 
 
 
|
Jersey Devil
First reported in the late 1700s, the Jersey Devil is a powerful satyroid who stalks the Pine Barrens area of southern New Jersey, United States of America. Witnesses describe it as having recognizable satyr characteristics: an equine face on a humanoid body, topped with horns and shod with hooves. However, unlike traditional satyrs, the Jersey Devil also sports a pair of wide, membranous wings, which allows it to take to the air when threatened. It does not, for the most part, mangle or otherwise attack livestock or people. A satyr's usual diet consists of wine or other spirits, as well as siphoning energy psychically through sexual encounters, so it is likely that this is what sates the Jersey Devil.
Local legends describe the origin of the Devil beginning with its birth, as the thirteenth child born to a large family on a dark and stormy night. Fed up with the idea of having another mouth to feed, the baby's harried mother offhandedly stated that the Devil could have this child for all that she cared. Its birth revealed a monstrous abomination to a horrified family - a family that, according to some accounts, did not survive much longer after that.
Professor Hazard's roundabout method of thinking leads him to believe that if there is any truth to this legend, it is that a true satyr impregnated this woman, leading to a hybrid with the Jersey Devil's unique physiology. The creature's wings could be justified as a biological inheritance if (and this is a stretch) the woman in question was, in actuality, a succubus. Both species' predilection for feeding off of sexual encounters could go a long way towards explaining the origin of such a mixed breed as a flying satyr.
The explanation for a satyr being in New Jersey in the first place takes a bit more thought: the creature likely originated in the Roman colonies of old Jersey, in the United Kingdom. Explanations for a satyr or satyrs traveling across the ocean to the American colonies are hard-to-believe, but existent.
For instance, the modern-day corruption that possesses the criminal enterprises of New Jersey could be explained by a crossing of ley lines that emanate negative energy, drawing psychic feeders like the Jersey Devil to the area. Another theory is that settlers were in possession of a "thyrsus" - a nature totem used as staves by satyrs. Misusing the power of such a relic could explain the Pine Barrens' inability to support crop growth. Retrieval of the thyrsus could be the impetus for one or more satyrs to journey to America to reclaim it.
Overall, the Jersey Devil should be considered a high-level threat to cryptozoologists. While it has not been reported to be a killer, it is entirely possible that anyone who has found it to be a killer has not lived to report it. Professor Hazard theorizes that the best defensive measures against the Jersey Devil would be playing to its weaknesses: the Dionysian triad of wine, women, and/or song.
|
|
