The Mothman of West Virginia

On November 16, 1966, two married couples saw the glowing red eyes of a large animal that was shaped like a man.  However, it was bigger and had wings.  The sighting was made at an old TNT plant in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.  The next night, several armed townspeople searched the area around the plant for signs of the creature.  What would become known as the Mothman was again seen on January 11, 1967, and other times that same year.

An Ohio newspaper copyeditor coined the name “Mothman” after the first sightings of the creature.  People saw the Mothman from November, 1966 to December 1967.  The creature stood seven feet tall and had large, featherless wings spanning ten feet.  The featureless face had red, glowing eyes.  Some witnesses claimed the Mothman had no head and that it could fly without flapping its wings.  It came to national attention in 1975.

Writer John Keel investigated the Mothman and wrote about it in his 1975 book, “The Mothman Prophecies”, which contains a great deal of first-hand reports.  The book’s authenticity is suspect.  Journalist John C. Sherwood wrote an article called “Gray Barker’s Book of Bunk”, which documents differences between what Keel wrote during his investigation and what he wrote in his book.  Nevertheless, interest in the creature increased.

Generally, there are three theories as to what the Mothman really is: supernatural theories, misidentified birds, and hoaxes.  Because of the large number of sightings, the hoax theory does not hold much water.  The bird theory is much more popular.  Proponents of this theory, notable among them being the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, believe that the size of the creature is exaggerated because the  distance between observer and bird is underestimated.  Automobile headlights cause the eyes to appear to be red. Most enthusiasts of the bird theory believe the Mothman is actually the common barn owl, which has big wings and long legs.

Supernatural theories include everything from aliens to bigfoot, and even ties into the collapse of the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant.  I believe the hoax theory is unlikely.  The misidentified bird idea is intriguing but I believe the Mothman is a large, possibly mutated bird or bat that has not been identified yet.  Strange flying creatures are being seen all over the world.  The gorilla was a legendary monster until scientists finally saw one.

The Mothman has even effected popular culture.  There was a Richard Gere movie made about it, and there have been television shows, games, figurines and toys.  There is even an annual Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant.  What do you think?