Saturday, March 6, 2021

The Legend of Mothman: Angel or Demon

On the chilly autumn night of November 15, 1966, two young couples went out for a drive in a black 1957 Chevy near the “TNT area” in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The “TNT area” housed old military complexes used to store ammunitions during World War II. Linda Scarberry and Roger Scarberry were in the front of the car. Steve Mallette and Mary Mallette were in the back.  As the group neared the abandoned North Power Plant, they saw something they could not believe. A 7-foot-tall gray man-shaped beast with large wings emerged from the shadows around the corner of the building. The creature had circular fiery red eyes that glowed in the reflection of the headlights of their car. 

 

Credit: Small Town Monsters


The teens immediately bolted back to town to try to get away from the monster. Luck was not on their side because when they drove away, the creature decided to give chase. The creature flew upward in the air and then proceeded to glide back and forth near the roof of Roger’s car. Reportedly, the teens hit the speed of 100 mph and the creature was still able to keep up. When the teens finally reached the edge of the town, the creature veered off into a field and disappeared. Roger drove farther into town, parked at Tiny's Diner and the group decided to contacted Deputy Millard Halstead of the local police to tell their story.


The next day, Sheriff George Johnson held a press conference to discuss the sightings. The local press ran with the story and nicknamed the creature "Mothman" similar to the comic book character, Batman which was popular at the time. Steve Mallette told the local newspaper "We understand people are laughing at us. But we wouldn't make up all this to make us look like fools".

 

This was only the beginning of the story of Mothman. Over the next thirteen months, there would be over 100 sightings in the small town of Point Pleasant. Witnesses of these events were also said to have been harassed by the “Men in Black” who encouraged them not to speak about the creature. The sightings all seem to lead up to the collapse of the Silver Bridge on December 15, 1967. The collapse killed 46 people. People are not sure if Mothman was trying to warn people about the bridge or the creature caused the collapse itself. After this evert, some people thought of Mothman as a possible herald of impending disaster while others considered the creature as a harbinger of death.

 

An American paranormal author named Gray Barker brought Mothman to a mainstream audience in his 1970 book “The Silver Bridge.” The story was even more popularized by American journalist and Ufologist John Keel in his 1975 book “The Mothman Prophecies.” This book claimed there were supernatural events related to the sightings and a possible connection to the collapse of the Silver Bridge. The book was later adapted to a 2002 movie called “the Mothman Prophecies” starring Richard Gere.

Description

The description of Mothman varies from story to story, but they all tend to have certain aspects in common. Mothman is generally described as a bipedal, winged humanoid that is 6-7 feet tall. Some describe the wings as like a moth, while others say they look more like those of a bat. The wingspan can range from 10 to 15 feet. The skin color of Mothman is generally a darker color like black, gray, or brown. The only descriptive part seen of its face is the glowing red eyes. One account even stated the creature does not have a head at all and the red eyes appeared from its chest. Anyone who gets close enough to look at Mothman seems to suffer from extreme fear or psychological distress. This could account for many discrepancies in its description.

Possible Explanations

There are a few theories surrounding the idea that Mothman sightings are being mistaken with large birds. Sheriff George Johnson believed the creature was just a large Heron. Dr. Robert L. Smith, a contemporary ornithologist dismissed Mothman as a Sandhill Crane. This species however is not native to West Virginia. A group of firemen who investigated the surrounding forest of Point Pleasant shot a large snowy owl, which they believed to be the source of the sightings. The McClintic Wildlife Management area where Mothman is seen reports a healthy population of Barred Owls living in its refuge. Barred Owls are a large species of Owl with a rounded head and deep black eyes with a large quantity of blood vessels would look crimson when light is shined on them.

There are two local Native American legends that mention creatures closely resembling Mothman from the Shawnee tribe. The creatures are the Misignwa and Waupee. The legend of Misgnwa is of a spirit in the forest that protects animals from disrespectful hunters. However, the description of Misgnwa is more similar to Bigfoot.  The Waupee legend is that of a Native American family that chose to become white hawks living in the forests near Point Pleasant.

In the 1950s, Mason County Courthouse was demolished and the remains of Chief Cornstalk were unearthed. This disrupted the slumber of a chief who was murdered along with his son in the area. Some people believe Mothman is the product of a blood curse placed upon the town by Chief Cornstalk.

Others believe the simplest explanation is the truth. Mothman was just a prank derived from some local college aged kids. At the very least, it was just a made-up story. At most, it was a kid in a Halloween costume scaring local passing cars. There was also a report of group of construction workers at the time who tied flashlights to helium balloons and released them into the air. The “red eyes” of the sightings could have been other bright lights reflecting off the flashlights.

Festival

Point Pleasant decided to use some of Mothman’s hot press to support the town. The first Annual Mothman Festival was held in 2002. According to the event organizer Jeff Wamsley, the average attendance for the Mothman festival is an estimated 10–12 thousand people. The festival is held on the third weekend of every September. It features a wide variety of vendors, guest speakers, live music, food, and events for all-ages. The town even has a Mothman Museum to visit. As a local Carolin Harris said, "It's a good thing. It brings lots of people to the area. He's here to stay,"

 

Photo: Franck Fotos/Alamy

References

“Scarberry and Mallette's Mothman Sighting” Retrieved from https://themothman.fandom.com/wi[BB2] ki/Scarberry_and_Mallette%27s_Mothman_Sighting

(2019 Oct) “The Mothman of Point Pleasant” Retrieved from

https://www.tell-taletours.com/post/the-mothman-of-point-pleasant

Elbein, Asher (2018 Oct) “Is the Mothman of West Virginia an Owl” Retrieved from  https://www.audubon.org/news/is-mothman-west-virginia-owl

(2019 Sept) “Misignwa Legend of Mothman” Retrieved from

https://www.mysterypile.com/misignwa-legend.php

 

Pierson, Fallon (2016 Nov) “Man photographs creature that resembles legendary ''Mothman" of Point Pleasant” Retrieved from

https://wchstv.com/news/local/man-photographs-creature-that-resembles-legendary-mothman-of-point-pleasant

“Discover: Uncover the Truth that Lies Behind the Legend of the Mothman” https://www.mothmanmuseum.com/mothman-museum.html