Mothman
The winged omen that circled Point Pleasant before the tragedy
| Also known as | The Mothman, the Bird-Man of Point Pleasant |
|---|---|
| Region | Point Pleasant, West Virginia (USA) |
| First sighting | November 1966 |
| Type of creature | Winged humanoid / omen |
| Danger level | ☾☾☾☾☾ |
Two couples and a dark road
On the night of November 15, 1966, two young couples were driving through an old munitions area near Point Pleasant when something rose up in front of the headlights: a grey figure over seven feet tall, wings folded against its back, and two red eyes that glowed «like reflectors». They swore it pursued their car in flight at over 100 miles an hour, barely beating its wings.
In the weeks that followed, dozens of locals reported similar encounters. The whole town lived through a year of night patrols, strange lights and visits from investigators across the country.
The collapse of the Silver Bridge
On December 15, 1967 — thirteen months after the first sighting — the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River at the height of rush hour, killing 46 people. The sightings stopped almost overnight, and the most unsettling part of the myth was born: Mothman did not attack, it warned. Ever since, people have claimed to see it before other disasters in different corners of the world.
Between the owl and the omen
The official explanation speaks of a sandhill crane or a disoriented great horned owl, magnified by fear and suggestion. But those who met it face to face were never convinced: no bird, they say, holds your gaze with two red embers at eye level. Point Pleasant today honors it with a statue, a museum and an annual festival.