Here’s an interesting tidbit for your fantasy or horror novel. According to folklore stretching from Europe to Africa, women could bewitch a man’s affections by stealing his footprints. By watching the ground where a desired man walked, women could find his footprints in the sand or dirt. Ideally unnoticed, the woman would gather the sand or dirt, and keep it in a pouch on her person or tucked into her bedding. The footprint dirt also could be used to do the man harm.
