June 9, 2026 · Caitlin Mullen

Caitlin Mullen on Folklore, the Jersey Devil, and Setting a Novel in the Pine Barrens

According to legend, the Jersey Devil has made its home in the forests and bogs of the state’s extensive Pine Barrens region for hundreds of years. This ferocious regional cryptid is described as having claws, wings like a bat, a forked tail, a goat’s head and a taste for blood. It kills livestock, wrecks crops, raids chicken coops. They say if you hear it scream you’ll remember it, blood running cold, for the rest of your life.