The legend of the Jersey Devil - a flying monster with the head of a horse from the Pine Barrens

Headed like a horse and a pair of large wings, Jersey Devil has brought terror and dread for more than 250 years. While its identity remains a mystery, there are many aspects of the legend of this monster that even skeptics are forced to admit there is an element of truth to it, such as sightings of this creature reported by more than 1,000 people in 30 cities in 1909.

The Jersey Devil, also known as the Leeds Devil, is a legendary cryptid that inhabits the Pine Barrens region of Southern New Jersey. This creature has a head like a unicorn and has a pair of wings that enable it to fly.

The origins of the Jersey Devil legend

The legend of the Jersey Devil originates from a United States folk tale that was told by word of mouth. Although the stories about it vary widely, the most common story says that the Jersey Devil comes from a family surnamed Leeds.

Mrs Leeds had many children. When she was pregnant with her 12th child, she felt so tired that she swore that if she had another child, then let that child become a devil.

In 1735, Mrs Leeds became pregnant with their 13th child.

One night, when a storm and heavy rain pounded the earth, Mrs. Leeds experienced labor pains and prepared to give birth. His friends and relatives gathered around him.

Legend has it, when the baby was born, everything seemed normal at first. But then the baby immediately changed shape into a strange creature with a head in the shape of a horned horse with two bat-like wings and a long tail that ended like a fork.

As soon as it changed shape, the creature growled and screamed incoherently. Then he killed the midwife who helped deliver him and flew out through the chimney. It flew around the village for a while before disappearing into the Pine Barrens area.

Deborah Leeds and the Jersey Devil

Although the story of the Jersey Devil sounds like a fairy tale, Mrs. Leeds, who is a central figure in this legend, actually exists. Her name is Deborah Leeds and her husband is named Japhet Leeds.

This is supported by historical facts that Japhet Leeds wrote the names of his 12 children in his will in 1736, which means according to the legend of the Jersey Devil. They also live in New Jersey, the area where the Jersey Devil lives.

However, the events of their 13th child's turn into the Jersey Devil cannot be confirmed.

Jersey Devil sightings

Since disappearing on the night of his birth, the Jersey Devil hasn't been seen for decades. Then, in 1778, it reappeared. At that time commodore Stephen Decatur was visiting Pine Barens to test the cannon's range of fire.

Unexpectedly, he witnessed a pale creature flying above his head.

Using cannon fire, Decatur manages to shoot the membrane lining the creature's wings. But the creature continued to fly undisturbed by the aftermath of the shot.

Joseph Bonaparte, the former king of Spain who is also the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, is said to have seen the Jersey Devil while he was hunting in Bordentown, New Jersey, around 1820.

In 1840, farm animals were found mysteriously dead in New Jersey and the Jersey Devil was considered to be the perpetrator of the murder. Farmers reported hearing strange screams the night of the killings. Similar reports of livestock killings were also reported in 1841.

In the 19th century, the Jersey Devil was seen only occasionally and did not receive much attention. But entering the 20th century, in 1909 to be precise, the Jersey Devil made headlines and filled the main pages of local media in America when more than 1,000 people in 30 cities reported sightings of the creature that occurred during the period January 16-23, 1909.

These sightings made the Jersey Devil's name known throughout the United States.

The first ever Jersey Devil illustration

The first sightings that week occurred on January 16, 1909, when the Jersey Devil was sighted in flight over Woodbury. The next day, several people witnessed it in Bristol, Pennsylvania. The sighting was followed by the discovery of strange tracks in the snow in the city of Burlington the next day.

On January 19, Nelson Evans and his wife who live in Gloucester witnessed the creature from their window. Nelson describes the creature as follows:

"About 1 meter tall with a head like a Collie dog and a face like a horse. Its neck is long and its wingspan is about 60 centimeters long. Its hind legs resemble those of a heron and the creature also has a mane like a horse. It walks on its two hind legs. In addition it also had two short front legs with claws. My wife and I were terrified. But we finally bravely opened the window and shouted 'Huss, huss'. It turned around, yapped and flew away."

On January 20, residents witnessed the Jersey Devil flies over the town of Moorestown.

On January 21, the creature attacked a car in Haddon Heights, Clayton. Then several other witnesses saw the creature crash into a train but did not die.

Reports of sightings continue from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to West Collingswood.

In West Collingswood, two passersby reported seeing the Jersey Devil perched on the roof of a house. Then, the firefighters who were called immediately attacked him by spraying water. The creature then dodged by flying and landed on the highway. Firefighters kept spraying water until the creature flew away and disappeared into the night.

In Bristol, a police officer named James Sackville saw the monster while on a night patrol. James was walking in a fairly dark alley when the creature jumped into the street and made a strange scream. Then, he fired his revolver at the creature. However, it seemed the bullet missed it as the creature immediately spread its wings and flew away.

In the same week, Mrs. Mary Sorbinski heard her pet dog barking from her front yard in Camden. Then, he rushed outside and saw the Jersey Devil is clutching the dog in his arms.

Seeing that, Mrs. Sorbinski tried to save the dog by screaming and hitting the creature with a broom. The attempt was successful, the dog was released and the creature flew away. Mrs. Sorbinski brought in her badly injured dog and immediately called the police.

About 100 more people who heard Mrs. Sorbinski's screams immediately came and gathered in front of her house. Then, suddenly they heard a strange scream from the direction of Kaigan Hill. By then, the police had arrived. As they headed up the hill together, they witnessed the creature fly away.

On January 22nd, the Jersey Devil has succeeded in creating the greatest terror in New Jersey by making its inhabitants gripped with fear. Schools, offices, factories, and other activity centers were closed because people did not dare to leave their homes.

Due to the events of this week of extraordinary sightings, even the skeptics are forced to admit that there really is something out there that has the entire state freaking out. After all, sightings of these creatures are not only reported by ordinary people, but also by officials, members of the police and other respectable citizens.

During this period, the Philadelphia Zoo even offered a $10,000 prize to anyone who caught this creature.

After the terror of 1909, the Jersey Devil disappeared somewhere.

Then, he reappeared in 1927. At that time, a taxi driver who was on his way to Salem had a tire burst. He stopped to change his tire. While he was changing a tire, he was startled by the sound of flapping wings and he saw a strange, upright, hairy creature landing on the roof of his taxi. The creature shook the car violently and then flew back. The taxi driver believed he had seen the Jersey Devil.

In 1951, a 10-year-old boy in Gibbstown, New Jersey, claimed to have seen a strange monster similar to the Jersey Devil screaming near the DuPont Clubhouse. This monster made the boy faint from fright.

The most recent reported sighting occurred in mid-December 1993. At that time, a ranger named John Irwin was driving along the Mullica River in New Jersey when he was startled by a two-legged, hairy creature that jumped in front of his car. Its head resembles that of a deer with antlers and bright red eyes. The creature looked at Irwin for a few moments and then ran into the forest.

A similar incident occurred in 1995, when Sue Dupre was driving near a lake in New Jersey when an animal jumped across the road. The animal is called having a head like an armadillo.

Although it is possible that Irwin and Dupre saw a deer, both of them believe that they have had an encounter with the Jersey Devil.

What creature is this Jersey Devil actually? Does a creature like this really exist?

What creature is it?

Some skeptics believe that the Jersey Devil is actually just a creation of British immigrants. Since ancient times, the Pine Barrens has been an isolated region. Because of this, it became a favorite place for those seeking refuge, including religious rebels, fugitives, and military deserters. The group of people who were hiding then formed a group called Pineys.

Because of this group, the Pine Barrens is considering a vulnerable and dangerous location. The combination of the perceptions and imaginations of local residents may have helped create the legend of the Jersey Devil because it's easier to imagine a monstrous creature coming from such a vulnerable place.

For example, when they encounter an ordinary creature like a deer, maybe they will immediately think of it as a half-demon creature which then gave birth to the legend of the Jersey Devil. In other words, according to these skeptics, the Jersey Devil is just a hoax followed by misidentification of ordinary animals.

An author named Tom Brown Jr. also believes this. He has spent some time in the Pine Barrens and on several occasions, hikers mistook him for the Jersey Devil after he covered himself in mud to keep mosquitoes away.

However, this hoax theory does not seem to be able to explain the mass sightings that occurred in 1909 which were reported by more than 1,000 people in 30 cities. Is it possible that thousands of people are lying or misidentified?

Another opinion of archaeologist Paula Perrault. Paula believes that the Jersey Devil might be real. However, he is just an animal that has a genetic disorder. This genetic disorder phenomenon is common in the Pine Barrens region. Sometimes researchers can find animals with strange colors or animals with two heads in this place. From an archaeological perspective, Perrault speculates that there may be a type of mineral deposit in the area that has caused this genetic mutation.

However, Paula couldn't determine what kind of animal had a genetic disorder that made it a horse-headed creature with wings that allowed it to fly.

Some other researchers, especially Cryptozoologists believe that the Jersey Devil really exists and is a Cryptid creature, in other words, a creature that is not yet known to modern science.

Several elements that support this theory include the appearance of the creature which displays some of the characteristics of ancient animals, such as a horse-shaped head, wings, and a long tail. If these creatures reproduce, it is only natural that sightings of the Jersey Devil have continued to appear for centuries.

Apart from creatures that may not have been classified by science, several other Cryptozologists, including an expert from the Smithsonian, believe that the Jersey Devil may be an ancient creature that still survives. One of their guesses is Dimorphodon, a type of pterosaur that was long thought to be extinct.

Dimorphodon

Professor Barhopf who believes in this theory says that this ancient creature may have managed to survive by living in underground caves.

Scientists from various fields may have tried to see this legend from their own perspective, but for most of the Pine Barrens community, the Jersey Devil is a real creature, and they believe that the creature is really the devil incarnate according to its name.

In 1730, Benjamin Franklin wrote about a witch trial that took place near Mt.Holly, New Jersey. One related legend states that Mrs. Leeds, the mother of the Jersey Devil, was the witch who was put on trial. It's only natural that his 13th child would later become a demonic creature like the Jersey Devil.

"Maybe the Jersey Devil never existed," said Angus Gillespie, a professor of American history at Rutgers University, New Jersey. "However, from the point of view of folklore, it is a fact that the story is real because it has been told in South Jersey since 1735. This makes the Jersey Devil the oldest-known monster in American history."

The Jersey Devil's bones have never been found and we have no strong evidence of its existence apart from word of mouth. However, something must have frightened more than 1,000 residents in 30 cities in 1909.

So, maybe the Jersey Devil really exists, although we may never know his true identity.

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