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Winged Humanoids: From Prehistoric Art to Mothman Encounters
In Episode 6 of Beyond the Human, we trace the long and strange history of winged humanoids—from Paleolithic cave art and ancient mythologies to modern cryptid encounters—through the lens of the most famous example of all: Mothman.
Beginning with prehistoric depictions of winged human figures across Europe, Asia, and North America, this episode explores how beings resembling Mothman appear repeatedly in folklore, religion, and myth—from Assyrian winged genies and Greek harpies to Abrahamic angels.
We then turn to the 1966–1967 sightings in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, examining eyewitness accounts, the TNT Area encounters, and the sudden end of sightings following the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge. Drawing on the work of journalist and ufologist John Keel, we explore how Mothman became entangled with UFO encounters, Men in Black reports, and what Keel termed high strangeness.
The episode also looks beyond Point Pleasant to lesser-known cases like the Van Meter Visitor, post-disaster sightings at Chernobyl and Fukushima, and contemporary reports around Chicago and Lake Michigan. Finally, we examine competing explanations—from misidentification and altered states of consciousness to cryptids and Keel’s ultraterrestrial hypothesis—asking what these recurring winged humanoid encounters might reveal about perception, mythology, and the limits of human understanding.
Stay connected with us between episodes—follow Beyond the Human on Instagram and subscribe to Field Notes from the Beyond on Substack.
Topics discussed in this episode:
(1:31) - Pre/History of Winged Humanoids
(13:53) - The Mothman of Point Pleasant
(46:19) - The Van Meter Visitor
(58:54) - How do we explain this?
Resources for additional research:
Wayland, Tobias. “A Timeline of the Lake Michigan Mothman Sightings So Far.” The Singular Fortean Society. 2017.
Beyond the Human. “Cryptid Compendium: Mothman.” 2025.
Campfire ambience: “Campfire at night soundscape (louder fire, quieter animals)” by SilverIllusionist, via Freesound (CC BY 4.0).
Music: “Backwoods BBQ” by Chris Haugen, via the YouTube Audio Library.
View all episodes
By Beyond the HumanIn Episode 6 of Beyond the Human, we trace the long and strange history of winged humanoids—from Paleolithic cave art and ancient mythologies to modern cryptid encounters—through the lens of the most famous example of all: Mothman.
Beginning with prehistoric depictions of winged human figures across Europe, Asia, and North America, this episode explores how beings resembling Mothman appear repeatedly in folklore, religion, and myth—from Assyrian winged genies and Greek harpies to Abrahamic angels.
We then turn to the 1966–1967 sightings in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, examining eyewitness accounts, the TNT Area encounters, and the sudden end of sightings following the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge. Drawing on the work of journalist and ufologist John Keel, we explore how Mothman became entangled with UFO encounters, Men in Black reports, and what Keel termed high strangeness.
The episode also looks beyond Point Pleasant to lesser-known cases like the Van Meter Visitor, post-disaster sightings at Chernobyl and Fukushima, and contemporary reports around Chicago and Lake Michigan. Finally, we examine competing explanations—from misidentification and altered states of consciousness to cryptids and Keel’s ultraterrestrial hypothesis—asking what these recurring winged humanoid encounters might reveal about perception, mythology, and the limits of human understanding.
Stay connected with us between episodes—follow Beyond the Human on Instagram and subscribe to Field Notes from the Beyond on Substack.
Topics discussed in this episode:
(1:31) - Pre/History of Winged Humanoids
(13:53) - The Mothman of Point Pleasant
(46:19) - The Van Meter Visitor
(58:54) - How do we explain this?
Resources for additional research:
Wayland, Tobias. “A Timeline of the Lake Michigan Mothman Sightings So Far.” The Singular Fortean Society. 2017.
Beyond the Human. “Cryptid Compendium: Mothman.” 2025.
Campfire ambience: “Campfire at night soundscape (louder fire, quieter animals)” by SilverIllusionist, via Freesound (CC BY 4.0).
Music: “Backwoods BBQ” by Chris Haugen, via the YouTube Audio Library.