The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to haunt the Pine Barrens, a large forest region in southern New Jersey. It is usually described as a kangaroo-like creature with a horse's head, bat wings, hooves and a forked tail, and it is said to scream at night. It is one of the oldest and most famous legends in the United States, and one of the few to give its name to a professional sports team.
What is the legend?
The most common version tells of a woman known as Mother Leeds, who in 1735 gave birth to her thirteenth child. Exhausted and angry, she is said to have cursed the child, saying that it should be the devil. The baby then transformed into a monstrous creature, flew up the chimney and disappeared into the Pine Barrens. Ever since, the creature has been said to appear in the forest and to bring bad luck or disaster.
Is there a real Leeds family?
There was a Leeds family in the area, and the name appears in local history. Daniel Leeds, a printer and almanac maker in colonial New Jersey, and his son Titan Leeds competed with Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack, and Franklin made fun of them in print. Some historians argue that political and religious disputes against the Leeds family fed rumors that its members were in league with the devil. This connection is a theory, since early written records of the creature are scarce.
What was the 1909 wave of sightings?
The best-documented episode took place in January 1909, when people across New Jersey and Pennsylvania reported seeing or hearing a strange flying creature during a week of reports. Newspapers carried headlines about footprints on roofs and snow, attacks on animals, and schools and factories closing. A zoo offered a reward for its capture. A hoax was admitted in some cases, and a man was reported to have been paid to display a kangaroo with fake wings. Scholars of folklore see the wave as an example of a "monster panic," in which a rumor spreads through newspapers and word of mouth.
What do researchers say about the creature?
No body, bones or clear photographs of the creature have been found. Many descriptions differ, and some reports are linked to known animals. Possible explanations include:
- Large birds, such as owls, herons or sandhill cranes, which can give strange cries and have large wingspans.
- Foxes and other animals whose calls sound like screams at night.
- Hoaxes, as in 1909, when pranksters made footprints.
- Folklore, since the Pine Barrens are a dark and remote landscape, which encourages tales.
Historians such as Brian Regal and Frank Esposito, who have written about the legend, argue that it grew out of a mix of political satire, local folklore and newspaper sensation more than from an actual animal.
Why is it called the Jersey Devil today?
The name became fixed in the early twentieth century, after the 1909 events, in place of the earlier "Leeds Devil." The National Hockey League franchise that moved to New Jersey in 1982 chose the name New Jersey Devils in a fan vote. The Pine Barrens, which are a protected reserve, bring visitors who hope to see the creature or learn the legend.
What does the legend tell us?
It shows how a regional story can mix real history with imagination, and how newspapers helped spread a rumor in 1909. It also fits with other American creature legends that grew from local fears and places, such as the Mothman, the Bell Witch and the sea creature of Loch Ness.
What do the old stories add?
Later retellings link famous people to the legend. One story says that Joseph Bonaparte, the older brother of Napoleon, who lived in Bordentown, New Jersey, in the 1820s, saw the creature while hunting. Another says that the naval hero Commodore Stephen Decatur fired a cannonball at it at an ironworks around 1800 and that it flew on unharmed. Historians have found little evidence for either account, and they appear in sources written long after the supposed events. Such embellishments are typical of local legends, which tend to attach well-known names to make a story more impressive. They are an example of how folklore grows, and a reason to ask for early documents before accepting a claim.
What is the Pine Barrens like?
The Pine Barrens, also called the Pinelands, cover about a million acres of sandy soil, pitch pines, cedar swamps and winding streams, and are one of the largest areas of open space on the East Coast between Boston and Richmond. Because the soil is poor, few farms were built there, and for centuries it had small communities of woodcutters, bog iron workers and cranberry growers, known as "Pineys." The isolation and the dark water and trees help to explain why stories of strange creatures took root, as do the real features of the land, such as will-o'-the-wisp lights seen over swamps and the cries of owls and foxes at night.
