Mothman

A strange being sighted in the area of Point Pleasant, West Virginia from November 15th 1966 to December 15th 1967. The name "Mothman" comes from a villain in Batman comic books, but the mothman more closely resembled some sort of bird. The Mothman was described as being grey, and about 7 feet tall with large wings. The Mothman could fly - but did not usually move his wings while doing so. The creature had enormous and hypnotic glowing red eyes. No one was ever harmed by the mothman, but the creature may have eaten a pet dog. The mothman may have disturbed television or radio reception when he was near. The mothman generally made contact with people while they were in their cars or by looking into the windows of their homes. The only sound the mothman made was a piercing shrill cry. Unusual noises, often sounding like a sped up phonograph recording, were sometimes heard in conjunction with the Mothman.

Many reported the mothman had some form of telepathic abilities. The mothman may have warned several individuals about a disaster on the Ohio River. On December 15th, 1967 the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River in Point Pleasant collapsed killing between 46 and 52 people. The Mothman was never seen after the bridge's collapse.

The Mothman's sudden appearance on Earth in such a limited area, frequent sightings there for a 13 month period, and then complete disappearance from the Earth make the Mothman unique. Many phenomena, such as chupacabra or sasquatch are sighted during many years in an enormous area, however they are reported quite sporadically. It should be noted that in other years prior to 1966 giant birds were sighted in the general Point Pleasant area, which may or may not have been Mothman related. It also should be noted that in 1952 West Virginia had sightings of the "Flatwoods Monster" for a limited time. The Flatwoods Monster was, like the Mothman, quite large. At approximately ten feet in height, it had a bright green body and a red face.

Author John Keel wrote that Mothman sightings were sometimes reported in conjunction with UFO activity. His reports linked this phenomenon with such diverse elements as Men in Black, Crop Circles, animal exsanguination, and even possible poltergeist activity.

A movie about John Keel's experiences, titled "The Mothman Prophecies" was released in 2002. The movie starred Richard Gere.