Ghost Story of the New Jersey Devil

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The New Jersey Devil

The urban legend I chose to write about for this assignment is the story of the Jersey Devil. The Jersey Devil is a creature that was, according to legend, born from a woman in southern New Jersey and it is supposed to have haunted the people of the surrounding area for at least 260 years. The Jersey Devil is known as a creature that mutilates livestock as well as other animals and is said to appear shortly before disasters occur.

I was able to listen to two versions of the story surrounding the Jersey Devil while conducting research for this assignment. The first story teller is an 18 year old female from Rockaway, New Jersey. This town is a suburban community in northern New Jersey with the majority of residents belonging to the economic middle class. I collected this story during a trip to see my parents on April 1, 2006 at the story teller’s home. She told me the story shortly after dinner so it was nearly dark when she told me the story. The second story teller is a 15 year old female that is also from Rockaway, New Jersey. This story teller also told me the story of the Jersey Devil on April 1, 2006, and also delivered the story from her home during dinner.

When the first story teller, the 18 year old female, began to tell me her version of the story of the Jersey Devil, she first said that she did not know much about the legend. She then explained to me that the Jersey Devil is an animal-like creature that lives in the Pine Barrens (the Pine Barrens is a sparsely populated, wooded area of southern New Jersey). He has been seen by many different people who have camped in the area, and he has killed several campers over many years. She finished her story by saying that he is very scary and that she has been afraid of the Jersey Devil for years. When I asked her where she heard this story, she told me that she could not remember but she did remember hearing about the story while she was in elementary school.

The second story teller, the 15 year old female, also stated that she did not really know much about the Jersey Devil. She started by saying that he lives in the woods, and then corrected herself by saying that he lives in the Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey.

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