Cryptids are creatures that cryptozoologists believe are out in the wild but are not recognized by science. Cryptozoology is really a focus on folklore records. Some of the best known cryptids are Bigfoot, el chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, and the Loch Ness Monster. Today, we are going to talk about the Mothman. 

Mothman is a cryptid that is found in West Virginia, mainly in Point Pleasant. It is known as being a black, 7ft tall creature with red eyes and wings. The first known sighting was on November 12th, 1966. Five men in a nearby town of Clendenin were digging a grave when they saw a man-like creature with wings fly overhead. A few days later on November 15th, two couples that were hanging out together had another sighting when they were near a former WW2 munitions plant. The couples sped away, and it chased after them.  The next several days had similar sightings, including two firefighters who say they saw a “large bird with red eyes”. There were rumors that telephones, televisions, cars, and cop dispatch radios had disruptions. The most infamous sighting of the Mothman was on December 15, 1967. Apparently, the locals saw the Mothman on top of or possibly flying over the Silver Bridge. This bridge goes over the Ohio River and connects Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio. After Mothman was spotted on the bridge, it collapsed. 46 people died, and an investigation shows that there was a fracture in one of the suspension chains. Two of the bodies were actually never found. 

There is a theory out there that the Mothman and the bridge disaster were linked to a curse that is over 200 years old. Shawnee Chief Cornstalk led the Native Americans at the Battle Point of Pleasant and he was eventually murdered there. He was shot 8 times, and when he was dying, he let out his curse. The curse is: “I came to your house as a friend, and you have murdered me. You kill my young son, Ellinipisco. For this, may the curse of the great spirit rest upon this spot. May it be cursed by nature. May its hopes be forever blighted.” Point Pleasant has had its experiences with floods and fires ever since, and it may be because of Chief Cornstalk’s curse.

Mothman has been sighted at other disastrous events since that December night in Point Pleasant. People have seen the Mothman before 9/11, earthquakes, tsunamis. People say it is either that Mothman is creating these events, or that it can see into the future and is a warning. One instance was at Chernobyl. A humanoid-like creature with large wings and red glowing eyes was seen by several employees in the control room days before the event. Quote a few people say a black-winged creature flying close to the Twin Towers in the days leading up to 9/11. Other witnesses saw a creature flying right next to the second plane during the hitting of the second tower. Allegedly, men in black went to these witnesses, warning them not to share their experiences. In January 1926, a Mothman-like creature was spotted in a region of Southeast China. A flood happened in that area from a dam collapse, and 15,000 people died. 

John Keel, a journalist and UFOlogist, wrote a book called the MothMan Prophecies. In Keel’s book, he explains that the Mothman is an alien or possibly a supernatural manifestation. The book talks about how cryptids are interdimensional creatures that are ultraterrestrial beings that are a constant in our world, and when we start paying too close attention to these beings, bad things start to happen. The ultraterrestrial theory is that unexplained phenomena like the Mothman or UFO’s are hallucinations caused by a psychic intelligence. He also claimed in The Mothman Prophecies that the residents of Point Pleasant  experienced precognitions of the bridge collapse, visits from inhumans, saw UFO’s, Men in Black threatening them, and other experiences. We are going to go into depth on The MothMan Prophecies in another episode.

FUN FACTS:
-Every 3rd weekend in September every year , they hold a Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant. 
- There is a 12 foot tall  Mothman statue in the downtown area that was created by Bob Roach. It was unveiled in 2003. There is  a museum dedicated to the Mothman called the Mothman Museum and Research Center that was opened in in 2005.
-John Keel’s book, The Mothman Prophecies, was turned into a movie with Richard Gere. 
- Fun fact, but the munitions plant, or the “TNT area”, still exists today. More than 8000 acres were devoted to the ammunition manufacturing facility. After the 2nd world war, it was abandoned and converted to a wildlife management area. It was discovered in the 80’s that it was contaminated severely by explosive byproducts. It is primarily used for fishing and hunting, but is still on the EPA’s National Priorities List for hazardous waste. This is where the mothman’s lair is, but unfortunately much of the area where it inhabited has been lost to government efforts to demolish the TNT area. 
-The term Mothman was possibly coined because the Batman TV show at the time had Batman fighting a villain Killer Moth. 


Do you believe in cryptids as a whole? Why or why not?
What do you think about Mothman?
How do you feel about cursed lands? 
How do you feel about the people who have had experiences with the Mothman? 
What do you think about the moth man being a harbinger of destruction? Or do you think it’s warning us of horrible events?
Do you think that it was just mass hysteria? Or could it be a part of the ultraterestrial theory?
Have you watched movies/documentaries about the Mothman?
Would you ever want to go to the Mothman festival or Point Pleasant?