valley_Golf_Course)** > > Pine Valley Golf Club is a golf course in Pine Valley, Camden County, in southern New Jersey. It was ranked the number one course in Golf Magazine's 100 Top Courses in the U.S. and the World in 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2020. It is a private club, and non-members can play only if invited and accompanied by a member. Pine Valley is currently ranked number one in Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses. > Pine Valley was founded in 1913 by a group of amateur golfers from Philadelphia. They p... ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/13 "2008-08-26T14:32:00Z")
Out here, we have several: Devils Kitchen, Devil’s Garden, Devil’s lane etc. I believe that it is caused partially by the rock art of the area. Painted red figures with horns are fairly common. Like so, [Devil](http://flickr.com/photos/30458297@N00/425409475/) The figure shown is about seven feet high. When you’re a Og fearing Mormon in the land of Ogless savages, it’s a logical conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/14 "2008-08-26T14:45:41Z")
:dubious: Seems to me that if you’ve got a weird and difficult terrain, it’s pretty fun to name bits after the Devil. There’s no need to be afraid that the Devil actually did remodel the landscape. Besides, after dragging your ox team and wagon over some of that, you’d be annoyed enough to name it the worst semi-respectable thing you could think of. (And Mormons don’t actually believe that the Devil has horns, or a red pointy tail.) ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/15 "2008-08-26T14:48:42Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] :dubious: Seems to me that if you’ve got a weird and difficult terrain, it’s pretty fun to name bits after the Devil. There’s no need to be afraid that the Devil actually did remodel the landscape. Besides, after dragging your ox team and wagon over some of that, you’d be annoyed enough to name it the worst semi-respectable thing you could think of. (And Mormons don’t actually believe that the Devil has horns, or a red pointy tail.) [/QUOTE] Our school mascot sure does. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/16 "2008-08-26T15:01:31Z")
Behold the [Devil’s Chimney](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil's_Chimney), an unusual rock formation not far from here. > [@](#): > > Legend holds that the Devil’s Chimney is the chimney of the Devil’s dwelling deep beneath the ground. Supposedly the Devil, provoked by the many churches of the area, would sit atop Leckhampton Hill and hurl stones at Sunday churchgoers. However the stones were turned back on him, driving him beneath the ground and trapping him there so he could not further harass the villagers. Now he uses the mass of stones as his chimney to let free the smokes of hell. Difficult to believe, but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/17 "2008-08-26T15:41:45Z")
[QUOTE=MadTheSwine] The Devil’s Asshole (or Ass Hole) is a man-made bunker at the Pine Valley Golf Course in New Jersey. [/QUOTE] Devil’s Crotch is a ski run in Breckenridge, CO. Very steep and narrow. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/18 "2008-08-26T16:02:26Z")
Other people have pointed this out above, but just to clarify re: belief. Legends are believable, but not necessarily believed. And by “believable” I don’t mean “logical and scientific,” I mean “you can suspend your disbelief for the duration of the story.” There’s an extensive body of folklore scholarship on just how much people do and do not believe legends (anything by Linda Dégh or Gillian Bennett will do for a start), but the consensus seems to be that people believe in supernatural legends in much the same way that they believe in horror movies: it’s no fun if NOBODY believes, so most people kind of half-believe and assume that there are other people who believe sincerely, and a few people are skeptical through and through. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/19 "2008-08-26T18:14:47Z")
[QUOTE=chacoguy420] Our school mascot sure does. [/QUOTE] I don’t know what that means, since I don’t live in Moab. But just because one might choose to have a funny mascot that’s a “Red Devil” in tights and horns, doesn’t mean one actually believes in the reality of the costume. Christians, Mormons included, don’t believe that angels have wings either–it’s called symbolic imagery, and isn’t meant to be taken literally by anyone over the age of 5. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261/20 "2008-08-26T18:20:45Z")
One of the things I recall from Utah is **Devil’s Slide** : > **[Devil's Slide (Utah)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Slide_(Utah))** > > .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}41°03′49″N 111°32′53″W / 41.06361°N 111.54806°W / 41.06361; -111.54806 > Devil's Slide is a geological formation located near the border of Wyoming in northern Utah's Weber Canyon, near the community of C... > **[GeoSights: Devils Slide, Morgan County, Utah - Utah Geological Survey](https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/devils-slide/)** > > Why take your kids to an ordinary playground slide at the park, when you can go to the slide named after the Devil himself? Unfortunately for sliders, Devils Slide is not a real slide, but an unusual geologic feature found in northern Utah. This is one of those cases where you can see why they ascribe owndership to the Devil – who else would want to slide on it? It’s asl serrated edges and rough rock. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-natural-formations-called-devils/461261.md?page=2)