Jersey Devil

Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil, Philadelphia Bulletin, January 1909.
Other name(s)	Leeds Devil
Country	United States
Region	Pine Barrens (New Jersey)

In New Jersey folklore, the Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey, United States. The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. The common description is that of a kangaroo-like creature with the head of a goat, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, cloven hooves and a forked tail. It has been reported to move quickly and often is described as emitting a "blood-curdling scream".

According to popular folklore, the Jersey Devil originated with a Pine Barrens resident known as Mother Leeds. The legend states that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after finding she was pregnant for the 13th time, cursed the child in frustration, crying that the child would be the Devil. During 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night while her friends gathered around her. Born as a normal child, the 13th child changed to a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. Growling and screaming, it killed the midwife before flying up the chimney and heading into the pines. In some versions of the tale, Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the Devil himself. Some versions of the legend also state that there was subsequently an attempt by local clergymen to exorcise the creature from the Pine Barrens, or that the creature proceeded to kill local children.

Prior to the early 1900s, and before the series of reported sightings of the creature during 1909, the Jersey Devil was referred to as the Leeds Devil or the "Devil of Leeds," either in connection with the local Leeds family or the eponymous southern New Jersey town, Leeds Point.