This item is password protected and available to members of The Geocoin Club only. If you are a member of The Geocoin Club, you will receive the month's password in club newsletter email.
August 2020 - The Mothman
Design notes from the artist:
The "Mothman" legend was born in 1966 in Mason County, West Virginia when five men working to dig a plot in the graveyard spotted a strange creature watching them from the trees a short distance away. They all described it as an otherworldly creature that was vaguely man shaped with large wings that were described as red-brownish in color. Shortly after being spotted it launched itself into the sky flew away over their heads. With multiple witnesses, this strange encounter naturally gained a lot of attention in a very short time. As attention grew, historians started noting a number of similar sightings going back much further in time. One of these encounters during WWI recorded a creature with a wingspan of about 12 feet and covered with dark reddish feathers that appeared to sparkle when exposed to sunlight. It was linked with being near an unnamed "tragic event" that wasn't specified. Not long after it was sighted again in 1961 when it was spotted by two motorists at night when it stepped out near a road, but quickly launched into the air and flew away as their vehicle approached. It was described as greyish-brown and covered in fine feathers or fur. Just a couple years later in 1966 it was again spotted by a group of National Guardsmen who watched it flit from treetop to treetop near Point Pleasant, WV.
One of the most notable encounters occurred on Nov 15th of that same year when two couples out for an evening drive through the countryside saw a strange creature lurking in the shadows along the forest edge. When the headlights crossed its form, the eyes reflected a bright glowing red. Alarmed, the foursome quickly turned away and began to speed back to town. They described the creature as approximately 6-7' tall with wings sprouting from its back which it quickly used to begin closing the gap between them. The driver was terrified and began to accelerate to over 100mph, but the creature had no problem catching up and emitting a high-pitched vocal noise at flew around them before finally leaving off the chase.
It seemed initially that the creature might be a solitary type of encounter, but in September of 1978 in Freiburg, Germany a group of miners encountered near their mine entrance a "strange man" with a hunched back and glowing red eyes who appeared to be wearing a coat. The miners were shocked when the coat suddenly billowed open into wings before it emitted a high-pitched vocal screech that sent the men running. Much excited discussion ensued until about an hour later when a seismic rumbled trembled through the ground and the mine where the men had intended to work collapsed without warning. The "Freiburg Shrieker" was attributed with saving all their lives from certain death. In 1986, it was spotted again flying about after the destruction of Chernobyl. When investigations began, there turned out to be dozens of reports of the creature being sighted just prior to the disaster near the nearby town of Pripyat. Possible sightings in Southeastern China in 1926 report a "shadowy man dragon" creature that had been sighted numerous times by people in the village just south of the Xiaon Te Dam which subsequently collapsed and released 40 billion gallons of water which took the lives of over 15,000 people.
The stories around the world and in different cultures all describe the same creature as a harbinger of change or danger. Excited explorers have long tried to find this elusive creature and discover its origin. The hunt continues to this day and even has geocaches dedicated to the mystery! The face side of this coin displays an approximation of the creature based on the numerous descriptions as it steps through the common hex seal that is commonly used in part of West Virginia to helpfully keep it away along with coordinates taking you to the heart of thy mystery. The reverse of this coin shows the creature's name sake which coincidentally for thousands of years has been a symbol of messages from worlds beyond our own. It is centered over the ancient Wheel of Fortune and Fate, a prophetic seal pointing to the fate and future of those who heed its warnings. Finally, a series of Awen symbols, considered markers of divine or otherworldly divination and mystery, in alternating light and dark tones invoke the ancient definition of "flowing spirit of knowledge" in recognition of this creature's seeming precognitive abilities.
If you like mysteries and searching for hidden things, then this might be just the coin to inspire you on your next hunt!
|
Log In