ABOUT
Image courtesy of www.mothmanmuseum.com
History: Point Pleasant West Virginia was supposedly terrorized by a creature in 1966 through 1967. The legend of Mothman came to be linked with the Silver Bridge collapse that happened in the town in '67. The popularity of the Mothman legend eclipsed the actual tragedy of what happened during the bridge collapse disaster. The folklore of Mothman has since been turned into a commodity. Author Jack Daly points out how Americo Paredes explained phenomenon like this as the folklorization of real-life events, and John H. McDowell explains how something can become a profitable exhibit through “commemoration” in his article titled, "Mothman, the Silver Bridge Collapse, and the Folklorization and Commemoration of Actual Events". We should see through the lens of these concepts to understand how Mothman evolved into the folklore it is today (Daly 2023). The legend of Mothman starts with many townsfolk of Point Pleasant witnessing a strange massive creature with glowing red eyes and wings. The sightings continued for thirteen months until they abruptly stopped when the Silver Bridge collapsed. Since then, songs, books, and films have been created about the events and the legend. For the most part, the town has embraced the legend and uses it to boost tourism.
What is a Cryptid?: Mothman is considered a cryptid, because it's a creature that people claim to have seen, but there's no proof it actually exists. Other notable examples are Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster.
Where Can Mothman Be Found?: Mothman originated in Point Pleasant, but there have been Mothman sightings all over the world. For instance, "After the 2007 Bridge 9340 collapse in Minnesota, numerous people claimed to have witnessed Mothman in the area" (Kruse 2015, 95).
What Makes Mothman and Other Cryptids So Fascinating to People?: The article "Point Pleasant, West Virginia: making a tourism landscape in an Appalachian Town" explains that the idea of the unknown is a fascinating way for people to cope with uncertainty (Kruse 2015, 99). To put it simply, Mothman gives us a way to embrace and take control over uncertainty- we've turned something terrifying into something we can enjoy.