31
Jul
Jersey Devil
Think of the devil and the devil appears. But make sure you don’t think about the infamous Jersey Devil. Also known as the Leeds Devil this legendary creature has been haunting New Jersey for the past 260 years. Seemingly originated from the folklore of New Jersey the Jersey Devil is known to have terrorized towns causing close down of schools colleges and offices ultimately resulting in the disruption of normal life. The creature is considered a flying monster as it has fully functional wings.
How did the Jersey Devil originate? There are three stories that support the birth and existence of the Jersey Devil. One Mrs. Leeds was expecting her 12th child and out of frustration she shouted that the 12th be born a devil. Legend has it that the devil was the father of the child and the mother Mrs. Leeds herself a witch. Though born normal the child transformed itself into a creature with wings, hooves, head of a horse and a fork tail. The Jersey Devil’s first victim was the mid wife and after devouring her it flew out of the house circled in the air terrorizing villages till it was exorcised by a clergy to get rid of it for a few decades. Born in the family of Leeds the devil also got its name as the Leeds Devil.
Story of Mrs. Shrouds Child
Another story tells us that Mrs. Shrouds who lived in New Jersey wished that she had a devil for a child. Her wish came true and her new born was born contorted. Mrs. Shrouds kept the child i.e. the Jersey Devil to be, indoors and never let it out. But one stormy night the child jounced its arms and it turned into wings. Gaining its complete form the Jersey Devil flew out of the chimney never to come home again.
The Leeds Curse
Another story says that a beautiful young girl fell head over heels in love with a young army officer during war time. She was cursed by the people of Leeds that the child born out of this relationship would be a devil. Thus was born the Jersey Devil.
Creature Description
The trademark of this mythical creature has been the hoof prints it leaves either on sand or snow. Eldest brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Bonaparte reportedly saw the creature flying over his estate in the year 1820. By around 1840 the devil went on a rampage killing live stock. The massacre was always followed by grotesque screams and once it was also shot on its right wing. The bullet made no difference to the Jersey Devil and it kept flying. Between 1850 and 1894 the devil made it a point to carry anything which moved below its flight so people stopped stepping out of their homes after dark.
Recent Sightings
The latest witnesses of the Jersey Devil have been in 2007 and 2008. In 2007 a man and a woman claimed that they saw a creature which looked like a gargoyle and the in the year 2008 a farmer spotted a creature fly out of his barn in Litchfield, Pennsylvania.
A $10000 dollar reward has been announced for the capture of this devil but the claimants have been none. No wonder the Jersey Devil had the last laugh.