The Mothman

The Mothman is a cryptid steeped in mystery. For a start, they aren’t even a moth. The name “Mothman” was something the overeager press began to spread, probably since it was a flying cryptid at night and some journalist thought the name sounded neat. The first report in 1966 came with the newspaper heading “Couples See Man-Sized Bird … Creature … Something.” and included the description of seeing a tall grey figure with ten foot wings that had eyes which glow red when caught in a car’s headlights. 

Depictions, and any later sightings, do tend to come with some moth aspects now though even if that’s just the power of popular perception. 

What sets the Mothman apart is that they seem to either predict, or possibly even cause, disasters. The 1975 book ‘The Mothman Prophesies’ connect the rush of Mothman sightings with the collapse of the Silver Bridge crossing the Ohio River. What unfolded to claim 46 lives is like the opening of a Final Destination movie, a single cracked eyebar unravelled the whole bridge. 

Mothman sightings are very few and far between, they are mostly a fun mascot for Point Pleasant in West Virginia now the Horror of the bridge collapse has faded. But this layer of disaster on top means that if there are new Mothman sightings you should be extremely careful. 

For more details of the Mothman sightings and events which followed, they are covered on LukeLore Episode 26: Everyone Do the Cryptid. 

Story by: Luke Greensmith – Lukelore Podcast

Art by: Wanda Fraser

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