What is a Jersey Devil? How Demonic Cryptids and Hockey Coincide

Have you ever wondered why the New Jersey hockey team is called The New Jersey Devils? What if I told you it was because within the woods, in the heart of the northeastern state, lurks a winged creature that is reportedly the demonic 13th child of a witch? You might be incredulous, but that is indeed the namesake of the NHL team.

The cryptid known as the Jersey Devil first showed up in folklore supposedly during the 1700s, when the area was still part of the British colonies. The origin story varies, depending on who is doing the telling. Sometimes a witch by the name of Leeds births the monster, other times the mother is an innocent who lives in a town by the name Leeds. Often it is 13th child but not always. Sometimes the evil and disfigurement of the creature can be seen immediately upon birth, in other tellings the devil is not immediately recognized as anything but a normal baby.

Like many cryptids, the details of the creature's description vary from one eye-witness account to another. One of the earliest documented sightings says the creature is about three and a half feet tall, wings about 2 feet in length, and a long neck. The front limbs had paws, the back limbs had hooves like a horse. Other witnesses give the height of the creature as tall as 7 feet. Sometimes there is nothing particularly special about the eyes, other times they are bright red, shining from within.

One thing is for sure, the Jersey Devil still captures the imagination, centuries after its supposed beginnings. It has worked its way into not only the popular culture of the New Jersey area but into the mainstream culture of the country as a whole. Television shows such as The X-Files have explored the legend in a fictional setting while others, such as Destination Truth on the Syfy network, have sought to explore the area and legend using a more scientific approach.

Those with an interest in cryptozoology, folklore, and debunking all travel to the area in the hopes of spotting either the creature itself or evidence of what people might be mistaking for it. And, quite obviously, it has permeated the local consciousness enough that over 10,000 people voted in local newspaper contests to rename the state's ice hockey team after the mythical beast.