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Strange Woods Podcast > Episode > Episode 34 – The Man. The Mystery. The Moth.

Episode

Episode 34 – The Man. The Mystery. The Moth.

Hey, everybody! Welcome to another episode. In this one, we’re getting into a famous and loved cryptid, The Mothman! Good guy or bad guy? Bringer of warnings or harbinger of doom? You decide! Let’s get into it!

 

                                             STOP! INSIDE JOKES AHEAD!  

If you haven’t gotten to listen to the episode yet, spoiler alert! This post contains lots of stuff that will make waaay more sense if you listen to the episode before or while reading. So if you haven’t already, pump the brakes and listen to the episode or just click above to play so that you can be in on all the shenanigans to follow! 

 

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Produced by Peter Woodward

Listener Story

via GIPHY

Our listener story is from an anonymous listener we’ve nicknamed Jennithfer. 🙂

It is about an instance where she reached out to her deceased mother after being prompted by a number sequence and got a surprising reply!

Who is the Moth and Who is the Man?

The Legend

Our legend begins in the little town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. On November 15, 1966, we get our first reported sighting of the creature that would come to be known as Mothman.
 
While out on a double date, two couples–Roger and Linda Scarberry and their friends Steve and Mary Mallette–witnessed something that changed their lives and the future of Point Pleasant forever. While in their car near a deserted WWII munitions plant site, the couples saw what they described as large black creature with glowing red eyes standing at the side of the road. It looked like a slender, muscular man that was about 7ft tall with wings and no discernable face. Yeesh.
They said it was “shaped like a a man, but bigger”, walked on sturdy legs with a shuffling gait, but seemed to wobble when it walked. 
 
The couples drove past it, and it suddenly began to fly, chasing after the car. It emitted a screeching sound as it flew and its wings could be heard hitting the top of the car.  Roger Scarberry, the driver, reported he hit drove 100 mph as he attempted to get away from the creature, but it was able to keep up with the car! The creature followed them to the city limits where it veered off into a nearby field. 
 
After confirming that the creature was gone, Roger Scarberry pulled the car over and noted scratch marks all over the top of the car. The group decided to attempt to return to town. As they arrived to site where they’d seen the creature, they saw the body of a dead dog exactly where the creature had been! They decided to go to the local police station and report the sighting. Both couples then went to the Scarberry’s trailer and stayed up all night, too terrified to sleep. They ventured out next day, returning to the site to investigate further. Tracks looking like “two horseshoes put together” were found. 
The following day, November 16, the story of the what the group saw was in the local newspaper, the Point Pleasant Register, in an article  entitled “Couples See Man-Sized Bird…Creature…Something”.

The story caused a sensation. Almost immediately, more reports of sightings began coming in. Initially deciding not to report his sighting, a man named Kenneth Duncan came forward with what seems to be the first sighting of Mothman. Duncan was digging a grave in the cemetery at night and saw the creature standing in a tree on a branch staring at him. 

 

Immediately picked up by the national press and spread across the US, the mysterious creature was named “Mothman”. This was a nod to a Batman villain called “Killer Moth”. At the time, Adam West’s Batman TV series had gained popularity, and though Killer Moth did not appear in the television show itself, the villain was prominent in the Batman comics.
 
Other sightings were reported:
-two volunteer fireman described “a large bird with red eyes”
–numerous reports of television interference and missing pets followed
-weird dreams were also reported as well as sightings of shadow figures

One of the most well-known sightings took place about 90 miles away from Point Pleasant. A contractor named Newell Partridge shined his flashlight on a creature in his meadow whose eyes glowed “like bicycle reflectors”. His German Shepherd chased after the creature and immediately disappeared. Partridge went looking for his dog only to find “pawprints going in circles then vanishing”. His dog was never found. 

Partridge also claimed his interaction with the creature caused electronic interference with his television in the form of buzzing noises.

It is thought that at this time, over 100 people saw Mothman with many more afraid to report their sightings for fear of ridicule. 

Other Sightings, Other Times, Other Places

In 1976, resident reported several sightings in Cornwall, England of “big feathered bird man” “hovering over a church tower”. This became known as “Owlman” and is still part of the local lore. Again, the description closely resembles that of Mothman. A drawing presented by witnesses is pictured below.  

– 55 reported sightings of Mothman were recorded in Chicago in 2017

-A photo taken in 2016 by an anonymous man appears to show a Mothman-like creature; however, it was and continues to be highly contested

LINKS TO CATASTROPHES

So…the question: FRIEND OR FOE? Part of the legend and lore of Mothman is the hot dispute over whether he is good or evil. Since his initial sighting, multiple catastrophic events have coincided with sightings. Is his purpose to help or to harm?

9/11

Accounts of “huge, bird-like creatures” were reported by numerous people just prior to the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. There is even a photograph that is often cited. Now how legit is it? We don’t know and we won’t speculate as to it’s authenticity, but…there you go. Judge for yourself…

Russian Apartment Bombings

Sightings of Mothman in Moscow and other nearby areas foreshadowed the 1999 Russian apartment bombings. This series of explosions hit four apartment blocks with five apartments being affected. In the Russian cities of Buynaksk, Moscow, and Volgondonsk in September 1999. The explosives were set up in the weakest areas of the buildings with the intent to collapse them and were detonated at night to maximize casualties. More than 300 died and over 1000 were injured. This incident triggered the Second Chechen War because it was thought to be committed by Chechen terrorists, though that has never been proven conclusively. 

Chernobyl Disaster

Days before the 1986 catastrophic nuclear explosion, several employees of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant claimed to see a humanoid with enormous wings, black headless body, and red glowing eyes. Tales of this creature are known as the Blackbird of Chernobyl. The description bears a remarkable similarity to Mothman.

Silver Bridge Collapse

Of course the most famous disaster linked to Mothman is the collapse of the Silver Bridge on Dec 15, 1967 in Point Pleasant. The collapse killed 46 people. Built in 1928, Silver Bridge was a suspension bridge that was 2,235 ft. long. It was never designed for the weight and amount of vehicles it was carrying the day this tragedy occurred. It happened during rush hour, and reportedly, two victims have never been found. 
 
Preceding the collapse, many citizens reported strange dreams and nightmares about drowning and an oncoming disaster. A local reporter named Mary Hyre shared the following with her good friend, John Keel, later author of The Mothman Prophecies on Nov 19, which was one month before the collapse:
“I had a terrible nightmare. There were a lot of people drowning in the river and Christmas packages were floating everywhere in the water. It’s like something awful is going to happen.“

It paints an eerie picture of what did, in fact, happen on that day. 

So If He's Not a Mothman...

If he’s not a Mothman, what could he be? Well, there are several many theories. 

The first originated in the 1950’s immediately after reports started coming in. A local scientist posited that it was a case of mistaken identity. He proposed that sandhill cranes, which are not native to that area, had wandered out of their migration route. They are as tall as a man, have an approximate 7-foot wingspan, and have red coloring around their eyes. 

Sandhill Crane

Another theory presented was that it was simply a misidentification of a common barn owl. Owl eyes are known to glow red with direct light on them. 

Further theories:

-IT’S AN ALIEN!

-It’s a supernatural manifestation of some kind…oooooooo.

-It’s an experiment gone wrong from the mysterious abandoned munitions plant in Point Pleasant!

-It’s a hoax committed by a prankster in a costume.

-It’s a friggin’ THUNDERBIRD!

-It’s a previously undiscovered species of owl. Cryptozoologist Mark A. Hall presented this theory and even named the creature: Bighoot!

–The Butterfly People of Joplin…hmmm…need to do a deep dive, maybe?

 

In Pop Culture and Modern Day...

In 1975, a book called The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel. In the book, Keel claimed there were paranormal events linked to the sightings, specifically the collapse of the Silver Bridge. He also reported numerous accounts of precognitions, UFO sightings, and even visits from inhuman or threatening men in black. 
The Mothman Prophecies (2002) was a film starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney that was based on the events in Point Pleasant!
Just FYI, Fandom Wiki for Mothman has a comprehensive list of sightings beginning from the original to present:
 

There are numerous books on Mothman. Plenty of reading material exists for you if you are interested in deep diving!

Two books–Mothman: Facts behind the Legend and Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes–were written by Jeff Wamsley, a Point Pleasant local who actually opened the Mothman Museum. 

Yes, a MOTHMAN MUSEUM exists!!! And, you guys…

via GIPHY

Not only relics and comprehensive data, reports, and newspapers from the 1950s and forward, but gifts and collectibles as well! Um…road trip anyone?

There is also the Annual Mothman Festival, held every year on the third weekend of September. It’s attended by ten to twelve thousand people!!

And let’s not forget, the 12 ft tall metallic statue of Mothman that was constructed in 2003…

Here’s the link to the museum: if you’re in the area, go check them out! Also, there is a link to a 24-hr MothCam! It looks amazing. Definitely a bucket list item for us!

https://www.mothmanmuseum.com/

WHAT ELSE DID WE DISCUSS?

Jeremy's Homemade Wendigo Costume

That somehow DIDN’T win the costume contest??? Whatevs. It was amazing!

Cryptid Christmas Tree

Peter and Brandi (me, hi) did a cryptid-themed Christmas tree this year. Yeah…stayed up waaaaaay too long, but oh well! It was awesome!

Previous Episode Throwbacks...

We referenced a couple of topics we did in previous episodes, specifically Travis Walton’s abduction, which can be found in Episode 11 – Catch & Release: How a Bear-Fighting Lumberjack Escaped from a UFO. Also, all the info you ever wanted on the Swiss Cheese Pervert can be found in Minisode 06 – Guess What I Heard: The Swiss Cheese Pervert. 

If you haven’t checked them out, DO IT!

A drawing...

Here’s that picture that messed up Jeremy’s world. I give you Mothman with boobies and also Bigfoot. You’re welcome.

Indrid Cold

Creepy cryptid-y, urban legend-y, lore-y type dude. We will be doing an episode on him at some point. We have to. Look at this creeper. Yeesh. How spooky is he? What’s his deal? TBD.

Strange Woods Podcast Recommends...

The musical stylings of J O E L!

Cool cryptid tunes that are perfect for the Strange in you! 

Go check out our buddy!

https://linktr.ee/listentojoel?fbclid=IwAR17SdE8cAd8hfO1LeVz9ZFnpPU58huG1MnVaggKHUz-PXcGEmb5ChnnVrQ

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Flinktr.ee%2Flistentojoel%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2d49Fjy4GL3ZRM1vg1nGMsNxCL7bwZsxzVjuUwnwX4Ft2BtA3lKVrcBXk&h=AT2OZ78hnXfZZvFGnWjTD5QFuRMhw9uP6aAV5GJnkmF78CD2naeB1RAqKxOFhD7QhvzZPYqGRx_AP81O0UuS3KTOAysGuFxdEPTnI0kuBtMe2az2uXVi_5wg3nD9Ef1kZJlsR9xP7y1L

The Batman Starring the Incredible Adam West

via GIPHY

I mean…need we say more?

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves…go check out Jarnathan. He’s great. Hi, Jarnathan.

There we go! Hope you enjoyed this episode. We love our cryptids and it’s nice to get back to learning about the legend and lore of creepy creatures!

Thanks so much for tuning in! We love you guys! You are the strangest and best Strange Fam that ever fammed. 

Mean it.

Follow the excellent advice pictured below and don’t forget to always keep it Strange!

LATER, STRANGERS!

Some articles and sources:

 

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