A tap on the pane;
Who is it that wants me
To-night in the rain?”
Richard Henry Stoddard
From the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Cryptozoology
Main Entry: cryp·to·zo·ol·o·gy
Pronunciation: "krip-t&-zO-'ä-l&-jE, -z&-'wä-
Function: noun
the study of the lore concerning legendary animals (as Sasquatch)
especially in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence
cryp·to·zo·ol·o·gist
/-'ä-l&-jist, -'wä-/ noun
1966-1967 Point Pleasant West Virginia
Imagine yourself, closing up shop for the day, the evening sun setting behind the horizon. As your taking
your scenic drive through the woods on the outskirts of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, dusk sets in. The
road is secluded and dark; tall trees line the roadway. As you play the day’s events back in your mind, you
are suddenly snapped back to reality when you see something in front of your vehicle, in the glow of your
headlights. It is hard to comprehend it as reality. Time seems to play out in slow motion. As you are
slamming on the brakes, the 7 foot tall creature spreads it’s massive wings, raises up from its crouch, and
flies off with a loud screech. You may have very well encountered the infamous Mothman.
How do we, as the general public feel about the Mothman? In this article, I will offer some different views
and ideas as to what people think this phenomena might be. The ultimate opinion is left up to you.
A brief history of the Mothman
The Mothman is an alleged creature whose appearance is said to predict disaster. Its eyes have been
compared to glowing red taillights, large and round. In many cases its head sits lower than its shoulders. It
is said to stand 7 feet tall, maintaining the shape of a man. It’s wings are reported to be proportionate with
its gray- skinned body.
The first reported sighting occurred on November 15th, 1966 at a TNT plant left over from World War II.
The unknown creature reportedly chased 2 couples all the way into the town of Point Pleasant. In another
report, a couple stated that the creature was at their window staring in at them. The woman became highly
distressed after the event. By the time the authorities arrived, it had vanished. There was a wide range of
sightings after that as more people came forward. Between 1966 and 1967, the reports were numerous. The
number of sightings vary from source to source. Some report over 100 within a 13 month period, while
others say between 50 - 60. *1 & *2.
A 2002 movie was made from the book, The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel, depicting the events that
took place ("The Mothman Prophecies”). I have to say that the movie was highly entertaining, and well put
together, but I am still trying to separate actual facts from entertaining fiction in the movie. I haven’t found
any reported accounts of exchanges of words or warnings the Mothman may have given to individuals in
that time period. The movie portrays the Mothman giving Richard Gere verbal warnings and clues to
disasters. Many opinions of Hollywood’s version were not so kind.
Different theories
* Some folks believe that the Mothman is in some way, extraterrestrial. Possibly a warning from another
planet that some sort of disaster is eminent. The reports from different citizens of Point Pleasant, & other
surrounding areas were not limited to the Mothman itself. Some reports of strange phenomena during the
height of the sightings, included but not limited to, poltergeist activity. Lights in the sky, especially around
the TNT plant. Following sightings & encounters, disaster was eminent in many cases. One report *3 tells
of an Ohio reporter named Mary Hyre who had done extensive reporting on the Mothman sightings, she
received in excess of 500 reports of strange lights in the sky within one weekend alone.
An interesting quote from the author of Mothman Prophecies John Keel…“The objects and apparitions do
not necessarily originate on another planet and may not even exist as permanent constructions of matter. It
is more likely that we see what we want to see and interpret such visions according to our contemporary
beliefs.”
* Chief Cornstalk was a Native American Shawnee leader during the Revolutionary War. He tried to find a
balance of peace between the Indians and the Americans, until he was overcome with opposing forces and
was forced to retaliate. Chief Cornstalk was eventually captured along with his son, in what is now known as
Point Pleasant W.V. While they were in captivity, a Shawnee Indian slaughtered an American soldier. Out of
vengeance over the slain American soldier, the Americans in turn, killed Cornstalk and his son. In my
research, I found that Cornstalk bid a curse over the town of Point Pleasant. He declared that he had tried
to do only good, and fought only when his people were threatened. Peace was his main priority, and for
that, they kill him. Thus, was born the alleged curse of the Mothman.
* Skeptics have different ideas of what could have happened. Some skeptics say it could have been a Sand
Hill Crane (with an average wingspan of 10 feet) that migrated in from Canada, others say simply an owl.
* Mass hallucination has also been claimed. *1
* Mutation : Some people theorize that toxic chemicals from the TNT site may have caused strange
mutations in birds…about half way down the page, I also found several other interesting accounts of the
Mothman on the above mentioned site. Such as a 1978 sighting by some mine workers in Germany. They
had apparently been afraid to enter the mine because of a creature they saw. Moments later, the mine
collapsed. Further research of that incident led me to this site. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find a
more descriptive account of the mine sighting, along with other interesting sightings from across the globe.
Although in most cases, I have found in my research that skeptics & believers mostly agree on one thing.
The paranormal phenomena and the separate sightings of the Mothman all occurred within the same time
frame.
Some unexplained photos
A couple of years ago, while looking up information on the Mothman, I came across a message board with
a post about a couple from Russel, Kentucky, that had been on a walk with their dogs. They lived on the
border of Kentucky and Ohio, and had taken their digital camera along to take pictures of their family pets.
While on their walk along the water, they looked toward the scenic view of the bridge that connected the
two states. What they saw, they couldn’t explain. It was crawling along the rafters at the top of the bridge.
It stopped, looked straight at them, then flew off…
These photos are now all over the WWW. I cannot find any evidence that they are fake, yet verification is
nearly impossible. I will leave it up to you to decide.
Tracey H.
PROOF Paranormal
PROOF Articles
Much thanks goes to following websites…
*1 different opinions & theories on what it may have been
*2 an interesting article with further information on the Mothman
*3 An account of what Ohio reporter Mary Hyre experienced
*4 order form for the book “Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend”
*5 Point Pleasant West Virginia official website
*6 if youre in the Point Pleasant area you might want to visit the
Tu-Endie-Wei state park. Among many things, it has a memorial to Chief
Cornstalk & many others who fell in the battle of Point Pleasant,
as well as war re-enactments
*7 UnexplainedMysteries.com has a really cool Cryptozoology section
*8 Of course cryptozoology.com
*9 official website of the Mothman
*10 You can find more interesting Mothman information here
* Thanks to s8int.com for hosting the Kentucky photos & story
