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Mothman is the connoisseur's cryptid.
The collected stories are a gem of American folklore, with every facet offering intrigue.
Some digestible reflections here follow:
The collected stories are a gem of American folklore, with every facet offering intrigue.
Some digestible reflections here follow:
In 1966, many townsppl of Point Pleasant (pop. ~4000), WV started reporting sightings of a "large flying man with ten-foot wings" and glowing red eyes. Many locals see this, some "up close"
4 kids said it kept up with their CAR as they sped away for great distance.
4 kids said it kept up with their CAR as they sped away for great distance.
In meantime, in same area, a man reports a UFO lands on the freeway blocking his car and a humanoid gets out and introduces himself as Indrid Cold. Others report meeting him around this time.
Indrid even show up in Point Pleasant, where a girl says he showed up in her room one night and merely observed her. People describe same man. The "Smiling Man".
There's a ton of other UFO and Poltergeist activity reported in this area during this time. And people KEEP seeing Mothman. Over 100 Mothman sightings in this period of about a year.
Keep in mind: a lot of this (including the first sighting) was taking place in "the TNT" - the West Virginia Ordinance Works, an abandoned military sight designated a Superfund site due to being massively contaminated by US military ... stuff ...
Also, at this time, Point Pleasanters are ALSO reporting shadowy suited "men in black" around town - the reporter covering Mothman for Point Pleasant is interrogated, they even threatened or tried to kidnap a Mothman witness.
Then, at the end of 1967, the Silver Bridge collapses shockingly, killing 46 people. The sightings stop. Things settle down.
Over time, people begin to see Mothman as a Harbinger of disaster. There are even reported sightings from Russia preceding a building collapse.
Over time, people begin to see Mothman as a Harbinger of disaster. There are even reported sightings from Russia preceding a building collapse.
Later, it was discovered there are certain native legends in that area concerning a winged monster.
I love Mothman (the stories, not the entity) because it really has angles into almost every aspect of paranormal interest. And it's a uniquely American body of folklore, rooted in our history and culture (seen in double date car chase in declassified ordinance works).
It also happened in a real place, which you can easily visit and is very cool to see, and happened to people who are still alive. It's very much in local memory. If you visit, get the feel. If you visit, be respectful; it's a touchy subject in some ways.
And it happened during the UFO heyday of the mid-late 60s. It's seminal story in terms of understanding modern American folklore and urban legend. Massive influence on the cultural conception of the paranormal.
There was a 2002 movie with Richard Gere and Laura Linney. The 1975 John Keel book is better. Also a couple good docs. Of the two, I prefer the 2011 "Eyes of the Mothman".
There's also a Mothman festival put on in Point Pleasant, though it's a little fly by night. It got postponed this year and who can say what next year will bring? But I went back in 2015 and it was a lot of fun.
That's basically it. There's a lot of content if you want to get down into the many, many sightings, witness interviews, strange stories, etc. But this is my loving elevator pitch.
