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{{short description|Modern urban legend}}
{{distinguish|Owlman}}
{{other uses|Mothman (disambiguation)}} {{other uses|Mothman (disambiguation)}}
{{Paranormal}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
| name = Mothman
'''Mothman''', in ]n ], is a humanoid creature reportedly seen in the ] 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 '']'', dated November&nbsp;16, 1966, titled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird ... Creature ... Something".<ref name=WestVa.net>{{cite web|title=Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something|url=http://www.westva.net/mothman/1966-11-16.htm|work=] |location=Point Pleasant, WV |date=November 16, 1966 |publisher=WestVA.Net, Mark Turner|access-date=January 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011230219/http://www.westva.net/mothman/1966-11-16.htm|archive-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref> 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 ]s or ]s.<ref name="Gettysburg Times" /><ref name="Snopes" />
| image = Mothman statue 2005.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = A stainless steel statue of the Mothman.
| AKA = Winged Man
| Similar_creatures =
| Mythology =Cryptid
| Country = ]
| Region = ], ]
| Habitat = Woods
| First_Reported = November 12, 1966
| Last_Reported = Last 2000
| Status =
}}
{{pp-move-vandalism|small=yes}}
'''Mothman''' is a ]-like creature reportedly seen in the ] area of ] from 15 November 1966 to 15 December 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the ''Point Pleasant Register'' dated 16 November 1966, titled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something".<ref name=WestVa.net>{{cite web|title=Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something|url=http://www.westva.net/mothman/1966-11-16.htm|work=Point Pleasant Register Point Pleasant, WV Wednesday, November 16, 1966|publisher=WestVA.Net, Mark Turner|accessdate=27 January 2012}}</ref>


]
Mothman was introduced to a wider audience by ] in 1970,<ref>'']'', Volume 33 (Pennsylvania State University, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal., 2009).</ref><ref>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</ref> later popularized by ] in his 1975 book '']'', claiming that Mothman was related to a wide array of ] events in the area and the collapse of the ]. The 2002 film '']'', starring ], was based on Keel's book.<ref>Paul Meehan, ''Cinema of the Psychic Realm: A Critical Survey'', page 130 (McFarland & Company, Inc., 2009). ISBN 978-0-7864-3966-9</ref>


The creature was introduced to a wider audience by ] in 1970,<ref>'']'', Volume 33 (Pennsylvania State University, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. 2009)</ref><ref>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}}</ref> and was later popularized by ] in his 1975 book '']'',<ref>Keel, John A. ''The Mothman Prophecies'' (2002). {{ISBN|0-7653-4197-2}} (Originally published in 1975 by Saturday Review Press)</ref> claiming that there were paranormal events related to the sightings, and a connection to the collapse of the ]. The book was later adapted into ] starring ].<ref>Meehan, Paul (2009). ''Cinema of the Psychic Realm: A Critical Survey'', p. 130. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-3966-9}}</ref>
== History ==
On November 12, 1966, five men who were digging a grave at a cemetery near ] claimed to see a man-like figure fly low from the trees over their heads.<ref>http://www.wvcommerce.org/news/story/First-sighting-of-the-Mothman/1215/default.aspx</ref> This is often identified as the first known sighting of what became known as the Mothman.


An annual festival in Point Pleasant is devoted to the Mothman legend.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mothmanfestival.com|title=Mothman Festival|website=mothmanfestival.com|access-date=May 30, 2024}}</ref>
Shortly thereafter, on November 15, 1966, two young couples from Point Pleasant, Roger and Linda Scarberry, and Steve and Mary Mallette told police they saw a large white creature whose eyes "glowed red" when the car headlights picked it up. They described it as a " large flying man with ten-foot wings following their car while they were driving in an area outside of town known as 'the ]', the site of a former ] munitions plant.<ref name="Nickell2004" /><ref> (retrieved 8 February 2012)]</ref>


==History==
During the next few days, other people reported similar sightings. Two volunteer firemen who sighted it said it was a "large bird with red eyes". Mason County Sheriff George Johnson commented that he believed the sightings were due to an unusually large ] 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", and blamed buzzing noises from his television set and the disappearance of his German Shepherd dog on the creature.<ref name="Gettysburg Times" /> Wildlife biologist Dr. Robert L. Smith at ] told reporters that descriptions and sightings all fit the ], a large American crane almost as high as a man with a seven foot wingspan featuring circles of reddish coloring around the eyes, and that the bird may have wandered out of its migration route.
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 ]", the site of a former ] munitions plant.<ref name="coleman">{{cite book |last1=Coleman |first1=Loren |title=Mothman and Other Curious Encounters |date=December 1, 2001 |publisher=Cosimo, Inc. |isbn=978-1-931044-34-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pTfBBAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Nickell2004" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/93914124.html|title=Munitions Risk Closes Part of Wildlife Area Again|access-date=February 8, 2012|archive-date=August 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115943/http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/93914124.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sergent |first1=Donnie |last2=Wamsley |first2=Jeff |title=Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend |date=2002 |publisher=Mothman Lives Pub. |isbn=978-0-9667246-7-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VVdFkp1geIoC |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name="coleman"/>
], ] ]]


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 ] 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 ] dog on the creature.<ref name="Gettysburg Times" /> Wildlife biologist Robert L. Smith at ] told reporters that descriptions and sightings fit the ], 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.<ref name="Gettysburg Times" /><ref name="Snopes" />
There were no Mothman reports in the immediate aftermath of the December 15, 1967 collapse of the ] and the death of 46 people,<ref name=WVHS>{{cite web|last1=LeRose|first1=Chris|title=The Collapse of the Silver Bridge|url=http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvhs1504.html|website=West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly|publisher=West Virginia Division of Culture and History|accessdate=24 September 2014}}</ref> giving rise to legends that the Mothman sightings and the bridge collapse were connected.<ref name="Gettysburg Times">{{cite news|last=Associated Press|title=Monster Bird With Red Eyes May Be Crane|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LG0mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Rf8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=620,2790721&dq=point+pleasant+roger+scarberry&hl=en|accessdate=21 August 2011|newspaper=Gettysburg Times|date=Dec 1, 1966}}</ref><ref name=AP>{{cite news|last=Associated Press|title=Mothman' still a frighteningly big draw for tourists|url=http://www.thestar.com/Travel/article/294673|accessdate=21 August 2011|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=Jan 19, 2008}}</ref><ref name=UPI>{{cite news|last=UPI|title=Eight People Say They Saw 'Creature'|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XyNEAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_7AMAAAAIBAJ&pg=959,3488207&dq=newell-partridge&hl=en|accessdate=22 August 2011|newspaper=Williamson (WV) Daily News|date=Nov 18, 1966}}</ref>


] and his antagonist ] are varyingly cited as influences for the term "Mothman"]]
Folklorist ] notes that Mothman has been widely covered in the popular press, some claiming sightings connected with UFOs, and others claiming that a military storage site was Mothman's "home". Brunvand notes that recountings of the 1966-67 Mothman reports usually state that at least 100 people saw Mothman with many more "afraid to report their sightings" but observed that 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 inhabited by teenagers.<ref name="Brunvand1994">{{cite book|author=Jan Harold Brunvand|title=The baby train and other lusty urban legends|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mrdbY3zXLCAC&pg=PA98|accessdate=21 August 2011|date=1 October 1994|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-31208-9|pages=98–}}</ref>
Due to the popularity of the ] at the time, the fictional ] ] and his ] were prominently featured in the public eye. While the villain ] did not appear in the show, the ] influence of both him and Batman is believed by some to have influenced the coinage of the name "Mothman" in the local newspapers.<ref name="Eason2008">{{cite book|author=Cassandra Eason|title=Fabulous Creatures, Mythical Monsters, and Animal Power Symbols: A Handbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s4AP30k4IFwC&pg=PR15|year=2008|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-99425-9|pages=15–}}</ref><ref name="Moreno2013">{{cite book|author=Richard Moreno|title=Myths and Mysteries of Illinois: True Stories of the Unsolved and Unexplained|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hfhKAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA142|date=August 6, 2013|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4930-0231-3|pages=142–}}</ref>


Following the December 15, 1967, collapse of the ] and the death of 46 people,<ref name="WVHS">{{cite web |last1=LeRose |first1=Chris |title=The Collapse of the Silver Bridge |url=https://archive.wvculture.org/history/wvhs/wvhs1504.html |access-date=May 9, 2023 |website=West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly |publisher=West Virginia Division of Culture and History}}</ref> the incident gave rise to the legend and connected the Mothman sightings to the bridge collapse.<ref name="Gettysburg Times">{{cite news|last=Associated Press|title=Monster Bird With Red Eyes May Be Crane|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LG0mAAAAIBAJ&pg=620,2790721&dq=point+pleasant+roger+scarberry&hl=en|access-date=August 21, 2011|newspaper=Gettysburg Times|date=December 1, 1966}}</ref><ref name=AP>{{cite news|last=Associated Press|title=Mothman' still a frighteningly big draw for tourists|url=https://www.thestar.com/Travel/article/294673|access-date=August 21, 2011|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=January 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091120110655/https://www.thestar.com/Travel/article/294673 |archive-date=November 20, 2009}}</ref><ref name=UPI>{{cite news |agency=]|title=Eight People Say They Saw 'Creature'|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XyNEAAAAIBAJ&pg=959,3488207 |access-date=August 22, 2011|newspaper=] |location=Williamson, WV |date=November 18, 1966}}</ref>
=== Claims of later sightings ===
Ufologist ] writes that many years after the initial events, members of the Ohio UFO Investigators League re-interviewed several people who claimed to have seen Mothman, all of whom insisted their stories were accurate. Linda Scarberry claimed that she and her husband had seen Mothman "hundreds of times, " sometimes at close range, commenting, "It seems like it doesn’t want to hurt you. It just wants to communicate with you. "<ref name="Clark2000">] (2000). Extraordinary Encounters: An Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials and Otherworldly Beings Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, ISBN 1-57607-249-5, pp. 178-179.</ref>


According to ] newspaper ''Svobodnaya Gruziya'', Russian ] claim that Mothman sightings in ] foreshadowed the 1999 ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lobkov |first1=Denis |script-title=ru:Призраки катастроф |url=https://dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/4104201 |website=Zheltaya Gazeta via Svobodnaya Gruziya |date=May 23, 2002|language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209124559/https://dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/4104201 |archive-date=December 9, 2018}} ( of the article.)</ref>
Cryptozoologist ] claims that sightings of Mothman continue and told ] he re-interviewed witnesses described in Keel's book who said Mothman was "a huge creature about 7 feet tall with huge wings and red eyes" and that "they could see the creature flapping right behind them" as they fled from it.<ref name="USA Today">{{cite news|last=Schaefer|first=Stephen|title=Mothman' sightings will continue|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2002/2002-01-23-mothman.htm|accessdate=21 August 2011|newspaper=USA Today|date=2002-01-23}}</ref>


'']'' (2002) is a major motion picture, loosely based on the 1975 ] by John Keel.
== Explanations ==


In 2016, ] published a photo purported to be of Mothman taken by an anonymous man while driving on ] in ].<ref name="WCHS">{{cite web|last1=Pierson|first1=Fallon|title=Man photographs creature that resembles legendary ''Mothman" of Point Pleasant|url=http://wchstv.com/news/local/man-photographs-creature-that-resembles-legendary-mothman-of-point-pleasant|website=] news|date=November 21, 2016|publisher=WCHS|access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref> Science writer ] 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."<ref name="Snopes">{{cite web|last1=Palma|first1=Bethania|title=Mothman About Town|url=http://www.snopes.com/mothman-returns-to-point-pleasant-west-virginia/|website=Snopes.com|date=November 25, 2016 |publisher=Snopes|access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="AudubonOwlNickell" />
=== Paranormal ===
Some ], ] authors, and ] believe that Mothman was an ], a supernatural manifestation, or an unknown ]. In his 1975 book ''The Mothman Prophecies'', author John Keel claimed that the Point Pleasant residents experienced ]s including premonitions of the collapse of the Silver Bridge, ] sightings, visits from inhuman or threatening ], and other bizarre phenomena. However, Keel has been criticized for distorting established data, and for gullibility.<ref name ="Clark2000"/> A new book Threads of Faithfulness <ref>W.L.Schmidt, Threads of Faithfulness, (Oklahoma, Tate Publishing, 2013)</ref> confirms that the was not an alien but U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers conducting top secret tests of new nightime skydiving procedures destined for the battlefields of Vietnam. magazine expanded the revelation in its February 2014 issue.<ref>http.www.cryptozoonews.com/sof-mm/</ref>


=== Skepticism === ==Analysis==
] ] 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.<ref name="Brunvand1994">{{cite book|author-first=Jan Harold|author-last=Brunvand|author-link=Jan Harold Brunvand|title=The Baby Train and Other Lusty Urban Legends|year=1994|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-31208-9|pages=98–}}</ref>
] ] 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 reports to pranks, misidentified planes, and sightings of a ], an ], suggesting that the Mothman's "glowing eyes" were actually ] caused from the reflection of light from flashlights or other bright light sources. The area lies outside the snowy owl's usual range and locals, unfamiliar with such a large owl, could have misidentified the bird.<ref name="Nickell2004">{{cite book|author=Joe Nickell|title=The Mystery Chronicles: More Real-Life X-Files|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=sComGoDFJZ4C&pg=PA93|accessdate=21 August 2011|date=April 2004|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0-8131-2318-9|pages=93–}}</ref>


Conversely, ] 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 ]s, suggesting that the Mothman's "glowing eyes" were actually ] caused from the reflection of light from flashlights or other bright light sources.<ref name="AudubonOwlNickell">{{cite web |last1=Elbein |first1=Asher |title=Is the Mothman of West Virginia an Owl? |url=https://www.audubon.org/news/is-mothman-west-virginia-owl |website=Audubon.org |access-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027003431/https://www.audubon.org/news/is-mothman-west-virginia-owl |archive-date=October 27, 2018 |date=October 26, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Nickell2004">{{cite book|author=Nickell, Joe|title=The Mystery Chronicles: More Real-Life X-Files|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sComGoDFJZ4C&pg=PA93|access-date=August 21, 2011|date= 2004|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0-8131-2318-9|pages=93–}}</ref> ] points out that the only report of glowing "red eyes," was secondhand, that of Shirley Hensley quoting her father.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Radford|first=Benjamin|date=May–June 2020|title=Investigating Mothman's Red Eyeshine|url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2020/05/investigating-mothmans-red-eyeshine/|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|volume=44|pages=29–31}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 1, 1966 |title=Monster Bird with Red Eyes may Be Crane |work=The Gettysburg Times |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=7_FrD3gH8REC&dat=19661201&printsec=frontpage&hl=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Reed |first=Daniel |date=July–August 2022 |title=The Mothman and the Crane: A Contemporary Perspective |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2022/06/the-mothman-and-the-crane-a-contemporary-perspective/ |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=52–56}}</ref> In 1966, a ] was shot by Ace Henry at Point Pleasant, and it was described in local newspapers as a "giant owl" because of its nearly five feet wingspan. It's been claimed that it may have been the origin of the Mothman sightings. The bird is still displayed as a mounted specimen at the Mothman Museum.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sergent |first=Donnie |url=https://archive.org/details/mothmanfactsbehi0000serg/mode/1up?view=theater |title=Mothman : the facts behind the legend |date=2002 |publisher=Point Pleasant, WV : Mothman Lives Pub. |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-9667246-7-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=kreidler |first=Marc |date=2002-12-02 |title=Mothman Revisited: Investigating on Site {{!}} Skeptical Inquirer |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/mothman-revisitedinvestigating-on-site/ |access-date=2025-01-12 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=qq0zjC2tZPXen2Rf&v=px5RYzXXqtc&feature=youtu.be |title=The Body of Mothman |date=2024-10-24 |last=TREY the Explainer |access-date=2025-01-12 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
== Festivals and statue ==
Point Pleasant held its first Annual Mothman Festival in 2002 and 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 and is run by Jeff Wamsley.<ref></ref><ref>Mark Moran, Mark Sceurman, Matt Lake, ''Weird U. S. The ODDyssey Continues - Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets'', page 260 (New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2008). ISBN 978-1-4027-4544-7</ref><ref></ref> The Festival is a weekend-long event held on the 3rd weekend of every September. There are a variety of events that go on during the festival such as guest speakers, vendor exhibits, a mothman pancake eating contest, and hayride tours focusing on the notable areas of Point Pleasant.<ref name=AP />


According to ] psychologist David A. Gallo, "55 sightings of Mothman in Chicago during 2017" published on the website of self-described ] researcher Lon Strickler are "a selective sample". Gallo explains that "he's not sampling random people and asking if they saw the Mothman{{snd}}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'."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/paqv9z/mothman-sightings-in-chicago|title=People Keep Seeing the Mothman in Chicago|website=Vice|date=January 17, 2018|first=Josh|last=Terry}}</ref>
== Popular culture ==
* In season five, episode four of ], ], Agent Mulder hypothesizes that the supernatural events occurring may be related to a group of creatures called the Mothmen.
* In episode two of the short-lived TV series ''X-Testers'', the researchers attempted to duplicate alleged photographs of Mothman.<ref name=X-Testers>{{cite web|title=Episode List|url=http://www.xtesters.com/html/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=18&Itemid=37|publisher=X-Testers|accessdate=21 August 2011}}</ref>
* In the video game '']'', Mothman is one of three cryptozoology-based monsters along with the ] and the "Flying Humanoid". It appears again as an enemy in '']''.
* Mothman is a recurring demon in the '']'' franchise.
* Paranormal investigator Dib from ] goes by the alias 'Agent Mothman.'
* The Italian ] ] ''Ekidna Orgy'' dedicated to Mothman a song of the same name.
* ]'' (1975)
* '']'' (2010), a ] original movie
* The comic book series ] features a Mothman named Karl as one of the main characters.
* The Moth, a character from ], represents Mothman.
* In season one, episode five of ''Mountain Monsters'', the crew of expert hunters and trappers attempt to capture the Mothman of Mason County, WV. <ref>http://www.tv.com/shows/mountain-monsters/episodes/</ref>
* "Red Eyes", a song by ] frontman JT Woodruff from his 2014 solo album, ], is reportedly about The Mothman.
=== Books ===
* Barker, Gray ''The Silver Bridge'' (Saucerian Books, 1970). Reprinted in 2008 entitled ''The Silver Bridge: The Classic Mothman Tale'' (BookSurge Publishing). ISBN 1-4392-0427-6
* Coleman, L. ''Mothman and Other Curious Encounters''. (2002). ISBN 978-1-931044-34-9 (or ISBN 1-931044-34-1)
* Colvin, Andrew ''The Mothman's Photographer: The Work of an Artist Touched by the Prophecies of the Infamous Mothman'' (2007). ISBN 978-1-4196-5265-3
* Colvin, Andrew ''The Mothman's Photographer II: Meetings With Remarkable Witnesses Touched by Paranormal Phenomena, UFOs, and the Prophecies of West Virginia's Infamous Mothman'' (2007). ISBN 978-1-4196-5266-0
* Sergent, Jr., Donnie ''Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend'' (2001) ISBN 978-0-9667246-7-7
* Fear, Brad ''A Macabre Myth of a Moth-Man'' (2008) ISBN 978-1-4389-0263-0
* Keel, John A. ''The Mothman Prophecies'' (2007). ISBN 0-7653-4197-2 (Originally published in 1975 by Saturday Review Press)
* Keel, John A. ''The Eighth Tower'' (1977). ISBN 978-0-451-07460-7
* Myers, Bill. ''Angel of Wrath: A Novel'' (2009). ISBN 978-0-446-69800-9
* Ressel, Steve. ''Perverted Communion'' (2010). ISBN 978-0-9787483-5-7
* Rust, John J. ''Dark Wings'' (2011) ISBN 978-1-4658-4541-2
* Wood, Jen A. ''Point Pleasant'' (2013) ISBN 978-1492121602
* Schmidt, W.L. ''Threads of Faithfulness'' (2013) ISBN 978-1-62510-894-4


Some ] adherents (such as ]s, ] authors, and ]s) suggest the Mothman could be an ], a supernatural manifestation, or a previously unknown species of animal. In his 1975 book, Keel claimed that Point Pleasant residents experienced ]s including premonitions of the collapse of the Silver Bridge, ] sightings, visits from inhuman or threatening ], and other phenomena.<ref name="Clark2000">] (2000). ''Extraordinary Encounters: An Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials and Otherworldly Beings''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, {{ISBN|1-57607-249-5}}, pp. 178–179.</ref>
== See also ==

==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.<ref name="festival">{{Cite web |date=September 6, 2019 |title=Mothman Festival returns Sept. 21–22 |url=https://www.mydailyregister.com/news/44780/mothman-festival-returns-sept-21-22 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205142653/https://www.mydailyregister.com/news/44780/mothman-festival-returns-sept-21-22 |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |access-date=October 7, 2020 |website=www.mydailyregister.com – The Point Pleasant Register |language=en-US}}</ref>

According to the event organizer Jeff Wamsley, the average attendance for the Mothman Festival is an estimated 10–12&nbsp;thousand people per year.<ref name="festival" />
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mothman Statue, Point Pleasant, West Virginia |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12036 |access-date=November 16, 2023 |website=RoadsideAmerica.com |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208193246/https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12036 |archive-date=February 8, 2023}}</ref><ref>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}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cpsi-paranormal.org/files/Plaque2.jpg |title="Legend of the Mothman" plaque on the base of the statue |access-date=February 14, 2012 |archive-date=April 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425161522/http://cpsi-paranormal.org/files/Plaque2.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref name=AP />

==In popular culture==
===Derived from Keel's story===
*'']'' (1975) – ]'s 1975 book is largely responsible for popularizing the legend.
*'']'' (2002) – A film inspired by Keel's book.
*'']'' (2010) – A ] TV movie.
*Mothman (2010) - Season 4, Episode 5 of ]
* '']'' (2017) – A documentary.
*'']'' (2023) – A fictionalized account of the Silver Bridge collapse and other historical events from 1960s' Point Pleasant, WV. ].
*''The Mothman Revisited'' (2024) - Volume 4, Episode 5 of ''Unsolved Mysteries'' on ''Netflix''

===Other appearances===
*'']'' (1986) – Features a minor superhero known as Mothman.
*'']'' (1995) – Mothman regularly appears as a recruit-able demon in the Megami Tensei series of games, first appearing in ].
*'']'' (1997) – An episode of '']'' in which ] hypothesises that the monster could be related to the Mothman of Point Pleasant.
*'']'' (2005) – A Mothman named Karl appears as a supporting protagonist.
*] (2018) – The Mothman Indrid Cold is revealed to be one of several alien beings crossing into the West Virginia portion of the ] from another world.
*'']'' (2018) – The player encounters a faction called the "Cult of the Mothman" as well as multiple real Mothmen appearing as some of the many cryptids inhabiting a post-apocalyptic West Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 27, 2024 |title=How Fallout 76 became a haven for Mothman, Jersey Devil, and other creepy cryptids |url=https://www.gameshub.com/news/features/fallout-76-cryptids-mothman-jersey-devil-cryptids-2637819/ |access-date=April 2, 2024 |website=www.gameshub.com |language=en-AU}}</ref>
*'']'' (2021) – A humorous version of the creature known as "Elliot Mothman", appears. He works for a shadowy organisation known as Cognito, Inc., specifically as the head of HR.
*An illustrated oracle deck called the ''Southern Gothic Oracle'' has an expansion pack called '']'', which features a Mothman card (2021).<ref>{{cite web|access-date=September 27, 2024|date=August 2021|title=The Haunts|url=https://lapantherestudio.com/collections/southern-gothic/products/the-haunts-expansion-pack|website=lapantherestudio.com}}</ref>
*] season two (2022) – Indrid Cold returns as a player character, portrayed by ].

==See also==
*]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]


== References == ==References==
{{Reflist|2}} {{Reflist|30em}}


== External links == ==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Mothman}}
*
* {{Skeptoid | id=4159 | number= 159| title= The Mothman Cometh| date= June 23, 2009| quote= | access-date=}}


{{American folklore}}
{{Cryptozoology}}


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Latest revision as of 07:01, 12 January 2025

Modern urban legend Not to be confused with Owlman. For other uses, see Mothman (disambiguation).
Part of a series on the
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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". 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.

An artistic impression of Mothman.

The creature was introduced to a wider audience by Gray Barker in 1970, and was later popularized by John Keel in his 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies, 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.

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

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. 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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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

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

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. 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."

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.

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. Benjamin Radford points out that the only report of glowing "red eyes," was secondhand, that of Shirley Hensley quoting her father. 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. 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. In 1966, a snowy owl was shot by Ace Henry at Point Pleasant, and it was described in local newspapers as a "giant owl" because of its nearly five feet wingspan. It's been claimed that it may have been the origin of the Mothman sightings. The bird is still displayed as a mounted specimen at the Mothman Museum.

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'."

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.

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.

According to the event organizer Jeff Wamsley, the average attendance for the Mothman Festival is an estimated 10–12 thousand people per year. 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. 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.

In popular culture

Derived from Keel's story

Other appearances

  • Watchmen (1986) – Features a minor superhero known as Mothman.
  • Megami Tensei (1995) – Mothman regularly appears as a recruit-able demon in the Megami Tensei series of games, first appearing in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner.
  • Detour (1997) – An episode of The X-Files in which Agent Mulder hypothesises that the monster could be related to the Mothman of Point Pleasant.
  • The Perhapanauts (2005) – A Mothman named Karl appears as a supporting protagonist.
  • The Adventure Zone: Amnesty (2018) – The Mothman Indrid Cold is revealed to be one of several alien beings crossing into the West Virginia portion of the National Radio Quiet Zone from another world.
  • Fallout 76 (2018) – The player encounters a faction called the "Cult of the Mothman" as well as multiple real Mothmen appearing as some of the many cryptids inhabiting a post-apocalyptic West Virginia.
  • Inside Job (2021) – A humorous version of the creature known as "Elliot Mothman", appears. He works for a shadowy organisation known as Cognito, Inc., specifically as the head of HR.
  • An illustrated oracle deck called the Southern Gothic Oracle has an expansion pack called The Haunts, which features a Mothman card (2021).
  • The Adventure Zone: Dust season two (2022) – Indrid Cold returns as a player character, portrayed by Griffin McElroy.

See also

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. ^ Associated Press (December 1, 1966). "Monster Bird With Red Eyes May Be Crane". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  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. ^ Coleman, Loren (December 1, 2001). Mothman and Other Curious Encounters. Cosimo, Inc. ISBN 978-1-931044-34-9.
  10. ^ 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. ^ 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. ^ 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. Sergent, Donnie (2002). Mothman : the facts behind the legend. Internet Archive. Point Pleasant, WV : Mothman Lives Pub. ISBN 978-0-9667246-7-7.
  26. kreidler, Marc (December 2, 2002). "Mothman Revisited: Investigating on Site | Skeptical Inquirer". Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  27. TREY the Explainer (October 24, 2024). The Body of Mothman. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via YouTube.
  28. Terry, Josh (January 17, 2018). "People Keep Seeing the Mothman in Chicago". Vice.
  29. 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.
  30. ^ "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.
  31. "Mothman Statue, Point Pleasant, West Virginia". RoadsideAmerica.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  32. 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
  33. ""Legend of the Mothman" plaque on the base of the statue". Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  34. "How Fallout 76 became a haven for Mothman, Jersey Devil, and other creepy cryptids". www.gameshub.com. March 27, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  35. "The Haunts". lapantherestudio.com. August 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2024.

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