Sciapodes

…He also said that varicose veins only occur in men and are rare in women, but in reality, women are more likely to develop them. His stories are absurd and amusing, and he describes a race of people whose feet turn backwards from the ankles down and have eight toes on each foot, and a race of people called Sciapodes (bats) because they hop and run on one leg and sleep on their backs on hot days and avoid the sun in the shade of their feet (Natural History, Volume 7). The feet have long been thought to represent the seat of power and magic. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Sciapodes" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…また静脈瘤が下肢に生ずるのは男だけで女はまれだともいっているが，実際は女のほうが多い。彼の話には荒唐無稽なおもしろさがあり，足首から下が後ろ向きになっていておのおの8本の足指がある人種や，一本足で跳び走り，暑い日にはあおむけに寝て足の陰で日光を避けるので〈スキアポデスSciapodes(こうもり傘族)〉と呼ばれる人種がいるなどと述べている(《博物誌》第7巻)。　足は権力や魔力の座を表すものと古くから考えられていた。…

※「Sciapodes」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報