Episode 158 - Homo lepidopteris

Spooktober continues! This week, we're taking a turn for the cryptid and spooking local with the legend of West Virginia native son, the Mothman. For a little over a year leading up to December 1967, sightings of a winged humanoid with glowing eyes were reported in and around Point Pleasant, WV. Since then, Mothman has evolved from evil omen to legend to meme. In this episode, we’ll explore the legend, collective memory, and the power of portents.

• Paranormal Activity in West Virginia (Marshall University)

• Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend (West Virginia Book Company)

• Mothman myth rooted in Messenger reporter's work (Athens Messenger)

• Is the Mothman of West Virginia an Owl? (Audubon Society)

• Silver Bridge tragedy still haunts river city residents (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

• Tu-Endie-Wei State Park (WV State Parks)

• Point Pleasant, West Virginia: Making a Tourism Landscape in an Appalachian Town (Southeastern Geographer)

• West Virginian Urban Legends and Their Impact on Cultures Both Local and Abroad (Bowling Green State University)

• The Mothman and Other Strange Tales: Shaping Queer Appalachia Through Folkloric Discourse in Online Social Media Communities (University of Kentucky)

• UFOs Were Born Among America’s Cold War Fears (Foreign Policy)

• Welcome To The 'TNT Area,' Home Of The Mothman (NPR)

• Federal Facilities Restoration Program (WV Dept of Environmental Protection)