Cryptid Corner Jersey Devil Edition
- lizzieb777
- Dec 28, 2025
- 2 min read
The Jersey Devil, also known as the Leeds Devil, has it's origins in South Jersey and Philadelphia folklore. The Legend is attached to a forest in South Jersey known as the Pine Barrens and is often linked with Leeds Point. The story usually states the devil came into existence when it's mother, often named Leeds or Mother Leeds, found she was pregnant with her thirteenth child and cursed it. The child was said to be born normally but sprouted immediate devilish features and flew away.
Descriptions of the Jersey Devil usually include a horse or goat head, bat like wings, short arms with clawed hands and legs with cloven hooves. It is also stated that it moves quickly and lets out a loud screech.
Before the name Jersey devil became popular the creature was known as the Leeds devil.
The Leeds were a prominent family in the Southern portion of the colonial era Province of New Jersey. The area was established by Quakers, and that's where the connection is believed to have started. A Quaker named Daniel Leeds published an almanac in 1687 that contained astrological symbols. His peers deemed the almanac too sacrilegious and ordered it censored and destroyed. Despite this Leeds expanded his publishing of other more occult Christian astrological writings making further waves in the Quaker community. In 1716 Titan Leeds took over his father Daniels almanac business. He continued to publish similar content as his father. In 1728 he began including the Leeds family crest a Wyvern on the almanac. This may have attributed to the connection between the Leeds family and devils.
Sometime between the late 18th and early 19th century oral stories of the Leeds devil were starting to be told in now current day South Jersey. The name Jersey devil started being used in the 20th century which is what the legend is known as today.
Between January 16 and 23 1909 there was a wave of sightings, Newspapers published hundreds of accounts of confrontations with the creature. Sightings went from South Jersey to Delaware and South Maryland. During this time it was alleged that the creature
attacked a trolley and it is also rumored that police fired on it in two separate instances with no effect.
The Jersey Devil/Leeds Devil has captured imaginations for centuries and still to this day it's prevalent. We see the Jersey Devil name in sports teams and it is legend in our pop culture. I'm sure for many more centuries the legend will live on and continue to inspire stories.
