Jersey Devil: Info

I found it kinda weird how the north and south share the same types of myths, stories and legends. Here in south texas, the story of "La Chusa" is told to children and family members. It interesting how similar the stories are when comparing the Jersey devil and La Chusa.

La Chusa was a winged female of sorts and horribly disfigured. If some one was near death, La Chusa would come to take their souls. You would know she was near from the sounds of her huge wings beating on a nearby window of the ill perons room or the side of that home. If La Chusa could be captured and see the sun rise she would evolve into a beautiful young woman - www.pantheon.org...

I just dont understand how a strange creature like this could remain relatively hidden throughout a small state like New Jersey. How much wilderness do you guys even have? A couple of square miles? And when was the first account of this creature?

We have way more than a few square miles. Wharton State Forest is 100,000 acres for starters.

This entire thread sounds like its just trying to create internet hype for a new movie coming out in 2005 conviently named 'The Jersey Devil'.

www.imdb.com...

Nice way to abuse the boards to create publicity for this movie.

Next!

Originally posted by Simulacra
This entire thread sounds like its just trying to create internet hype for a new movie coming out in 2005 conviently named 'The Jersey Devil'.

www.imdb.com...

Nice way to abuse the boards to create publicity for this movie.

Next!

Uh...what? Where'd you get the idea this has anything to do with the movie? I

Plot Summary for The Jersey Devil:

Two-hundred and Sixty years after the birth of "The Jersey Devil" a group of friends venture into those same woods seeking a fortune of money that legend holds is stashed in a deceased old woman's cabin. Little by little the friends realize they are all descendants of Shrouds point, and that they are not there together by coincidence, but most of all, they realize they may never leave at all. Something is out there watching them...

Originally posted by Simulacra
Plot Summary for The Jersey Devil:

Two-hundred and Sixty years after the birth of "The Jersey Devil" a group of friends venture into those same woods seeking a fortune of money that legend holds is stashed in a deceased old woman's cabin. Little by little the friends realize they are all descendants of Shrouds point, and that they are not there together by coincidence, but most of all, they realize they may never leave at all. Something is out there watching them...

Glad to see your cut and paste functions still work. Now would you mind answering my question?

- Well from what I told this creature lurks in the 'wilderness of New Jersey. '

- From what I understand, this 'New Jersey Devil' is over 200 years old.

- The site you provided us seemed like a 'group of friends hunting this creature'


Now look at the tagline and tell me if this isnt some sort of ad campaign for this film.

Originally posted by Simulacra
- Well from what I told this creature lurks in the 'wilderness of New Jersey. '

- From what I understand, this 'New Jersey Devil' is over 200 years old.

- The site you provided us seemed like a 'group of friends hunting this creature'


Now look at the tagline and tell me if this isnt some sort of ad campaign for this film.

I provided no site, get yer members straight

The Legend of the Jersey Devil is 200 years old, it's a well know story. I think you need to read up on some of the mythos. The movie is based on a well-known legend, not the other way around.

Originally posted by Simulacra
I just dont understand how a strange creature like this could remain relatively hidden throughout a small state like New Jersey. How much wilderness do you guys even have? A couple of square miles? And when was the first account of this creature?

Just about all of Southern New Jersey is woods. This is the Pine Barrens.

And Simulacra, this legend has been around sinse before the camera was even invented, let alone the Silver Screen. my god.

And, I've never seen a more skeptic person. XD

Anyway,

the Jersey Devil may also have some sort of evolutionary qualities. Perhaps he can fold his claws in such a way, that it can form a print that resembles that of a hoof.

[edit on 10-25-04 by Yasuhiko23]

I think I'd have to go with the theory that this creature is some sort of undiscovered species. The idea that it could remain undetected isn't such a far fetched one after all - maybe living in America you guys forget the ideas of scale; most American states are bigger than England, and most of our land is agricultural and MoD. If you've got huge areas of dense woodland where no-one really spends much time in you'd expect there to be a chance we could have missed something. As a man once said, humans are very good at ignoring what they know isn't really there. We can be good at seeing things that aren't there as well, but for arguments sake just say we haven't discovered every species on the planet yet; that's not so hard to believe is it?

However, if such a thing did exist, I doubt it would be quite like the descriptions you see on the site. Maybe those who wrote the accounts did see something, but then maybe it wasn't quite what they thought it was.

Originally posted by Oisin
I think I'd have to go with the theory that this creature is some sort of undiscovered species. The idea that it could remain undetected isn't such a far fetched one after all - maybe living in America you guys forget the ideas of scale; most American states are bigger than England, and most of our land is agricultural and MoD. If you've got huge areas of dense woodland where no-one really spends much time in you'd expect there to be a chance we could have missed something. As a man once said, humans are very good at ignoring what they know isn't really there. We can be good at seeing things that aren't there as well, but for arguments sake just say we haven't discovered every species on the planet yet; that's not so hard to believe is it?

However, if such a thing did exist, I doubt it would be quite like the descriptions you see on the site. Maybe those who wrote the accounts did see something, but then maybe it wasn't quite what they thought it was.

On the flipside, it could very well be a mundane animal. After all, get a legend of a flying monster going around, and from the on every bat, bird, deer, or dog someone sees out of the corner of their eyes is The Jersey Devil. It ahppens here all the time. How many posts are "I saw something in the corner of my eye. It was definitely a ghost/shadow person/shapeshifting reptilian."



[edit on 10-26-2004 by Esoterica]

The legend goes like:

When he was born, he mutated on his own. ...

And flew off into the wilderness, and has been sighted ever since. But they also say that he ate the family before leaving. o.o Which could explain the " never hearing from them again".

Originally posted by Yasuhiko23
The legend goes like:

When he was born, he mutated on his own. ...

And flew off into the wilderness, and has been sighted ever since. But they also say that he ate the family before leaving. o.o Which could explain the " never hearing from them again".

Odd, considering there's a guy who says he's descended from the family and lives in the area. This is why you can never trust local legends, if for no toher reason than there are multiple versions of them.

The main gist of the story is that there was a woman known as Mother Leeds (the desendent above has the surname Leeds). She had 12 children. She either wished that the 13th be a devil because she was sick of children, or she said that if it wasn't helthy that it be cursed. So she gives birth, and sure enough it's a monster. It escaped shortly thereafter, haunting the Pine Barrens ever since.

I've travelled through the pine barrens of New Jersey and believe me there are things more frightening that the Jersey Devil that lurk there.

Yasuhiko23 :

So you are saying that this thing has been around since the 1700's? That it is almost 300 years old? What does a New Jersey Devil eat? I'm sorry if I come off as a jackass but wouldnt there be reports of missing and mutiliated farm animals? If it has wings, wouldnt a pilot eventually see it fly over the new jersey country side?

It just seems like fantasy.

IT DOES EAT FARM ANIMALS. ANIMALS ARE FOUND MUTILATED ALL THE TIME! EXCUSE ME WHILE I TAKE OUT SOME FRUSTRATION CUZZA THIS GUY!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! DANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It would HELP if YOU DID SOME RESEARCH! CHECK A STATE LIBRARY, GO TO A DATABASE ON MYTHICAL CREATURES AND LEGENDS! DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN SPEW UR SKEPTISISM. ::calms down::

Originally posted by Yasuhiko23
It would HELP if YOU DID SOME RESEARCH! CHECK A STATE LIBRARY

It's kind of hard to look up information about a 'Jersey Legend' when you are stuck in Wales. I'm just going on what you are telling me. Why hasnt this thing been captured yet? If there has been mutilated animals over the course of 300 years in a small state such as new jersey, why hasnt this thing been caught? People are imprisoned all the time throughout Texas and the south for farm animal theft and mutilation. If a person is caught doing this, why can't authorities catch some beast with giant wings and an array of odd body parts?

There is also a folk legend that says that if you look into the mirror and say bloody mary three times, that you are going to get killed by a woman named 'Bloody Mary' right there on the spot. I've done it, my friends have done it, people across america have done it and what happens? You walk back to your room and watch TV as if it never happened.

What i'm trying to say is that the New Jersey devil is just some myth that has been passed down from generations as a 'good story to scare there kids'. It's about up there with the 'Boogey man' and the 'Tooth Fairy'.

Please read up on the Jersey Devil before stating that it is absolutely a myth.

In spite of the sightings, the beast was always considered a regional legend until the bizarre flap in 1909, which even the most skeptical researchers admit contains authentic elements of the unexplained. Many people saw the creature during the month of January, including E.W. Minster, the postmaster of Bristol, Pennsylvania, which is just over the New Jersey border. He stated that he awoke around 2:00 in the morning and heard an �eerie, almost supernatural� sound coming from the direction of the Delaware River. He looked out the window and saw what looked to be a �large crane� that was flying diagonally and emitting a curious glow. The creature had a long neck that was thrust forward in flight, thin wings, long back legs and shorter ones in the front. The creature let out a combination of a squawk and a whistle and then disappeared into the darkness.

www.prairieghosts.com...

Something was spotted by the thousand+ witnesses(including plenty of credible ones) in that week in 1909. Yes, there are plenty of hoaxes and things that have gone bump that caused some sightings. Also seeing something quickly in the dark can cause the mind to embellish.

I don't think that a group seeing it on a roof and watching it until the FD arrived to blast it with the fire hose is an embellishment. It was within their sight for too long. You need to read all of the eyewitness accounts before you pass judgement. Start with the 1909 sightings. There is a timeline as well as a mapped out route that should lead you to believe that you can't state it's absolutely myth.

I believe that it was something still to be discovered. I also believe that it/they keep to themselves with the occasional real sighting. The huge amount of sightings in that one week may have been an upset creature for whatever reason. Sometimes animals behave out of their norm when disturbed, hurt, or sick.

Simulacra your currently using the internet so here is a thought on how to look some info on the jersey devil , it might seem kinda crazy to you but i heard there is a site named google.com that if you type in any words it will give you places that have info on whatever you type in. Try it , i know it sounds far fetched but i hear tell it works............

I feel that Not Too Happy pretty well identified it..

www.abovetopsecret.com...

The Devil of legend....



The Contender (a type of bat)....

The single species, H. monstrosus, is found from Gambia to southwestern Ethiopia and south to northeastern Angola and Zambia (Hayman and Hill, in Meester and Setzer 1977; Koopman 1975; Largen, Kock, and Yalden 1974).
Head and body length is about 193-304 mm, there is no tail, and forearm length is 118-37 mm. The wingspan in males is as much as 907 mm. This genus has the greatest sexual dimorphism in the Chiroptera; Bradbury (1977) found that males, which averaged 420 grams, were nearly twice as heavy as females, which averaged 234 grams. The coloration is grayish brown or slaty brown. The breast is paler, and the lighter color extends up around the neck, forming a sort of collar. A white patch is present at the base of the ear. Shoulder pouches and epauletlike hair tufts are lacking in both sexes.
Male Hypsignathus may be recognized in flight by the large, square, truncate head. The muzzle is thick and hammer-shaped, hence the common name. Other distinctive features are enormous and pendulous lips, ruffles around the nose, a warty snout, a hairless, split chin, and highly developed voice organs in adult males. Females have a foxlike muzzle similar to that of Epomophorus.
In referring to this genus, Lang and Chapin (1917) commented: "In no other mammal is everything so entirely subordinated to the organs of voice." The adult male has a pair of air sacs that open into the sides of the nasopharynx and can be inflated at will, as well as a great enlargement of the voice box (larynx) and vocal cords. The larynx "is nearly equal in length to one half of the vertebral column," actually filling most of the chest cavity, pushing the heart and lungs backward and sideward. The voice thus produced, a continuous croaking or quacking, is quite remarkable and probably attracts the females. The gregarious chorus reminded Lang and Chapin of "a pondful of noisy American wood-frogs, greatly magnified and transported to the treetops."
The hammer-headed bat inhabits forests, being most common in swamps, mangroves, and palms along rivers. It usually roosts in foliage but has been found in a cave. Bradbury (1977) stated that Hypsignathus roosted at a height of 20-30 meters during the day and would forage up to 10 km from the roost at night. With the ripening of certain fruits, this bat often seeks the high forest or native clearings to feed. It may take the juices of mangoes, soursops, and bananas. Van Deusen (1968) reported that Hypsignathus killed and ate tethered chickens.

For the metric impaired, the above means they can have about a 3 foot wingspan....

[edit on 28-10-2004 by Gazrok]