The Devils Red and Black
The legendary cryptid of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
The Jersey Devil, also known as the Leeds Devil, is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the forests of the New Jersey Pine Barrens in South Jersey. It is often described as a flying biped with hooves, with variations including a kangaroo-like or wyvern-like creature with a horse- or goat-like head, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves, and a forked or barbed tail. It is also said to have a strange elongated body and a thick tail, and to emit a high-pitched 'blood-curdling scream'.
Quick Facts
- Former arena
- Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (1982–2007)
Lore & Background
The popular legend is dated variously and attached to the South Jersey Pine Barrens, sometimes specifically Leeds Point. The devil's mother is usually a woman named Leeds, or 'Mother Leeds' of Burlington. According to one précis, in 1735, a woman named Leeds had twelve children and, after discovering she was pregnant for the thirteenth time, cursed the child, declaring, 'Let the child be the devil!'. The child, though born normally, immediately grew wings, a tail, and claws after birth and flew out to the Pine Barrens. In some versions, Mother Leeds was a witch and the child's father was the devil himself. Another telling, localized at Esteville near Mays Landing, involves a Mrs. Leeds around 1855 who wished a stork would deliver a devil, and a winged devil was born and flew out the window. Historian Brian Regal theorizes the story originated from the reputation of the local Leeds family, involving colonial-era political intrigue with Benjamin Franklin and Titan Leeds, and that the Leeds family crest—a wyvern—resembles descriptions of the Jersey Devil.
Reader's Guide
The Jersey Devil is said to inhabit the forests of the New Jersey Pine Barrens in South Jersey. Sightings are often reported in the area of Leeds Point within the Pine Barrens. The creature is described as a flying biped with hooves, a kangaroo-like or wyvern-like body, leathery bat-like wings, and a high-pitched scream. It has been reported to move quickly.
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