The legendary Mothman has been a lot of things to a lot of people. And, in many respects, his mostly complex and evolving “history” as a mythological creature, has made him one of the most unique and fascinating being of his kind. That is until somebody – possibly a blogger on a cryptid or paranormal site – began to speculate that the Mothman is actually an alien.

To be frank, Mothman (or as many ardent fans call him The Mothman) is not an alien. He’s not a hairy beast with wings or an evil prophet of doom, either. He is allegedly a modern folklore character. And, as far as legends are concerned, he’s a very interesting one.

The first two reports of the Mothman were made in the mid-1960s in Point Pleasant, West Virginia near the Ohio border. In one case, several frightened teens reported seeing a hairy creature with glowing red eyes hiding in the shadows of an abandoned weapons factory. The second sighting came from a motorist who claimed the Mothman was flying alongside his car on a secluded stretch of Route 62.

Since that time, he’s gone from being a local legend to an international phenomenon, thanks, in no small part, to the 1975 book “The Mothman Prophesies” by John Keel and the movie based on it.

Also, he took on other important characteristics, which have come to define him to a modern public. He became a creature of doom, supposedly showing up a day or two before a disaster occurred (as in the case of the Silver Bridge collapse in 1967). He supposedly took on a companion – a mysterious figure known as Indrid Cold. He too was introduced in the investigative writing of Keel, including ‘The Mothman Prophesies”.

Indrid Cold would eventually have his own narrative. Also, his origin, it would appear, was created by a rival town in West Virginia. In many respects, one town wanted to outdo the other town in being the home of mythological beings.

Some people in the area claimed to have had contact with him, stating he was either the Mothman himself, a friend to the creature, alien or time-traveler.

Often, folk tales are retold with new details added to them. In some cases, they get blended in with other stories of lore. Mothman and Indrid, it appears, have had their stories blended. This is especially true with the alien origin narrative that has recently popped up in blogs about the Mothman, Indrid, or both.

The alien claim is a bit misleading. In many cases, it was a reference to Indrid. Also, the stories of the alien origin were created long after the Mothman story was established.

Calling the Mothman an alien doesn’t seem to fit. It’s as if somebody wanted to modernize an already-modern myth. Was this mere speculation from a true believer of the Mothman, or was it created by somebody who was trying to tie the story into people’s fascination with extraterrestrials? Who knows? This is the nature of folktales.

Like many folk tales and cryptid creatures, the Mothman is mysterious and creepy. In many respects, that is why he is so appealing to the public. Since alien tales are popular these days, turning the Mothman into an alien may seem appropriate. However, the Mothman was already a legend who stood on his own. He doesn’t need to be grouped with another set of mythological beings.