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Sex with Satan? That’s one explanation for the Jersey Devil.

RJ Hamster

25 BREATHTAKING PLACES TO SEE IN 2023 VIEW ONLINE
TRUE ORIGINS
OF THE JERSEY DEVIL
Thursday, October 27, 2022
In today’s newsletter, we explore the ribald roots of the Jersey Devil, report on the surging virus striking kids and older people, examine what secret Greek cults taught, learn how chimps treat their own wounds … and explore the strange history of trick or treating. Plus, there be dragons (in Slovenia).
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Sharp claws. Glowing red eyes. Giant leathery wings.

For 300 years, New Jersey residents say, the sinister beast has been haunting the state’s sparsely populated Pine Barrens. One tale says the Jersey Devil was the 13th child born to a woman who, in agony, cursed the infant’s birth. The kid sprouted wings and flew up the chimney. (Another tale says the mom had sex with Satan.)

The creature has been accused of eating children, abusing maids, devouring livestock, and attacking a train. Although its existence has never been proven, the devil graces the names of Garden State rollercoasters and an NHL franchise. And who knows what happens on dark nights around Halloween, in the desolate Pine Barrens?

Read the full story here.

Please consider getting our digital report and magazine by subscribing here.
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What goes up: The Jersey Devil Coaster can be found at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. This looping, twisting ride—just one tribute to the state’s legendary demon—hits speeds of 58 mph. Read more.

More ghouls:
— The vampire that horrified Europe
— See the ‘hell caves’ where Halloween began
— In Slovenia, a real House of Dragons
— In Romania, how Vlad the Impaler became Dracula
— 16 spooky places around the world
— The strange history of trick or treating
STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING
PHOTOGRAPH BY NIAID
Hospitals raise a new alarm for kids. It’s not COVID this time. (Pictured above, the often-deadly RSV virus.)
25 breathtaking places and experiences for 2023
What would the world look like if all the ice melted?
Secret cults in ancient Greece changed how we think about the afterlife
Science seeks to unlock marijuana’s secrets
These dinosaurs still roam the Earth
Bumblebees play, too, scientists show
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROLAND HILGARTNER
Heal thyself: Who knew that chimps come up with treatments for wounds? In images above, we see Thea, a male, immobilizing an insect and lightly crushing it, then applying the mush to a flesh wound, stroking it with his fingertips. He repeats the procedure before cleaning the wound with his fingers.
FIRST DO NO HARM
PHOTO OF THE DAY
PHOTOGRAPH BY @ESTHERHORVATH
Chili is a good dog! In the remote Arctic, humans really depend on their dogs, which are often the key to mental health. Pictured above in Norway’s far north, Verena Mohaupt greets her dog, Chili. Mohaupt spent three years in the Arctic, managing a research station. More than 90,000 people liked this post on our Instagram by Esther Horvath, who specializes in coverage of the Earth’s extremes.
WHAT DO ANIMALS THINK?
LAST GLIMPSE
PHOTOGRAPH BY NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY, ALAMY
The real ‘House of Dragons’: So it’s a cave in Slovenia. And the baby dragons are flourishing—and rule the place. These almost translucent aquatic salamanders “have adaptive features that are nothing short of legendary—even without wings and fire,” Nat Geo reports. (Above, the olm, a sightless salamander that can live to be a hundred years old.)
THERE BE DRAGONS
Readers, a staggering number of pumpkins end up in landfills. How do you avoid pumpkin waste—compost them, eat the seeds, make a pie or bread? Let us know at sarah.gibbens@natgeo.com — and Happy Halloween!

This newsletter was curated and edited by David Beard, Sydney Combs, Jen Tse, and Heather Kim.

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