Who is Mothman, the ‘Legend’ of Point Pleasant, West Virgina?

Cryptids have had a long history in urban legends, but one of the most eerie stands out from the rest: The Mothman.  Unlike discussions of the Loch Ness Monster or Slenderman, the legends of the Mothman are surprisingly credible. 

Who, or what is the Mothman?

The Mothman is typically described as over seven feet tall with large wings and glowing red eyes. The description originally stemmed from the 1967 Silver Bridge collapse in West Virginia. 46 people died when the bridge crumbled, seemingly for no apparent reason. But the strangest part was that witnesses claimed there had been a warning about this event. 

Local citizens describe seeing a portend in the form of a giant moth-like creature. As it turns out, many had reported seeing the giant cryptid in various points in West Virginia at the time. In Point Pleasant, some reported signs of a seven-foot-tall winged creature with a 10-foot wingspan

According to The Gettysburg Times, two married couples, the Scarberrys and the Malletts, recall seeing the apparition. Linda and Roger Scarberry were 19 and 18 respectively and friends with Steve and Mary Mallette and both couples had attended Point Pleasant High School together. Their reports about the bridge collapse brought rise to the belief that the Mothman was trying to help the townspeople avert the disaster. 

Skeptics argue that what the witnesses saw could simply be a bird, but where’s the fun in that?  Unlike tales of UFOs that vary wildly with each telling, the Mothman remains relatively consistent. Many cryptids are ominous and regarded with fear or dread, but the Mothman is often considered a benevolent figure. 

So beloved is the creature that there now stands a 12-foot monument to the Mothman in Point Pleasant. Per The Atlas Obscura, the visage is shiny and chrome and stands on 201 4th St. Like the Robocop statue in Detroit, this assuredly cements the creature as a pop culture icon.