We’ve reached the final chapter of our 3-part Mothman series! In this episode, I’ll share my own theory on what Mothman might be, or maybe still is, if he’s out there today. From there, we’ll zoom out to ask: what do we do with all this lore? We’ll explore why people continue to cling to the legend, how Mothman has spread his wings in pop culture, and even some modern sightings that prove the story isn’t going anywhere.

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Music:

www.purple-planet.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guhZN8MBfyY&list=RDguhZN8MBfyY&start_radio=1

Sources Cited in Today’s Episode:

DeCoste, S. (n.d.). 2023 Mothman Festival summons economic boom for point pleasant | WOWK 13 news. 13 News. https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/mason-county-wv/2023-mothman-festival-summons-economic-boom-for-point-pleasant/

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2025, August 21). Thunderbird. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/thunderbird-mythological-bird

H., S. (n.d.-a). Mothman Myth & How Folklore Overshadowed Real tragedy. Mythfolks. https://www.mythfolks.com/mothman-legend

Harvey, A. (2024, August 1). The Chicago Mothman, the creepy red-eyed humanoid allegedly seen flying throughout the city. All That’s Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/chicago-mothman

Horowitz, D. (n.d.). Thunderbird (cryptozoology): Research starters: EBSCO research. EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/zoology/thunderbird-cryptozoology

Phantoms & Monsters. Phantoms Monsters RSS. (n.d.). https://phantomsandmonsters.com/post/9218168018845603639

SpookySight. (n.d.). Mothman 1966-2024 sightings map by SpookySight · MapHub. MapHub. https://maphub.net/SpookySight/wisconsincaps-mothman-sightings

Terry, J. (2024, July 27). People keep seeing the Mothman in Chicago. VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/mothman-sightings-in-chicago

Up-to-date Mothman sighting map: All encounters from 1966 to 2024. spookysight.com. (2024, December 9). https://spookysight.com/updated-mothman-sighting-map

Watts, B. (n.d.). University of Kentucky University of Kentucky Uknowledge Uknowledge. UKnowledge. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=ltt_etds