The Mothman: An Archetype

What is the Mothman? Hero? Anti-Hero? Harbinger of impending doom? These questions will lead you to local lore in small West Virginia town, Point Pleasant. In 1966, the first sighting occurred in an over-grown area close to a derelict factory abandoned since WWII. A favorite spot for couples looking for a little privacy, a lovers lane. The couple sighted a large winged figure with glowing red eyes! The couple reported it to police, and the social meme is born. Mothman Mania! All over Point Pleasant people were a buzz of the Mothman, additional sightings were to follow. Text-book psychology will demonstrate that the wide spread acceptance of Mothman is nothing short of mass hysteria. So much in fact, that when the Ohio bridge collapsed in 1967, it was the Mothman and not a decrepit old bridge with faulty eye-bars. The Silver Bridge crossed the Ohio River connecting Point Pleasant, WV to Kanauga, OH. The sightings increased, and the legend didnt lose momentum, in fact it went viral. By the time the 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel came out it was accepted as actual fact. Gray Barker produced the Film based on the book by the same name, and once people see it on the silver screen the meme grows. The Mothman is now officially part of cryptozoology, a field of study that focuses on creatures that have not been proven to exist, but continue to be sighted by hysterics. Keel and Barker were in contact with each other, even spoke about collaborating but they were so paranoid, the entire relationship degenerated to one accusing the other of being in league with conspiracy organizations or agendas. In 1970, Keel mentioned the Mothman in his book Strange Creatures from Time and Space, right around the same time Barker published The Silver Bridge. Both stuck to the facts of the recorded encounters, or so it

would seem until Keel disputed Barkers claims in his book, Keel seemed to have had a 180 compared to his earlier claims in just five years. He lost interest in such ideas, as he lost fans of his work. The content just didnt seem appealing any more, at least on a large scale. There are subtle hints to be found that Keel was just fictionalizing the character to give it appeal to sell more books. Reviewing the material myself, I can sense hints of an HP Lovecraft influence. A creature that defies all logic, makes no rational sense to human beings, because it exists within other dimensions and out of normal parameters - thats Lovecraftian, for sure.

Many of the sighting sketches looked like large birds with glowing eyes, similar to how they would appear if seen at night. But what other attributes does the Mothman have? Is it a bird or a bug? Some Mothman attributes:Inter-dimensional Being Glowing Red EyesFlight WingsScreetching SoundsA sense of dread, anxietyHarbinger of DoomPre-cog visionsDeath ReaperPredatory Creature My first exposure to the Mothman, was through the 2002 film and special features shown on the Sci-Fi (Syfy) channel around the same time. I couldnt help but see the correlations between the psych- models being used in Mothman Prophecies, to the 1991 film Silence of the Lambs. The moth played a heavy role in the psychological profile of the serial killer Buffalo Bill (aka Louis Friend). Buffalo Bill, while a fictional character is based on a mix of attributes from prolific killers Ed Gein, Gary Hiednik, and Ted Bundy. Criminal profiling is another matter to address, while the book and film gave criminal profiling its glam (as well as the profilers), its not an a-typica method in FBI investigations. There are

all sorts of profiles used such as geographical, racial, social, etc. I defer you to the History of Criminal Profiling by Katherine Ramsland for a more in-depth analysis.

Buffalo Bill, as so eloquently stated by Dr. Hannibal Lecter, is his nature. His nature, is that he covets. What does he covet? Like the Deaths Head Moth, he wishes to transform. It is his nature, that compels him to trap women like animals, skin their hides

piece by piece and create his human skin suit. It is why he covets, his pathology that will provide FBI investigators clues into the transformation of Louis Friend into Buffalo Bill. Much like the shrills reported about the Mothman, the Deaths Head moth emits a loud shreik by forcing air out of a long tube-like appendage that it uses to suck nectar called the proboscis. Dr. Lecter suggests the writings of Marcus Aurelius, specifically the Meditations written in 175 in whch Marcus states: For any particular thing, ask What is it in itself? What is its nature?

What is the Mothman? What is its nature? To answer that, one would have to be truly honest with oneself and explore why social memes are solidified by believers. Why do people believe what they do? Imagine the pathology of the person who claims to have sighted the Mothman, what do they covet? Much like the idolized hero archetype, what attributes does the believer admire or seek to emulate themselves? What is their nature?

Simplicity. Sometimes things are just that simple. Dont over complicate things when self-examining. Go right to the heart of the matter, and look at it - what does it look like? Is this nature something that should be opposed? Nature is Satans church, it is opposing you every step of the way. There are times in which you must be adversary to the adversary. Self-discipline is the framework in which you will deconstruct yourself, and transform...A metamorphosis.

RISE! SIN JONESwww.the-poison-apple.com Sources: The Silver Bridge, Gray BarkerCreatures from Time and Space, John KeelThe Mothman Prophecies, John KeelMothman Solved!, Skeptical Inquirer, Joe NickellThe Silence of the Lambs film, 1991The Mothman Prophecies film, 2002