Prior to the early 1900s, the Jersey Devil was referred to as the Leeds Devil or the Devil of Leeds, either in connection with the local Leeds family or the eponymous southern New Jersey town, Leeds Point. Some versions of the legend also state that local clergymen subsequently attempted to exorcise the creature from the Pine Barrens. In some versions of the tale, Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the devil himself. Growling and screaming, the child beat everyone with its tail before flying up the chimney and heading into the pines. Born as a normal child, the thirteenth child transformed into a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. The Lenape people who originally populated the Pine Barrens believed the area was inhabited by a spirit called M'Sing, which sometimes took the form of a "deer-like creature with leathery wings." Mother Leeds's 13th child Īccording to popular folklore, the Jersey Devil originated with a Pine Barrens resident named Jane Leeds, known as "Mother Leeds." The legend states that Mother Leeds had twelve children and, after discovering she was pregnant for the thirteenth time, cursed the child in frustration, declaring that the child would be the " devil." In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night while her friends gathered around her. Origin of the legend Japhet Leeds House, Moss Mill Road, Leeds Point, Atlantic County, New Jersey (c. It has been reported to move quickly and is often described as emitting a high-pitched "blood-curdling scream". The common description is that of a bipedal 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 pointed tail. The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. In New Jersey and Philadelphia folklore in the United States, the Jersey Devil (also known as the Leeds Devil) is a legendary creature said to inhabit the forests of the Pine Barrens in South Jersey.
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