Presentation Transcript

1. The Devil

   By Carter Thompson
2. WTS is it? The jersey devil is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, United States. The creature is often described ad a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. Snooki
3. The Legend Most accounts of the Jersey Devil legend attribute the creature to a "Mother Leeds", a supposed witch, although the tale has many variations. According to one version, she invoked the devil by saying "let it be the devil" while giving birth to her 13th child, and when the baby was born it was named Lucas, it either immediately or soon afterward transformed into a devil-like creature and flew off into the surrounding pines. The Jersey Devil remained an obscure regional legend through most of the 18th and 19th centuries until a series of purported sightings in 1909 gained it press coverage and wider notability. Today, the Jersey Devil is considered to be more in the realm of popular culture than folklore.
4. Sightings There have been thousands of reported sightings of the Jersey Devil since the eighteenth century. This is a list of some of the more notable. According to legend, while visiting the Hanover Mill Works to inspect his cannonballs being forged, Commodore Stephen Decatur sighted a flying creature flapping its wings and fired a cannonball directly upon it to no effect. Joseph Bonepart, eldest brother of Emperor Napoleon, is also said to have witnessed the Jersey Devil while hunting on his Bordentown estate around 1820. Throughout the 19th century, the Jersey Devil was blamed for livestock killings, strange tracks, and reported sounds. Claims of a corpse matching the Leeds Devil's description arose in Greenwich in December 1925. A local farmer shot an unidentified animal as it attempted to steal his chickens. Afterward, he claimed that none of 100 people he showed it to could identify it. On July 27, 1937 a creature matching the Jersey Devil's description was seen by residents of Downingtown, Pennsylvania. A similar panic to that which occurred throughout the Pine Barrens during 'Phenomenal Week' took place in Gibbstown after a group of boys claimed to have seen a 'monster' matching the Devil's description. Claims of a corpse matching the Jersey Devil's description arose in 1957. In 1960 unusual tracks were found along with loud-shrieking heard near Mays Landing. During the same year the merchants around Camden offered a $10,000 reward for the capture of the Jersey Devil, even offering to build a private zoo to house the creature if captured. According to the New York Times, in 2008 alone, over ten encounters with the Leeds Devil were reported to the local "Devil Hunter.
5. THEORIES The Sandhill Crane Theory: They both have similar characteristics. They stand on 2 legs, they have thin legs, big wings, and are tall. Many people believe this is the real Jersey Devil because these cranes used to reside in Jersey, but have moved due to land development. Why this theory doesn’t work out is that the Jersey Devil is seen to steal livestock and the crane is a herbivore. Also, the Jersey Devil is described taller. The Pterodactyl Theory: This is another popular theory. The theory is a bunch of pterodactyls have survived the extinction of dinosaurs and reside in caves that were blocked off due to tectonics and earthquakes. And at some point, another earthquake hit and they were released into New Jersey. The problem is that pterodactyls have been extinct for a long time and the likelihood of them being alive is slim to none. Also, pterodactyls glide, and many people report the Jersey Devil taking off from the ground. The Dragon Theory: Some people believe the Jersey Devil is a descendant of the dragon, which thus backs up many descriptions of it, because people have described it as a dragon. The only conflict is that dragons have been regarded as mythical beasts.
6. Conclusion Now I understand many people believe they saw the Jersey Devil but from all the sightings and pictures it just seems fake and I think too many people are drunk and high to really see it. Maybe if it was somewhere other than New Jersey, there would be a slight increase of a possibility.
7. Bye! Have a Good Time! NOOB