MOTHMAN
A monster? An omen? A harbinger of death? Many things can be said about this mysterious creature.
In the days leading up to the horrendous Chernobyl disasters, the employees working in the nuclear plant were fighting their own dark, twisted demons. Many workers in the control center had reported the bone-chilling sighting of a terrifying creature that hovered over Chernobyl and Pripyat. Whoever saw the humanoid with giant wings, a sable headless body, and red, glowing eyes was doomed- as their lives were plunged into nothingness, and darkness, their days were numbered. Those unlucky people began to see nightmares that would leave them completely hollow and scared. At times, they’d get phone calls from unknown numbers- with no one to speak on the other side.
While some just dismissed the event as a mere betrayal of eyes, others knew that their end was near. Then, some people saw the black bird flying around the power plant on the day of the notorious disaster of 1986. And soon enough, the Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded into ashes and fire.
Even today, the locals talk about their own harbinger of doom that has taken the moniker of the blackbird. In more popular instances, you’d know the supernatural creature as the Mothman.
Call it an urban legend or deep conspiracy propaganda, but many eyewitnesses account detail witnessing a horrid creature right before the biggest disasters. From the events of September 11 to the devastating water disasters, people have witnessed their own creations of the Mothman in unfortunate places. As it stands today, the sighting of this vile, dark creature means one thing and one thing only: something bad is about to happen. In most myths and legends, we’ve heard about many comical and bizarre bad omens. Charles the Second’s obsession with housing the ravens to protect his kingdom is one notable example. But the sighting of a personified bad omen is a step further.
Most people believe that the Mothman is a supernatural creature disguised as a warning sign that dooms its witnesses to a disturbed and melancholy life. But the more terrifying and gut-punching theory suggests that the Mothman is just not the harbinger of doom- it’s the creator of the biggest tragedies of our recent history. And well, if eyewitnesses are anything to go by, this theory doesn’t only make sense but also has heaps and heaps of evidence that seem to defy all odds. Yet at the end of the day, everything boils down if we even choose to believe the poor souls who’re at the wrong place at the wrong time. Because if we put the Mothman in logical perspective, it’s pretty counterintuitive to our sensibilities. Stories like these only exist in horror movies and books, or perhaps in the deepest pits of conspiracy theories. It’s unfortunate how historically, the sighters of the Mothman have been either ridiculed or silenced, and well, some just chose to not believe everything they had witnessed.
Before 9/11, some citizens of New York City had reported witnessing a green-like creature flying around the twin towers. And when they voiced out their concerns in public spaces, they were hushed into never repeating their stories again.
But back in time, the stories regarding the Mothman weren’t mystifying or compelled into being super obscure. In fact, the popularity of this unexplained creature comes from its sheer mainstreaming by the media in the 1960s. The folklore behind this vile creature comes from a heroic tale of a turbulent car chase that had implicated two young couples from West Virginia. Roger Scarberry and his wife Linda, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Mallettes, were fond of hanging out at the TNT Area. The spot was popular among the people, and over time, it was a hotspot for drag racing and car shows. Roger was a huge car enthusiast who used to drive a black 1957 Chevy. His friends knew that no one gets to touch the Chevy- it was Roger’s prized possession and perhaps his baby. He was known to keep his car mint, scratch-less, and pretty clean. Hold on, because it’s about to get weird!
On the night of November 15, 1966, the beloved car became a subject of a haunting story that still lives to this date. What happened was that these two couples and neighbors were hanging out at the TNT area when Roger offered to give them a ride back home. It was pretty late and they were eager to hit the sack. They had just begun their journey when the Chevy was chased by a 6 foot 7 inches tall flying creature with red, glowing eyes. Roger was quick to hit the acceleration and get his wife and friends to safety. But the supernatural humanoid chasing them was flying at record speeds of 100 MPH. The Scarberrys and Mallettes barely escaped the monster. Yet their story had taken their town by storm. The local newspaper gave the creature its own moniker: the Mothman. And that was the beginning of the pop phenomenon as we know it today.
After the local popular incident, the TNT became a jarring place to visit. Every young adult was worried that their hang-out spot was now being controlled by a dark creature with monstrous speeds and 10-foot-wide wings. And let’s just say, they were right to not brush it off as a one-time incident. From 1966 to 1967, the town was relentlessly haunted by the Mothman. The local police station was busy filing one complaint after another. And despite their best efforts, there was no credible lead to investigate the horrifying stories of the residents. People of the town even formed search parties to locate the monster and end its chapter for eternity. Yet their efforts also went futile.
It seemed like the Mothman would go into the depths of the Earth after terrorizing people. What’s really concerning was that authorities outside the town weren’t interested to buy into the lived experiences of the people. But the local residents kept narrating the emptiness and eeriness they felt when they saw the Mothman with their own eyes. Sure, those people didn’t have the fanciest iPhone in their pocket to record the terrifying sighting. And of course, the incidents couldn’t go viral on Twitter either. But people’s stories had a lot of conviction. In particular, Roger Scarberry had scathing evidence on his hands. His beloved Chevy had noticeable scratches that were certainly not human. The car also had patches of removed paint that was scrapped off through fingernails or more appropriately, tentacles.
Then the most terrifying thing happened. In 1967, the Silver Bridge, which used to connect West Virginia and Ohio, was crushed under the rush-hour traffic weight. Just like that- the architectural mastery crumbled under its own weight. And 46 people lost their lives. The residents of West Virginia were both shocked and terrified that something so wondrous could collapse right before their eyes. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the Mothman theory gained unprecedented momentum. Mainly because the residents who had witnessed the creature were convinced about the supernatural causes of the collapse. They widely believed that their bone-chilling interactions with the monster were leading to this event. And it’s also shocking that after the collapse of the Silver Bridge, residents stopped sighting the Mothman.
In another shocking tale, Mothman theory enthusiasts can’t really trace the whereabouts of Roger’s iconic Chevy that popularized the creature. It’s true that after Roger’s divorce from his wife, his valuables had to be turned around. But after that shakedown, the car disappeared into thin air. And it’s still lost today.
Yet this is not the end of the series of profoundly disturbing events. You see, the town of Point Pleasant in West Virginia had its own reset of supernatural experiences. During the sightings of the Mothman, the local residents were witnessing other unexplainable events. Many households reported weird power cuts and power surges. At times, the electronic appliances stopped working or the lights would flicker to no end. Certain objects would start moving on their own or would disappear into some abyss. The town was straight-up freaked out. Now, it may sound like a rip-off Stranger Things episode until people start to witness UFOs.
From the year 1966 to 1967, the West Virginia Police Department got countless calls from terrified residents who had witnessed something strange hovering in the skies. John Keel, a journalist, and UFOlogist dissected this theory in his book, Mothman Prophecies. Keel explains the dark creature as a possible supernatural manifestation of an astrological being that became too exposed on Earth. Aliens don’t like to garner attention, but the events at the TNT hotspot made the Mothman a phenomenon. So, the alien retaliated in a way that it knew the best: cause chaos in our world. And let’s just say, it was pretty successful in spooking the local residents and their generations to come.
While this is one plausible theory, historians and experts in the American War have their own ideas. People familiar with the American Revolution would know about the native Shawnee Chief Cornstalk that was murdered by the rebel-allied colonists. Cornstalk’s death was a huge misfortune after he had spent most of his life vouching for inter-tribal peace. Interestingly, his gruesome murder took place in Point Pleasant, just a few miles from the Silver Bridge. In his last words, the Chief cursed the local rebels for an eternity of disasters and blood-spill on their lands. So, are we living through Cornstalk’s Curse?
We wouldn’t rule out the possibility. The natives had a huge grasp on their omens and curses. And if we attribute the major disasters and incidents to the Mothman, we know that Cornstalk’s curse continues.
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