February 20, 2023
West Virginia, 1966. Midnight.
A car trundles along the winding backroads. The wind howls outside.
Suddenly, a pair of bright red eyes slice through the darkness. The car’s headlights reveal a winged beast looming in the distance.
A demon? An angel? No.
Mothman.
Few parts of American folklore get my mind racing as much as our homegrown cryptids. Sure, Bigfoot gets all the media buzz. However, I think it’s time some of the lesser-appreciated American monsters get their well-deserved participation awards.
“Cryptid” is a term to describe any type of animal or creature purported to exist somewhere in the wild. Their existence is passed down via local legends or harrowing eyewitness accounts rather than any sort of scientific documentation or study.
Famous examples of cryptids include the Abominable Snowman, the Loch Ness Monster, and the previously mentioned Bigfoot. However, the breadth of cryptids, both American and international, extends far beyond that!
The foul, bloodsucking creature known as the Chupacabra preys on Latin American livestock.
New Jersey is home to the hooved, two-legged beast called the Jersey Devil.
And there is the previously mentioned Mothman, a large, flying monster that terrorizes West Virginia.
Interested in learning more about these gruesome icons? If you enjoy physical books, A Guide to Sky Monsters and The United States of Cryptids are informative titles that offer interesting reads.
If you are looking for an audio learning experience, Chasing American Monsters is a great audiobook offered through MCPL’s downloadable catalog.
If you like videos, consider The History Channel’s MonsterQuest series, available from the Library on DVD.
Colin T.
North Independence Branch
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