What was the 'Devil's Bridge'?

Answer 1

There is a large number of bridges, worldwide, that have this name, mostly with some sort of legend about the name. Some were said to have been built by the Devil, some were said to have been built with help from the Devil, and some were given the name because the Devil opposed the construction, or simply because the bridge was especially difficult to construct.

Perhaps the most famous of these is the Devil's Bridge in Ceredigion, Wales. There are three bridges at the site, the last two having each been built above an older bridge that had come to be thought unsafe. In each case, the newer bridge used features of the older as part of the construction, so they are all still there. They date from the twelfth century, 1753, and 1901.

The reason this bridge is called the Devil's Bridge is that folklore claims the Devil helped in construction of the first bridge in exchange for the soul of the first living being to cross it. When it was completed, an old woman threw a piece of bread across the bridge, and her dog went after it. So for all his effort, the Devil got the soul of a dog.