Mothman

Last updated

Mothman, in West Virginian folklore, is a humanoid creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 15, 1966, to December 15, 1967. Despite its name, the original sightings of the creature described avian features. The first newspaper report was published in the Point Pleasant Register , dated November 16, 1966, titled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird ... Creature ... Something". [1] The national press soon picked up the reports and helped spread the story across the United States. The source of the legend is believed to have originated from sightings of out-of-migration sandhill cranes or herons. [2] [3]

Contents

An artistic impression of Mothman. Mothman Artist's Impression.png
An artistic impression of Mothman.

The creature was introduced to a wider audience by Gray Barker in 1970, [4] [5] and was later popularized by John Keel in his 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies , [6] claiming that there were paranormal events related to the sightings, and a connection to the collapse of the Silver Bridge. The book was later adapted into a 2002 film starring Richard Gere. [7]

An annual festival in Point Pleasant is devoted to the Mothman legend. [8]

History

On November 15, 1966, two young couples from Point Pleasant—Roger and Linda Scarberry, and Steve and Mary Mallette—told police they had seen a large black creature whose eyes "glowed red", standing at the side of the road near "the TNT area", the site of a former World War II munitions plant. [9] [10] [11] Linda Scarberry described it as a 'slender, muscular man' about seven feet tall with white wings. However, she was unable to discern its face due to the hypnotic effect of its eyes. [12] Distressed, the witnesses sped away, reporting that the creature flew after their car, making a screeching sound. It pursued them as far as Point Pleasant city limits. [9]

Mothman statue located in Point Pleasant, West Virginia Mothman Statue (cropped).jpg
Mothman statue located in Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Over the next few days, more people reported similar sightings after local newspapers covered it. Two volunteer firemen who saw it said it was a "large bird with red eyes". Mason County Sheriff George Johnson believed the sightings were due to an unusually large heron he termed a "shitepoke". Contractor Newell Partridge told Johnson that when he aimed a flashlight at a creature in a nearby field, its eyes glowed "like bicycle reflectors". Additionally, he blamed buzzing noises from his television set and the disappearance of his German Shepherd dog on the creature. [2] Wildlife biologist Robert L. Smith at West Virginia University told reporters that descriptions and sightings fit the sandhill crane, a large American crane almost as tall as a man with a seven-foot wingspan and reddish coloring around its eyes. The bird may have wandered out of its migration route, and therefore was unrecognized at first because it was not native to this region. [2] [3]

Batman and his antagonist Killer Moth are varyingly cited as influences for the term "Mothman" Batman063.jpg
Batman and his antagonist Killer Moth are varyingly cited as influences for the term "Mothman"

Due to the popularity of the Batman TV series at the time, the fictional superhero Batman and his rogues gallery were prominently featured in the public eye. While the villain Killer Moth did not appear in the show, the comic book influence of both him and Batman is believed by some to have influenced the coinage of the name "Mothman" in the local newspapers. [13] [14]

Following the December 15, 1967, collapse of the Silver Bridge and the death of 46 people, [15] the incident gave rise to the legend and connected the Mothman sightings to the bridge collapse. [2] [16] [17]

According to Georgian newspaper Svobodnaya Gruziya, Russian UFOlogists claim that Mothman sightings in Moscow foreshadowed the 1999 Russian apartment bombings. [18]

The Mothman Prophecies (2002) is a major motion picture, loosely based on the 1975 book of the same name by John Keel.

In 2016, WCHS-TV published a photo purported to be of Mothman taken by an anonymous man while driving on Route 2 in Mason County. [19] Science writer Sharon A. Hill proposed that the photo showed "a bird, perhaps an owl, carrying a frog or snake away" and wrote that "there is zero reason to suspect it is the Mothman as described in legend. There are too many far more reasonable explanations." [3] [20]

Analysis

Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand notes that Mothman has been widely covered in popular press, with some claiming sightings connected with UFOs, and others suggesting that a military storage site was Mothman's "home". Brunvand notes that the recountings of the 1966–67 Mothman reports usually state that at least 100 people saw Mothman with many more "afraid to report their sightings." However, he points out that these written sources for such stories consisted of children's books or sensationalized or undocumented accounts that fail to quote identifiable persons. Brunvand found elements in common among many Mothman reports and much older folk tales, suggesting that something real may have triggered the scares and became woven with existing folklore. He also records anecdotal tales of Mothman supposedly attacking the roofs of parked cars occupied by teenagers. [21]

Conversely, Joe Nickell says that a number of hoaxes followed the publicity generated by the original reports, such as a group of construction workers who tied flashlights to helium balloons. Nickell attributes the Mothman stories to sightings of barred owls, suggesting that the Mothman's "glowing eyes" were actually red-eye effect caused from the reflection of light from flashlights or other bright light sources. [20] [10] Benjamin Radford points out that the only report of glowing "red eyes," was secondhand, that of Shirley Hensley quoting her father. [22] One of the prevailing hypotheses associated with the Mothman at the time of the original sightings was that it was a misidentified sandhill crane, due primarily to the size of the bird as well as the "reddish flesh" around the crane's eyes. [23] Daniel A. Reed examined the migration patterns and historically reported sightings of Sand Hill Cranes in the area of Point Pleasant, West Virginia and proposed that, in cases where eyeshine was not noted, it was statistically more likely that witnesses were seeing and misidentifying a Great Blue Heron instead. [24]

According to University of Chicago psychologist David A. Gallo, "55 sightings of Mothman in Chicago during 2017" published on the website of self-described Fortean researcher Lon Strickler are "a selective sample". Gallo explains that "he's not sampling random people and asking if they saw the Mothman –he's just counting the number of people that voluntarily came forward to report a sighting." According to Gallo, "people more likely to visit a paranormal-centric website like Strickler's might also be more inclined to believe in, and therefore witness the existence of, a 'Mothman'." [25]

Some pseudoscience adherents (such as ufologists, paranormal authors, and cryptozoologists) suggest the Mothman could be an alien, a supernatural manifestation, or a previously unknown species of animal. In his 1975 book, Keel claimed that Point Pleasant residents experienced precognitions including premonitions of the collapse of the Silver Bridge, UFO sightings, visits from inhuman or threatening men in black, and other phenomena. [26]

Festival and statues

Point Pleasant held its first Annual Mothman Festival in 2002. The Mothman Festival began after brainstorming creative ways to attract visitors to Point Pleasant. The group organizing the event chose the Mothman to be the center of the festival due to its uniqueness, and as a way to celebrate its local legacy in the town. [27]

According to the event organizer Jeff Wamsley, the average attendance for the Mothman Festival is an estimated 10–12 thousand people per year. [27] A 12-foot-tall metallic statue of the creature, created by artist and sculptor Bob Roach, was unveiled in 2003. The Mothman Museum and Research Center opened in 2005. [28] [29] [30] The festival is held on the third weekend of every September, hosting guest speakers, vendor exhibits, pancake-eating contests, and hayride tours of locally notable areas. [16]

Derived from Keel's story

Other appearances

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Men in black</span> Government agents who supposedly intimidate UFO witnesses

In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are government agents dressed in black suits, who question, interrogate, harass, threaten, allegedly memory-wipe and sometimes assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses to keep them silent about what they have seen. The term is also frequently used to describe mysterious men working for unknown organizations, as well as various branches of government allegedly tasked with protecting secrets or performing other strange activities.

<i>The Mothman Prophecies</i> 1975 book by John Keel

The Mothman Prophecies is a 1975 book by John Keel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Pleasant, West Virginia</span> City in West Virginia, United States

Point Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. The population was 4,101 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Point Pleasant micropolitan area extending into Ohio. The town is best known for the Mothman, a purported humanoid creature reportedly sighted in the area that has become a part of West Virginia folklore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Keel</span> American journalist and UFOlogist (1930–2009)

John Alva Keel, born Alva John Kiehle, was an American journalist and influential ufologist who is known best as author of The Mothman Prophecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogopogo</span> Mythical creature in British Columbia

In Canadian folklore, the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Some scholars have charted the entity's development from First Nations folklore and widespread water monster folklore motifs. The Ogopogo now plays a role in the commercial symbolism and media representation of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owlman</span> Creature in Cornish folklore

In Cornish folklore, the Owlman, sometimes referred to as the Cornish Owlman or the Owlman of Mawnan, is an owl-like humanoid creature said to have been seen in 1976 in the village of Mawnan, Cornwall, UK. Reported sightings of it flying above the church tower have led some to believe the creature may have been a barn owl, a species that commonly nests in such places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flatwoods monster</span> West Virginian folklore creature

The Flatwoods monster, in West Virginia folklore, is a creature reported to have been sighted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, on September 12, 1952, after a bright light crossed the night sky. Investigators now suggest the light was a meteor and the creature was a barn owl perched in a tree with shadows making it appear to be a large humanoid.

<i>The Mothman Prophecies</i> (film) 2002 film by Mark Pellington

The Mothman Prophecies is a 2002 American supernatural horror-mystery film directed by Mark Pellington, and starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney, with Will Patton, Debra Messing, Alan Bates and Lucinda Jenney in supporting roles. Based on the 1975 book of the same name by parapsychologist and Fortean author John Keel, the screenplay was written by Richard Hatem.

Momo the Monster, also known as the Missouri Monster (Momo), is a purported ape-like creature, similar to descriptions of Bigfoot, that was allegedly sighted by numerous people in rural Louisiana, Missouri in 1971 and 1972. Unlike some other areas with similar reports of cryptids such as the Fouke Monster in Fouke, Arkansas or the Mothman in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, Momo did not become a major tourist or economic folklore attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Virginia Ordnance Works</span>

West Virginia Ordnance Works (WVOW) was a United States Army ammunition manufacturing facility constructed and operated during World War II. It was located north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia in Mason County encompassing 8,323 acres (33.68 km2). The $45 million plant employed 3500 at its peak and operated from 1942 to 1945. The site was disposed of following the war and land was utilized by creating a landfill, the McClintic Wildlife Management Area, the Mason County Airport and an industrial park among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray Barker</span> American writer (1925–1984)

Gray Barker was an American writer best known for his books about UFOs and other paranormal phenomena. His 1956 book They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers introduced the notion of the Men in Black to ufology. Recent evidence indicates that he was skeptical of most UFO claims, and mainly wrote about the subject for financial gain. He sometimes participated in hoaxes to deceive more serious UFO investigators.

Mothman is a legendary creature reportedly seen in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Bridge</span> Suspension bridge that stood over the Ohio River from 1928 to 1967

The Silver Bridge was an eyebar-chain suspension bridge built in 1928 which carried U.S. Route 35 over the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. Officially named the Point Pleasant Bridge, it was popularly known as the Silver Bridge for the color of its aluminum paint.

Seth Breedlove is an American filmmaker and founder of the Wadsworth, Ohio-based production company Small Town Monsters. Under the Small Town Monsters banner, Breedlove has directed over a dozen documentary films and miniseries related to cryptids and cryptozoology, including Minerva Monster (2015), Boggy Creek Monster (2016), The Mothman of Point Pleasant (2017), and The Mothman Legacy (2020).

<i>The Mothman of Point Pleasant</i> 2017 American documentary film

The Mothman of Point Pleasant is a 2017 American documentary film about the Mothman, a purported humanoid creature reportedly sighted in the area of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Directed, produced, and edited by Seth Breedlove, the film is the fourth documentary by his production company Small Town Monsters.

<i>The Mothman Legacy</i> 2020 American documentary film

The Mothman Legacy is a 2020 American documentary film about the Mothman, a purported humanoid creature known for allegedly being sighted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in the 1960s. Directed and edited by Seth Breedlove, the film is a direct sequel to the 2017 documentary The Mothman of Point Pleasant and a follow-up to the 2019 documentary Terror in the Skies, both of which were also directed by Breedlove. All three films are produced by Breedlove's production company Small Town Monsters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MetaZoo</span> Trading card game

MetaZoo is a tabletop collectible card game based on cryptozoology, folklore and the paranormal first published by MetaZoo Games LLC. in 2020. MetaZoo centers around creatures known as Beasties who are inspired by cryptids and other figures from mythology and folklore such as Bigfoot, Mothman, Piasa Bird, the Chupacabra and other fearsome critters. The card game is also notable for including a fourth wall mechanic where the real-life surroundings, such as the location of the player, can affect the gameplay and the outcome of the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryptid town</span> Town identified with a local cryptid

A cryptid town is a colloquial term given to a town which has a close cultural identity with a local cryptid, often with the goal of encouraging tourism. Cryptid towns may have festivals, museums, statues and research organisations dedicated to a given cryptid. Areas called cryptid towns tend to be rural and remote, which correlates with the types of areas cryptids are said to often originate from, which in turn can make them appear economically deprived and reliant on the economy of cryptid tourism. Some places may not necessarily be best known for their folklore or rely on it for tourism, but do still feature it prominently in events and local culture.

References

  1. ↑ "Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something". Point Pleasant Register . Point Pleasant, WV: WestVA.Net, Mark Turner. November 16, 1966. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Associated Press (December 1, 1966). "Monster Bird With Red Eyes May Be Crane". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Palma, Bethania (November 25, 2016). "Mothman About Town". Snopes.com. Snopes. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  4. ↑ Skeptical Inquirer , Volume 33 (Pennsylvania State University, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. 2009)
  5. ↑ Gray Barker, The Silver Bridge (Saucerian Books, 1970). Reprinted in 2008 entitled The Silver Bridge: The Classic Mothman Tale (BookSurge Publishing). ISBN   1-4392-0427-6
  6. ↑ Keel, John A. The Mothman Prophecies (2002). ISBN   0-7653-4197-2 (Originally published in 1975 by Saturday Review Press)
  7. ↑ Meehan, Paul (2009). Cinema of the Psychic Realm: A Critical Survey, p. 130. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN   978-0-7864-3966-9
  8. ↑ "Mothman Festival". mothmanfestival.com. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Coleman, Loren (December 1, 2001). Mothman and Other Curious Encounters. Cosimo, Inc. ISBN   978-1-931044-34-9.
  10. 1 2 Nickell, Joe (2004). The Mystery Chronicles: More Real-Life X-Files. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 93–. ISBN   978-0-8131-2318-9 . Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Munitions Risk Closes Part of Wildlife Area Again". Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  12. ↑ Sergent, Donnie; Wamsley, Jeff (2002). Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend. Mothman Lives Pub. ISBN   978-0-9667246-7-7.
  13. ↑ Cassandra Eason (2008). Fabulous Creatures, Mythical Monsters, and Animal Power Symbols: A Handbook. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 15–. ISBN   978-0-275-99425-9.
  14. ↑ Richard Moreno (August 6, 2013). Myths and Mysteries of Illinois: True Stories of the Unsolved and Unexplained. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 142–. ISBN   978-1-4930-0231-3.
  15. ↑ LeRose, Chris. "The Collapse of the Silver Bridge". West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Associated Press (January 19, 2008). "Mothman' still a frighteningly big draw for tourists". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Eight People Say They Saw 'Creature'". Williamson Daily News . Williamson, WV. United Press International. November 18, 1966. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  18. ↑ Lobkov, Denis (May 23, 2002). Призраки катастроф. Zheltaya Gazeta via Svobodnaya Gruziya (in Russian). Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. (English translation of the article.)
  19. ↑ Pierson, Fallon (November 21, 2016). "Man photographs creature that resembles legendary Mothman" of Point Pleasant". WCHS-TV news. WCHS. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  20. 1 2 Elbein, Asher (October 26, 2018). "Is the Mothman of West Virginia an Owl?". Audubon.org. Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  21. ↑ Brunvand, Jan Harold (1994). The Baby Train and Other Lusty Urban Legends. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 98–. ISBN   978-0-393-31208-9.
  22. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (May–June 2020). "Investigating Mothman's Red Eyeshine". Skeptical Inquirer. 44: 29–31.
  23. ↑ "Monster Bird with Red Eyes may Be Crane". The Gettysburg Times. December 1, 1966.
  24. ↑ Reed, Daniel (July–August 2022). "The Mothman and the Crane: A Contemporary Perspective". Skeptical Inquirer. 46 (4): 52–56.
  25. ↑ Terry, Josh (January 17, 2018). "People Keep Seeing the Mothman in Chicago". Vice.
  26. ↑ Clark, Jerome (2000). Extraordinary Encounters: An Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials and Otherworldly Beings. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, ISBN   1-57607-249-5, pp. 178–179.
  27. 1 2 "Mothman Festival returns Sept. 21–22". www.mydailyregister.com – The Point Pleasant Register. September 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Mothman Statue, Point Pleasant, West Virginia". RoadsideAmerica.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  29. ↑ Moran, Mark; Sceurman, Mark; Lake, Matt (2008). Weird U.S. The ODDyssey Continues – Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets, p. 260. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. ISBN   978-1-4027-4544-7
  30. ↑ ""Legend of the Mothman" plaque on the base of the statue". Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  31. ↑ "How Fallout 76 became a haven for Mothman, Jersey Devil, and other creepy cryptids". www.gameshub.com. March 27, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  32. ↑ "The Haunts". lapantherestudio.com. August 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.