Matching 50 mythical creatures with each of the 50 states

West Virginia: Mothman

Is it a copout to choose the monster of West Virginia folklore as the state monster? I think not! After all, not many states can say that they have a Mothman! And I am here for it.

Considering the state already has its very own monster, why wouldn’t we want them to keep their legendary monster? It would be silly to kick the Mothman out of his state and send him somewhere else, just so an entirely different monster could come in and steal his thunder.

So what is it about West Virginia that makes it so they have an iconic monster that is as much a part of their folklore as any other monster? How about the fact that there were actual sightings of this creature in the mid to late 1960s! With multiple sightings of this creature, reports that even went national, and plenty of stories dedicated to the Mothman, it just makes sense that he would remain the ultimate creature of West Virginia.

At this point, there is even an entire festival dedicated to the Mothman. And I get it. After all, it’s not every day you can pay tribute to a flying man with wings like a moth and red glowing eyes. Bonus points for the fact that he was apparently seen by multiple witnesses, including a couple driving by a former WWII munitions area, and a pair of volunteer firemen.

While there are plenty of people who offered up explanations or ideas of what the Mothman actually was, the fact that even they couldn’t agree on the truth of the creature means that this is one monster who has stuck around.