What’s the Mothman?

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The Mothman is a legendary beast said to roam the US state of West Virginia. Among other creatures, it’s a topic of interest to cryptozoologists, people who study animals that appear to go beyond normal taxonomic classifications. For the skeptics among us, cryptozoologists could also be said to study mythical creatures; examples of other topics of interest in the field include Nessie, the Yeti, mermaids and dragons.

According to stories, the Mothman was first sighted in November of 1966 in a former weapons manufacturing plant in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Two young couples, who were on the ground for unspecified reasons, said they saw a giant moth the size of a man with glowing red eyes, which took off when it was spotted. They reported the sighting to local law enforcement, triggering a wave of such sightings, which spread in December 1967, when the Silver Bridge collapsed, killing 46 people.

Sightings have been reported by a wide range of people, typically around or after dark, and have sometimes involved paranormal activity such as electronic malfunctions. One report involved a dog, who was supposedly extremely upset for no apparent reason before the Mothman finally appeared; the next morning, the dog vanished, never to be seen again.

Many of the sightings shared common details, suggesting that people may have read the newspapers and been inspired, although it could also be argued that these sightings were real, which is why they shared commonalities. In nearly all descriptions, the Mothman is said to be partially humanoid, with giant moth-like wings and clawed feet and hands. In some legends, the Mothman also has antennae.

Scientists have suggested that the eruption of Mothman sightings were actually sightings of various large birds. Some birds like cranes can get quite large and may have fooled people, especially in the dark or during the twilight hours. The Mothman’s red eyes can probably be attributed to a light reflection trick, as anyone who has experienced “red eye” in a photograph knows. People are also very suggestible, and a single confused sighting of a bird could have planted the idea of ​​the Mothman in the heads of many others.

The Mothman bears many interesting similarities to the Garuda, a Hindu mythological creature with a humanoid figure and large wingspan. It is possible that someone has read too many Hindu myths and got a little carried away. Cryptozoologists might argue that the failure to establish hard evidence for the Mothman’s existence doesn’t necessarily prove that he will never be found.

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