Jersey Devil
A well-known legend from the US state of New Jersey reported the Jersey Devil ( Engl. Heck out of (New) Jersey ), a strange hybrid creature , which occurs according to legend, in the south of the Atlantic Ocean State.
description
The devil is often described as a two-legged creature about five feet tall with hooves , short arms, a long neck, and wings, although looks vary widely depending on the story. Other characteristics described are similarities with dogs or horses, red-hot eyes, long fur or even horns. A special quality is said to be a "scary, high-pitched scream".
Legend
Legend has it that the devil was the 13th child of Mrs. Leeds, a resident of the Pine Barrens , a wooded area in New Jersey, during the early 18th century. Mrs. Leeds is said to have said during pregnancy: “Oh, let this one be a devil!” (“Oh, let it be a devil!”). Allegedly the "devil" escaped through the chimney after he was born.
There are different versions of the legend. In one version, the devil is the result of a curse; in another, punishment for refusing to convert from Quakerism to Mrs. Leeds . In yet another version, the mother gave birth to the devil and took care of him. After her death, he is said to have flown into the swamps.
Sightings
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The Jersey Devil has been sighted since the 18th century; including reports from celebrities such as Stephen Decatur or Joseph Bonaparte . The most famous series of sightings occurred in January 1909, when the being was seen by many eyewitnesses in the Woodbury area , but also in Pennsylvania and Delaware . Hoof-shaped prints in the snow have also been associated with the devil. The West Collingswood Fire Department reportedly even shot him with a water hose. Newspapers covered the events extensively, and many shops and schools were closed. The Philadelphia Zoo offered a $ 10,000 reward for those who caught the Jersey Devil, but this was unsuccessful. Since then, only isolated sightings have been reported, for example in 1978 and 2008. There have been a few cases of the Jersey Devil being held responsible for animal deaths and no reports of injured people.
Explanation
Due to the conflicting eyewitness accounts, there is no definitive explanation for the phenomenon. There are no photographs and no carcass has ever been found. The most likely cause for reports of the devil are encounters with the sandhill crane , whose stature and sounds are similar to the description of the Jersey Devil.
Trivia
- The legend inspired the name of New Jersey's NHL ice hockey team, the New Jersey Devils .
- In the 195th radio play episode of the series Die Drei ??? (Radio play) , the Jersey Devil appears as a gigantic film prop and serves as a collector's item in a private cabinet of curiosities .
- A video game of the same name was also released for the PlayStation via the Jersey Devil .
- The Jersey Devil is an opponent in the video game Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia .
- Also in the TV series The X-Files there was an episode entitled " The Jersey Devil " in the first season , but it was about a cannibalistic wild man and had nothing to do with the actual Jersey Devil.
- There is also a 1998 film about the legend of the Jersey Devil called The Last Broadcast . The film is a fake report in which two presenters of the show "Fact or Fiction" want to find out whether the Jersey devil really exists.
- There is also a song by Coheed and Cambria called "Devil in Jersey City".
- There is also a variety of tomato with banana-shaped fruits called Jersey Devil.
- In 2012, the legendary horror film Jersey Devil (original title: The Barrens ) by director Darren Lynn Bousman was released .
- The Jersey Devil appears as a character in the video game The Wolf Among Us .
- In the seventh season of the series Supernatural there is an episode that is about the Jersey Devil.
- The rock musician Bruce Springsteen released the song " A Night with the Jersey Devil " online for Halloween 2008 .
- In the 9th episode of the first season of Futurama (“ A real hell spectacle ”), robot hell (and thus the seat of the robot devil) is in New Jersey.
- Volume 2066 of the booklet series Ghostbusters John Sinclair is entitled "Jersey Devil". The story builds on the legends mentioned above.
Web links
- Markus C. Schulte von Drach : The Devil of Jersey . Süddeutsche.de, 2010
- New Jersey Historical Society: Legend of the New Jersey Devil , 2000 (English)
- Brian Regal: The Jersey Devil: The Real Story , csicop.org, 2013 (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Markus C. Schulte von Drach: The devil of Jersey . Süddeutsche.de, 2010
- ↑ Brian Regal: The Jersey Devil: The Real Story , csicop.org, 2013 (English)
- ↑ a b New Jersey Historical Society: Legend of the New Jersey Devil ( Memento of the original from September 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 2000
- ↑ Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH: The three question marks - The three ???: Radio play - 195: In the realm of monsters - episode 195. Retrieved on October 29, 2018 .
