Jersey devil

Image by themechanism via Flickr

The Jersey Devil, sometimes called the Leeds Devil, is a legendary creature said to inhabit cryptic or the Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey. The creature is often described as a flying biped with their hands, but there are many variations. The Jersey Devil has worked its way into popular culture in the area, even giving his name to the New Jersey team in the National Hockey League.There many possible origins of the Jersey Devil legend. The first legends date back to Native American folklore. The Lenni Lenape tribes called the Pine Barrens area "Popuessing" which means "place of the dragon. Swedish explorers later called "Drake Kill", "Drake" is a Swedish word for dragon, and "kill" the sense of channel or arm of the sea (river, stream, etc.).

The most accepted origin of the story regarding the residents of New Jersey Leeds began with the mother and is:

"It was said that Leeds had 12 children and mother after giving birth to her son 13, said that if there were other, would be the Devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her were his friends. Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the devil himself. The child was born normal, but then changed form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a horse head, bat wings and tail fork. It growled and screamed, then killed the midwife before flying up the chimney. He surrounded himself with people and headed toward the pines. In 1740 a clergy exorcised the devil for 100 years and was not seen again until 1890. "

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