What is the Jersey Devil?

Question

What is the Jersey Devil?

Answer 1

The Jersey Devil lives in the Pine Barrens of southern NJ.

You've already seen the different legends in the previous answer.

He's one of the many weird legends we have in NJ.If you'd like to read more see the link.

I won't say he doesn't exist.I've spent day's even weeks in the pine barrens.I've never found any sign of him.Not that I was particularly looking for him.But,isn't when you least expect it.The best time to see a monster?

Answer 2

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey. The Devil is often described as a bipedal flying creature with hooves, but there are many variations. The legend inspired the name of New Jersey's NHL ice hockey team, the New Jersey Devils, and many other pop culture tributes.

Legends

According to one version of the tale, the Jersey Devil was the thirteenth child born to a Mrs. Leeds, a resident of the Pine Barrens during the mid-17th century. Mrs. Leeds was so upset at yet another pregnancy that after giving birth she exclaimed, "I am tired of children! Let the devil take this one!" What was once a human child immediately transformed into a winged monstrosity; he ate all the other children and flew out through the chimney. There are many versions of this legend, differing in date of the birth and the degree of the Devil's disfigurement. In some stories, the Devil is merely a human child which Mrs. Leeds confined to her cellar or attic, only to have it escape into the woods (see feral children for more on similar legends and real life examples). A fork on this theory may explain how the legend ties in with an actual monster; some people believe that around the time that the hidden deformed child was discovered people began sightings of a beast and put the stories together. Another legend attributes the Devil's birth to a Gypsy curse placed upon a selfish young woman who refused to give the Gypsy food and shelter. There are other tales that suggest Leeds herself was a witch or that she was cursed by locals for having an affair with a British soldier. The Shourds House, a log cabin within the Pine Barrens, was reputed to be the birthplace of the Devil. Only ruins of the foundation of the house and a few other parts still exist today.

The Jersey Devil has been said to be companion to a headless pirate, a ghostly woman, and a werewolf. In certain parts of South Jersey, the Devil is rumored to live in an apocryphal Agent Orange plant near Chatsworth, a very small town surrounded by forest and sand.

There is another description on the New Jersey devil that is well-known by local people in South Jersey. A woman in South Jersey was having her first baby and she wanted him to be perfect. When the baby was born, it was the most ugly looking baby that anyone had ever seen at that time. The mother was so upset that she said "This isn't my son. This is the devil's son. May God give the thing back to him!" After saying this, she threw her son into the river. The son died. Now that river is said to be haunted by the devil. Many people have died there. It is said that there is an unknown source which sucks air to it from under a rock. When people swim near there, they are sucked under the rock; they are then held there until they die. Once they are dead, the body is let go so that it floats to the top for everyone to see.

Encounters

In 1840, the Jersey Devil was blamed for livestock killings. 1841 saw a similar attack, accompanied by strange tracks and screams. The Devil made an 1859 appearance in Haddonfield. Bridgeton witnessed a flurry of sightings during the winter of 1873.

Joseph Bonaparte (eldest brother of Emperor Napoleon) is said to have seen the Jersey Devil while hunting on his Bordentown, New Jersey, estate. Commodore Stephen Decatur is claimed to have fired upon the Devil while testing ammunition on a New Jersey firing range. He and his audience were dumbfounded to watch the Devil continue its flight apparently untouched.

January 1909, however, saw the most widespread period of sightings ever recorded. Thousands of people claimed to have seen the Jersey Devil during the week of January 16 – 23. Newspapers nationwide followed the story and published eyewitness reports. Hysteria gripped the entire state during this terrible week.

16th (Saturday) — The Devil was sighted flying over Woodbury.

17th (Sunday) — In Bristol, Pennsylvania, several people saw the creature and tracks were found in the snow the following day.

18th (Monday) — Burlington was covered in strange tracks that seemed to defy logic; some were found on rooftops; others started and stopped abruptly, with no origin or destination. Several other towns found similar footprints.

19th (Tuesday) — Nelson Evans and his wife, of Gloucester, found the Devil outside their window at 2:30 AM .

Mr. Evans gave the following account: "It was about three feet and a half high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse's hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on them. It didn't use the front legs at all while we were watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the window and say, 'Shoo!' and it turned around, barked at me, and flew away".

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Answer 3

he Jersey Devil, the supposed mythical creature of the New Jersey Pinelands, has haunted New Jersey and the surrounding areas for the past 260 years. This entity has been seen by over 2,000 witnesses over this period. It has terrorized towns and caused factories and schools to close down, yet many people believe that the Jersey Devil is a legend, a mythical beast, that originated from the folklore of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Others disagree with this point of view. The following text will show there is evidence to support the existence of an animal or supernatural bring known as the Jersey Devil. The evidence consists of the stories of the Jersey Devil's origin, the sightings of it, and finally, the theories on it.

There are many different versions of the birth of the Jersey Devil. One of the most popular legends says a Mrs. Shrouds of Leeds Point, NJ made a wish that if she ever had another child, she want it to be a devil. Her next child was born misshapen and deformed. She sheltered it in the house, so the curious couldn't see him. On stormy night, the child flapped it's arms, which turned into wings, and escaped out the chimney and was never seen by the family again. A Mrs. Bowen of Leeds point said, "The Jersey Devil was born in the Shrouds house at Leeds Point." 1 Another story that also placed the birth at Leeds Point said that a young girl fell in love with a British soldier during the Revolutionary War. The people of Leeds Point cursed her. When she gave birth, she had a devil. Some people believe the birth of the devil was punishment for the mistreatment of a minister by the Leeds folk.

I got that off of

http://theshadowlands.net/jd.htm

Here are some pictures of what the creature is supposed to look like:

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/gal...

http://media.philly.com/images/jersey_de...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

The legend also inspired the name of the hockey team, the jersey devils.

Answer 4

It is a cryptid creature, which means its existence has never been proven

Answer 5

Pretty much one funny *** figment of imagination. See what all that pollution does to a person? http://z.about.com/d/paranormal/1/0/t/Q/...

Answer 6

The Jersey Devil, sometimes called the Leeds Devil, is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey. The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. The Jersey Devil has worked its way into the pop culture of the area, even lending its name to a National Hockey League team.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Devi...