April 11, 2013
Blogging From A to Z April Challenge Day Ten: J is for Jersey Devil
The Jersey Devil is perhaps one of the best-known cryptids in the United States. The creature draws in quite a few tourists to New Jersey's Pine Barrens as people who are curious about the legend attempt to sneak a peek of it. In fact New Jersey's hockey team, the New Jersey Devils, is even named after the Jersey Devil. But what makes this cryptid so fascinating?
To start off, the creature has been spotted by so many people, some of whom were famous for their time. Witnesses include Napoleon Bonaparte's older brother Joseph, Commodore Stephen Decatur and hundreds of people throughout the 1800s and into the Twentieth Century.
The legend of the creature's origin is interesting, to say the least. The story goes that Mother Leeds was expecting her 13th child, and 13 being an unlucky number in her mind said that her last child would be a little devil. It was rumored that Mother Leeds was a witch and had slept with the devil, which is why when the baby was born it looked nothing like a human. Before anyone could catch it, the baby killed the midwife that delivered it and then flew out of the house through the chimney. Talk about gratitude...
Other people claim the Jersey Devil has been around since well before Mother Leed's time. Apparently Native American stories tell of an ancient creature that roams the Pine Barrens, calling the place "Popuessing" or "the place of the dragon." Swedish settlers called the creature a river dragon.
Exactly what the creature looks like depends on who claims to have seen it. it has bat-like wings, cloven hoofs, a goat-like head and a forked tail. Some witnesses claim it has glowing red eyes. Most people have seen it flying through the sky, including Commodore Decatur's men, who fired upon it with their artillery but missed. The Jersey Devil has even been seen flying over Philadelphia and other large cities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
What is the Jersey Devil? That's the question everyone wants to answer. Some people claim it is just a legen that has caused people's imagination to run away with them. Other people claim it is people misidentifying a Sandhill Crane, which are common in the area. Other people think it might be a creature that is leftover from the age of the dinosaurs. And then there are those who think it is supernatural, perhaps even a real demon or some other vile creature, which explains why remains have never been found.