THE JERSEY DEVIL
American Mythology
Pine Barrens, New Jersey, USA
Modern Legend/Folklore
According to one version of the tale, the Jersey Devil was the thirteenth child born to a Mrs. Leeds, a resident of the Pine Barrens during the mid-18th century. Mrs. Leeds was so upset at yet another pregnancy that after giving birth she exclaimed, "I am tired of children! Let the devil take this one!" What was once a human child immediately transformed into a winged monstrosity, which flew up through the chimney. There are many versions of this legend, differing in date of the birth and the degree of the Devil's disfigurement. In some stories, the Devil is merely a human child which Mrs. Leeds confined to her cellar or attic, only to have it escape into the woods (see feral children for more on similar legends and real life examples).
Another legend attributes the Devil's birth to a Gypsy curse placed upon a sElfish young woman who refused to give the Gypsy food and shelter. There are other tales that suggest Leeds hersElf was a witch or that she was cursed by locals for having an affair with a British soldier. The Shourds House, a log cabin within the Pine Barrens, was reputed to be the birthplace of the Devil. The Shourds house is still there today but only ruins of the foundation and some other parts are still there.
The Jersey Devil has been said to be companion to a headless pirate, a ghostly woman, and a mermaid. In certain parts of South Jersey, the Devil is rumored to live in an Agent Orange plant (Whose existence is similarly rumorious) near Chatsworth, a very small town surrounded by forest and sand.
There are many possible roots of the Jersey Devil legends. The Pine Barrens, as their name suggests, were avoided by early settlers as a desolate, threatening area. The barrens provided a natural refuge for those who wished to remain hidden, starting with religious dissenters, loyalists, fugitives, and deserting soldiers in colonial times. These people, cut off from much of the outside world, formed their own isolated groups and were pejoratively referred to as "pineys." Some of the pineys included notorious bandits known as Pine Robbers.
Pineys were further demonized after two eugenics studies at the turn of the century depicted them as congenital idiots and criminals. It is easy to imagine early tales of terrible monsters arising from a combination of sightings of genuine animals such as bears, the activities of pineys, and fear of the imposing barrens themselves.
Outdoorsman and author Tom Brown, Jr. spent several seasons living entirely within the wilderness of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. He recounts several occasions when terrified hikers mistook him for the Jersey Devil, particularly after he covered his whole body in mud to repel mosquitoes.
Of course, the most influential, and probably most important, roots of the tales of the Jersey Devil are the testimonials of people who have come into contact with the creature, from before the European settlers arrived to the present day.
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