The Origins of Supernatural Beings

Creepy Cryptids- The Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil is a cryptid believed to inhabit the Pine Barrens of South Jersey, Philadelphia in the American state of Pennsylvania. There are many fables regarding the origins of the cryptid, but most legends involve a woman named "Mother Leeds".

The Jersey Devil was born on a dark and stormy night in 1735. Jane Leeds, a mother of 12, was giving birth to her 13th child. She was unhappy about the new baby and was already overwhelmed by her growing family. When Jane Leeds discovered she was pregnant again, she reportedly declared "Let it be the Devil!". When the baby was born, he indeed looked like the devil. The creature spread its wings and flew out the chimney to the astonishment of everyone attending the birth, before hiding in the nearby Pine Barrens. Some say Jane Leeds purposefully cursed the infant because she was a witch and wanted to give birth to a demon. Other sources refer to it as a cautionary tale about how carelessly cursing can affect lives. A variant of the story asserts Jane Leeds never cursed her child, but the baby was cursed by a Gypsy whom she refused to feed. Another tale explains The Jersey Devil was born when a young woman fell in love with an enemy soldier during the revolutionary war, and the town cursed the baby as a response to her treachery. Regardless of its origins, The Jersey Devil is universally described as hideous, although accounts vary.

Typically, it is depicted as having the head of a horse, cloven hooves, two long back legs in proportion to the rest of the body, two short front legs in proportion to the rest of the body, the horns of a goat, a tail and between 4-6 feet tall.

Jane "Mother" Leeds may have been the wife of Daniel Leeds, a prominent author who published "The American Almanack" in 1687. The American Almanack contains information on astrology and witty quips that amused colonial farmers. He started the tradition of what would become the farmer's almanac. The Quaker community criticized his work and demanded all copies be destroyed. Despite being a Quaker, he grew resentful and broke with the group. In 1688, he published another book called "The Temple of Wisdom", where he quoted works from other authors and explained his views on the origin of the universe. The Temple of Wisdom discussed angels, demons and astrology much to the displeasure of the Quaker community. They again demanded all copies be destroyed, and in response, he published "The Trumpet Sounded Out of the Wilderness of America", which was a criticism of Quakers. Among the claims made in his diatribe were that Quakers denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and were against the English monarchy. His attack on Quakerism reached such a height that George Fox, founder of the Quaker movement, began responding to his writings and producing pamphlets in response. In 1700, George Fox released a pamphlet entitled "Satan's Harbinger Encountered... Being Something by Way of Answer to Daniel Leeds", where he accused Daniel Leeds of being a Satanist. Daniel Leeds was also an alleged cross-dresser, although there is no evidence for these claims.

Daniel Leeds was born on November 15, 1651, in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England. He was proud of his English ancestry and loyal to the crown. After his rejection from the Quaker community, he converted to Anglicanism. The Episcopal Church and The Church of England are both branches of Anglicanism that split during the American revolution. The Church of England places value on the English monarchy, and American Anglicans fighting to be free from English rule were opposed to the English monarchy. That fundamental divide created the separate forms of Anglicanism. Certain sources note Daniel Leeds was a member of the Episcopal Church, but that would have been impossible because the Episcopal Church was not formed until 1789, and Daniel Leeds died in 1720. He died before the churches split, and he would have considered himself an Anglican. Due to his conversion to Anglicanism, many sources indicate he no longer agreed with Quaker beliefs. However, someone can identify as both an Anglican and Quaker. The two churches are not mutually exclusive, and there are many people today who identify with both movements. During that century, the Anglican church was considered more liberal than other religious organizations, which is why detractors may have accused him of cross-dressing.