Post by Abraxas on May 16, 2011 12:00:12 GMT -5
Does the appearance of the Jersey Devil change depending on the time of the year etc.
This survey covers the years 1909-2003, excluded from these finding are all accounts where the eyewitness did not see a physical creature. The information here has been provided to test a theory of mine, much of this info has never appeared on the Internet in association with the Jersey Devil legend, nor has the following theory appeared in any published work. I use this merely has an experiment to try and figure out why the Jersey Devil; with literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts is described in such varying ways. The creature is describe in very different terms, often based on the time of the year that it is seen, knowing this I compiled the information that you see here. I then set out to find some corresponding animal in real life which might serve as a precedent.
Jersey Devil w/HORNS: 13 descriptions of the Jersey Devil indicate that the creature had horns on its head. (including 2 people from the book The Phantom of the Pines)
Jersey Devil NO HORNS: 42 descriptions of the Jersey Devil indicated that the creature did not have horns (plus 1 person from same book above)
Above information broken down by season
WINTER w/HORNS: 3 descriptions of the Jersey Devil during the winter months which indicate the creature had horns
WINTER NO HORNS: 22 accounts describe a Jersey Devil without horns during the winter months
SUMMER w/HORNS: 1 description of the Jersey Devil during the summer which indicate the creature had horns
SUMMER NO HORNS: 6 accounts describe a Jersey Devil without horns during the summer months
Soon after I had broken down the eyewitness accounts I ran across a very interesting article, from which the following information was taken. You may notice some very interesting similarities.
Père David's Deer
Classification:
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Name: Elaphurus davidianus
Conservation Status:
Extinct in the wild; still maintained in captivity
This species was named after a naturalist named Pere Armand David. In 1865, he discovered the only surviving herd in a hunting park in China
Description:
Males are about 4 feet tall and weigh up to 540 pounds. Females are smaller. Their coat is brownish red in summer, becoming more grayish in winter. They have large eyes and pointed ears. Their tail is long with a black tip. The males’ antlers point backward, which is the opposite of other deer.
Habitat:
Swampy marshlands
The Chinese called them ssu-pu-hsiang, which means “the four unlikes”. They thought that the deer had a stag’s antlers, a camel’s neck, a cow’s hooves, and a donkey’s tail.
Unlike many other deer, this species likes water. In the summer, they may spend long periods of time standing in shoulder-deep water to keep cool. Males like to wallow in wet mud, using their hooves to flick mud and grass onto their back.
Males sometimes develop 2 sets of antlers in a year, a large set in summer and a smaller set in winter. The large summer antlers can reach 2 ½ feet in length.
UNKNOWN CREATURE: 12 accounts give descriptions of a creature that does not look like the traditional Jersey Devil (including 2 newly interviewed individuals from Phantom of the Pines)
ONLY HEARD DEVIL: 20 eyewitnesses admit they only heard what they thought to be the Jersey Devil.
FOOTPRINTS: 18 individuals only saw footprints of the creature
This survey covers the years 1909-2003, excluded from these finding are all accounts where the eyewitness did not see a physical creature. The information here has been provided to test a theory of mine, much of this info has never appeared on the Internet in association with the Jersey Devil legend, nor has the following theory appeared in any published work. I use this merely has an experiment to try and figure out why the Jersey Devil; with literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts is described in such varying ways. The creature is describe in very different terms, often based on the time of the year that it is seen, knowing this I compiled the information that you see here. I then set out to find some corresponding animal in real life which might serve as a precedent.
Jersey Devil w/HORNS: 13 descriptions of the Jersey Devil indicate that the creature had horns on its head. (including 2 people from the book The Phantom of the Pines)
Jersey Devil NO HORNS: 42 descriptions of the Jersey Devil indicated that the creature did not have horns (plus 1 person from same book above)
Above information broken down by season
WINTER w/HORNS: 3 descriptions of the Jersey Devil during the winter months which indicate the creature had horns
WINTER NO HORNS: 22 accounts describe a Jersey Devil without horns during the winter months
SUMMER w/HORNS: 1 description of the Jersey Devil during the summer which indicate the creature had horns
SUMMER NO HORNS: 6 accounts describe a Jersey Devil without horns during the summer months
Soon after I had broken down the eyewitness accounts I ran across a very interesting article, from which the following information was taken. You may notice some very interesting similarities.
Père David's Deer
Classification:
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Name: Elaphurus davidianus
Conservation Status:
Extinct in the wild; still maintained in captivity
This species was named after a naturalist named Pere Armand David. In 1865, he discovered the only surviving herd in a hunting park in China
Description:
Males are about 4 feet tall and weigh up to 540 pounds. Females are smaller. Their coat is brownish red in summer, becoming more grayish in winter. They have large eyes and pointed ears. Their tail is long with a black tip. The males’ antlers point backward, which is the opposite of other deer.
Habitat:
Swampy marshlands
The Chinese called them ssu-pu-hsiang, which means “the four unlikes”. They thought that the deer had a stag’s antlers, a camel’s neck, a cow’s hooves, and a donkey’s tail.
Unlike many other deer, this species likes water. In the summer, they may spend long periods of time standing in shoulder-deep water to keep cool. Males like to wallow in wet mud, using their hooves to flick mud and grass onto their back.
Males sometimes develop 2 sets of antlers in a year, a large set in summer and a smaller set in winter. The large summer antlers can reach 2 ½ feet in length.
UNKNOWN CREATURE: 12 accounts give descriptions of a creature that does not look like the traditional Jersey Devil (including 2 newly interviewed individuals from Phantom of the Pines)
ONLY HEARD DEVIL: 20 eyewitnesses admit they only heard what they thought to be the Jersey Devil.
FOOTPRINTS: 18 individuals only saw footprints of the creature