Mothman Types: Moth style, Owl style (other developments may exist)

Habitat: Ohio Valley Region

Attracted to: drawn to bright lights, wildflower gardens

Diet: may be carnivorous or herbivorous

Reproduction: promiscuous; performs courtship display; may interbreed

Society: solitary

Lifespan: approximately 6 years

Sharp, chilling clicks echo in the dense woodland, a large figure shrouding the area in darkness—all becomes silent. From the treetops, a billowing, sharp figure descends like a loosed arrow, wrapping around a deer. A quick and efficient kill, the animal is engulfed as if consumed by a black hole. Its meal engorged hastily, the creature stands tall, fur standing on end, pointy and wild. Its ominous, quivering wings spread out, stretching and obscuring the world around it in inky black. Wrapping back around itself like a cloak, it leaps suddenly into the air, bounding from branch to branch, higher and higher, its tattered wings trailing behind. Clicks echo once again in the forest.

Mothman is a sinister and mysterious entity with an astounding number of documented sightings—witnesses catching only a glimpse of the large, winged, wide-eyed monstrosity. West Virginia’s Mothman is not the only such creature, however; the Mothman is thought to be related to other cryptids and legendary groups, such as the Cromortum from Russia and similar figures in Illinois or Michigan. The beast most often seen in Point Pleasant is known to have an aura of fear around it, which prevents humans and animals from approaching it.

Believed to be a creature from another dimension (differing from the one paranormal entities originate from), Mothman has resided in the region since at least the mid-1500s. It is most often seen above abandoned sites or within forests. It is the third and final stage in the Herald Cycle; it exists to bring disaster and banish Red Eyes. It is retired by the Headless Guardian and reborn by Red Eyes.

Caterpillar Phase

Each lifecycle, hundreds of Mothman caterpillars are birthed into the world. Small, plump insects, they have two spiky, pale, striped horns, two large, purple eyes, a diamond-shaped mouth full of needle-teeth, 14 feet, and a curved stinger. Gray and slightly purple in color, the caterpillars are striped with thin, wavy bands of reddish color; on the sides, lines of ringed-dots halve the insect.

Mothman caterpillars require some cardenolide to fully develop. Feeding on the sap of milkweed plants and insects that feed on them, like Monarchs, Mothman caterpillars store the toxin within their body to defend themselves against predators. The diet of these caterpillars directly affects the development and activity of later life stages. Caterpillars able to predominantly feed on plant matter metamorph into herbivorous insects; those that metamorph underweight or undernourished transform into nocturnal hunters.

Anatomy and Physical Descriptions The appearance of Mothman constantly changes slightly, becoming more macabre throughout its cycle. Named for its moth-like physique, the most striking aspect of the creature is its large, glowing, red eye; in direct light, these eyes reveal a dark purple ring. Mothman’s wings begin as smooth, four-piece scale wings—which gradually transform into a pair of billowing, tattered leathery wings attached to broad, sharp shoulders. The entity’s body is covered in short hair, which lengthens over the course of its cycle; near the end of its life, the hair elongates greatly, giving it a ragged, fluffy appearance. Mothman has bird-like appendages and talons attached to long, lean limbs; as the creature ages, these also grow and thinning, darkening in color. An extra phalange grows in the middle of its cycle on each appendage. Antenna begin as a moth’s—feathery and comb-like—but changes into two thick, quill-like protrusions, which hang low with a curve, as if weighted down by their own heft, density. Around its neck, a fluffy mane resides. When standing still, resting, or hiding, the creature slumps down into the collar; this action makes its eyes seem larger and its head rounder, concealing its mandibles. This long, fluffy hair can also be found on the shoulders and spine during late phases of its cycle. The creature’s body begins colored in hues of brown, gradually shifting to gray and black, purple in the light. Its wings are initially colorful, painted in pale shades of red, purple, blue, orange, tan, gray, and cream. Over time, these hues desaturate and lighten or darken to grays and blacks, purple on the fringes. Stripes can be found on the creature’s abdomen and back, as well as on its wings; other dark patterns, spots, and lines are displayed on the wings, though they morph and phase out over time. Mothman’s hide is mottled, tan (dark gray later on), and wrinkled; its hide is a hardy, one-layer exoskeleton made up of chitin and other compounds. When its wings are folded, its silhouette resembles a bird’s—a wide, round top that tapers down the form. Mothman is 6.5 - 7 ft tall, with a 10 ft wingspan. While Mothman’s exterior somewhat resembles an insect’s, its interior appears more like a human’s. Muscle connects to an exo- and endoskeleton, all protecting the interior organs of the creature. Like its external shell, the creature’s internal skeleton is made up of the same chitinous substance; though similar to human bone structure, Mothman’s ribs are fewer in number and the pelvic bone is narrower and tilted downwards, almost horizontally. Within the being, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, excretory (regulates chemicals that change its features, mood) systems are maintained and carried out by internal processes and organs.

Understanding and Delineating Mothman There are many winged, ominous cryptids in West Virginia; the Mothman, however, is especially unique and can be easily distinguished. First, Mothman encounters usually occur in sporadically in one region over the course of a month, migrating between a few or several locations, a trail of witness accounts following; the details of these reports change slightly over the course of Mothman’s cycle. Second, most creatures similar to Mothman are described as having an unpleasant scent attached to them, but Mothman does not have any smell connected to it. Third, people are heavily influenced by the Mothman’s presence, some moreso than others. All humans near the creature feel a growing, unplaceable fear, dread, and occasional nausea, followed by a drop in temperature and air pressure; some may also experience nose, eye, or ear bleeds and static shocks. These are believed to be common occurrences associated with being near other-dimensional entities. The closer one is to the being, the more intense effects become. Most close encounters with this legendary creature leads to lifelong paranoia, night terror, anxiety, insomnia, and unfounded, new fears. People who look into the creature's eyes may develop Klieg Conjunctivitis—a condition marked by red, swollen, sensitive eyes caused by prolonged exposure to actinic or ultraviolet rays. Lastly, the creature does not move on all fours, traveling by walking (never running) on two legs or flying. Its gait is like that of a man’s, but more slow and precise; while moving on the ground, its wings may twitch, flutter, or stretch wide. When it takes flight, it jumps straight up in the air and flaps its wings at the height of its leap. Mothman never flees or acts as if it is afraid. The monstrous being picks a few areas to use as resting spots; these dwellings are where it spends most of its day—usually abandoned buildings or undeveloped sections of forest near towns. In addition to its form, Mothman’s personality and habits change as its great disaster draws near. The first half of its cycle is spent attempting to scare people away from the area— seemingly warning humanity of impending doom; during this portion, it eats little, is more likely to approach humans, and is more active. Those nearby may experience negative side effects, but no physical harm. During the second half of its cycle, the creature withdraws from humans and avoids them. It watches activity from a distance, hunts frequently, and conserves its power for great destruction; if approached, it may act aggressively or become extremely violent. Though very rare, some people believe they have been hunted by the Mothman or know someone who was killed by it—though there have been no clearly connected deaths. While Mothman’s phase can be denoted by its appearance, some of its activities can be understood by the noises it makes: when traveling or investigating an area, it makes squeaking noises; if hunting, it makes a variety of clicking noises—some deep, others high pitched; when it is resting or preparing to do so, it makes metallic sounds and taps its nails against the ground; if preparing to cause disaster, it wriggles the tatters of its wings quickly and blows air through its mandibles, creating a wavering, ominous sound like wind through a crack. Documented History and Life Cycle Out of the trio, Mothman is the least active, though it is the most important—regulating the duration and transformations of the other two legendary beings, in addition to leading to considerable disaster. After Red Eyes gains enough strength, Mothman is provided with a portal to cross into this dimension; this transportation is very costly to Red Eyes, who experiences great pain and bodily disfigurement. During the process, the tear in time and space rips open the creature’s belly, exposing a bright, golden light in a thick, vertical line; out from the illumination, Mothman’s shadowy form steps with clumsiness, the realm’s gravitational pull, atmosphere, and physics foreign. Straying from the bright light, which slowly diminishes, Mothman unfurls its wide wings; it cleans them and its physique of the sticky goo that coated its body upon crossing. Though the trio has been in the area for hundreds of years—brief mentions in history, folklore, and oral stories—and caused numerous, strange, and sometimes devastating, events, the first documented sighting of Mothman was in the summer of 1966. In West Virginia’s “Ohio Valley”, a woman saw a large creature that she described as looking like a butterfly. A few months later, a second woman saw a winged figure in the skies above Point Pleasant—but this one also resembled a man as it descended behind a line of trees. On Nov. 12, it was spotted heading southeast to Clendenin, where it flew low over a graveyard; it only resided in that area for a few days before flying northeast to Salem. There, it committed its first brutal act. Carnivorous, yet not ravenous like the Night Terror, Mothman consumes small animals, like birds, squirrels, and rabbits, but will also attack and eat larger animals like dogs and deer. As the day of disaster draws near, its appetite grows. Mothman twitches its antenna against each other and its body non-stop, generating small electric charges; these charges are strong enough to detect potential prey and living creatures nearby, while also being weak enough to go unnoticed. On Nov. 14, at 10:30 p.m., home after a long day at work, a man was relaxing after dinner and watching TV. Suddenly, the television began malfunctioning, making strange noises and displaying a herringbone pattern of varying colors of static. Soon after, a high-pitched wail squealed from the device and his dog began to howl outside. The man had noticed that his pet had been acting strange all evening, almost as if it sensed something nearby it disliked. On edge himself and feeling a growing sensation of fear, the man grabbed his shotgun and cautiously went outside. In the field adjacent to his yard, he spotted a pair of large, glowing eyes. Upon seeing his master, the dog sprinted towards the strange glow, snarling, growling, and frothing at the mouth, ready to fight. Calling after the dog, the man hesitated, and returned inside, afraid of what lurked in the field—possibly his yard. The next day, his dog still had not returned. He looked in the field; in the mud, near where the eyes had been seen, he saw his dog’s paw prints. They appeared as if to circle something, but led nowhere else—the tracks abruptly ended, almost as if his beloved pet had vanished from existence. The next day, two couples saw the Mothman near an abandoned power plant at night, in an area known locally as the “TNT Area”. The creature flew above them, straight upwards into the air, where it glided back and forth, keeping pace with their car speeding 100 mph down the road. Frightened by its speed and proximity, the couples tried to lose the monster, but could not elude it; as they drove, they continued to hear its beating wings and mouse-like noises. Mothman disappeared when they neared town, but when they turned around to head back home, they spotted a dead dog on the side of the road that had not been there on the way up. When they passed the animal carcass, the creature appeared from out of the trees and flew over them. The teens quickly returned to town and called the police. That same night, the deputy heard abnormal, static noises on his radio and numerous locals saw strange shadows circling the area. One of the couples, the Scarberrys, witnessed the creature on their roof multiple times (once in Dec, then in Jun. 29, 30, and Jul. 1). The next day, someone saw the entity fly up inside a boiler and, in the afternoon, a group discovered tracks in the mud that resembled two narrow horseshoes put together. In the same area that night, a family visiting relatives saw small, dazzling lights in the sky and felt static in the air. Immediately following their appearance, one of the women turned to see a large, dark, humanoid figure looming over her; its head was tilted down and sunken into feathery shoulders, gigantic wings folded around it tightly. Looking back, her family also saw the creature and began to panic, urging her to run. As she turned to flee, she heard the flapping of wings behind her; panicked, she fell, losing control of her limbs and thoughts, almost as if in a trance. Helping her to her feet, they all rushed into the home and told their relatives what happened. Tension and fear high, they called the police; while waiting for their arrival, the monster walked on the porch, scraped against the door, and peered through the window with its large, insect-like eyes. Twenty minutes later, it disappeared and the cops arrived. Shaking, the woman who fell under the creature’s spell repeated, “It will come back, back for me.” She suffered from the traumatizing experience, seeking medical attention for her anxiety, waves of panic, and insomnia. On Nov. 20, the creature flew an hour southeast, where it was spotted twice in the sky over a local quarry; the next day, it was reported in Charleston, where it was seen by many flying above residential areas and walking on the roofs of homes. The next two days were spent in Point Pleasant, where it harassed cars flying near the Ohio River and surrounding areas, swooping and following them at high speeds. On the 26th, it flew over St. Albans and Charleston, causing more panic over its existence. On the morning of the 27th, Mothman visited New Haven, where it dived at cars near the Mason County Golf Course before swooping upwards last minute, disappearing into a cloudy sky; one witness was so upset that she required medical attention—immediately after the event, she developed Klieg Conjunctivitis. That afternoon, the creature traveled back to Charleston and St. Albans, where it chased more vehicles and teenagers on foot. At the end of November and beginning of December, Mothman remained in the TNT Area. Several teenagers reported being chased by the being, some saying that it circled them from above, attacked their car, and followed them for long distances. Many people spotted the creature near the abandoned power plant—several seeing it enter the building or fly out of it. One night, two men were riding a motorcycle near the plant, when they thought they saw something large and strange with glowing red eyes fly into the building; curious, they entered the abandoned structure. High in the building, on the catwalks, they saw the same red eyes and a dimly lit form; the creature studied them for several minutes before walking off the ledge and flying outside—the sound of its echoing, beating wings deafening. Once gone, the pair felt frightened and unsettled immediately; prior to its exit, they felt drawn to it and safe. Over a week later, on Dec. 7, a group of five set out to look for the Mothman in the TNT Area. It, however, found them first. Before the creature came into view, they experienced an overwhelming sensation of fear and heard loud, metallic noises, chirps; out of the fog, a dark, winged figure slowly emerged; the group fled. One of the members’ ears began bleeding after the encounter. Sightings continued though January, then ceased for several months. Mothman was not seen again until Nov. 2, 1967 in the TNT Area. There, a woman heard a strange noise that reminded her of a bad fan belt; looking out her side window, she saw a large shadow spreading over the field. The figure was human-like, but with giant wings like shredded cloth; it paid her no mind, heading towards the forest instead—where it and its wildly furry body disappeared. After, the woman was plagued by nightmares. 18 For the next several weeks in the area, several pets went missing, there was an increase in roadkill, and locals heard strange noises. On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed, killing 46 people, two of which were never recovered. Just before the disaster, Mothman was seen along the banks in the shadows, its red eyes gazing towards the bridge, unblinking. Seconds before the structure’s failure, its form was spotted briefly flying in the sky above it. It is unknown why the Mothman causes disasters, or exactly how it causes them; what is known, however, is that the calamities it brings are always related to natural disasters or infrastructure failures. At least one death occurs during its cycle, and at least one body is never found. According to folklore, the longer Mothman’s cycle lasts, the worse the disaster it brings will be. After the creature’s calamity takes place, its fur and antennas seem to droop and it appears haggard. The Headless Guardian’s bodiless form then seeks out the being—the pair drawn to each other. After having met, the pair gradually begins to emanate a bright red light; they ascend into the sky, disappearing in a brief, bright flash of light. The physical body of Mothman falls to the ground; the hair and feathers blow off the corpse, into the wind generated by the beings’ departure. Its carapace then melts away, followed by its organs, which bubble and gurgle, pooling into a black puddle; its bones, once exposed to air, catch fire, burning to ash. No other evidence of the creature is left behind. This marks the end of Mothman’s life cycle. Return of Mothman In 2015, a group of three were investigating the TNT Area when they encountered something abnormal. First, they noted a change in air pressure and temperature—the air cooling slightly, accompanied by a constant breeze. Nearby, a light began growing, a vertical stripe in the distance. The glow hovered three ft off the ground. Out from the light, a frightening, winged figure emerged. The group fled, feeling more afraid than they ever had before. All members experienced nausea afterward, one’s ear also bleeding. A little over a year later, along Route 2, a man claimed to have seen and photographed the Mothman; his story and pictures appeared on WSAZ News Channel 3 and other media outlets.