Indrid Cold
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Indrid Cold (also known as the Grinning Man or Smiling Man) is a mysterious legendary being believed to be connected to the Mothman, first encountered by Woodrow Derenberger, as reported in the John Keel non-fiction book The Mothman Prophecies. He is described as being a humanoid entity, claiming extraterrestrial origin, with an inhumanly large smile on his face.[1][2]
History
[edit]On Wednesday, November 2, 1966 at 7:30 PM - while returning from Marietta, Ohio - Woodrow Derenberger (a sewing company salesman from Mineralwells, West Virginia) was driving home on Interstate 77 near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Derenberger claimed to have seen an unidentified flying object resembling a "kerosene lamp chimney", which blocked the road ahead of him and forced him to stop. A man - described as being six feet tall, having an olive complexion with dark brown hair, and wearing a glossy dark blue coat - emerged from the craft and walked up to Derenberger's vehicle and told him "Roll down your window, I want to talk to you". He revealed his name to be Indrid Cold and told Derenberger that he meant no harm. The two continued to talk for about 10 minutes, before Cold returned to the craft and left. Derenberger later recalled "I was very frightened and as far as I can understand, this was all mental, there were not spoken words from him. I knew what he was asking me but yet he stood there and his mouth did not move. He had a smile on his face, he appeared very courteous and friendly"
After reporting what he had seen to the police, Derenberger's story gained significant media attention - possibly due to the ongoing sightings of Mothman in Point Pleasant. The following afternoon at 4 PM, WTAP-TV aired a 30-minute interview with Derenberger.
Following the interview, Derenberger and his family began receiving strange threatening phone calls at his residence. The family then changed to an unlisted number, however, the calls continued.
Appearances in popular culture
[edit]The interview with Derenberger about his encounter with Indrid Cold is now on display at the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
Indrid Cold appears as a character in The Mothman Prophecies, a film based on John Keel's book. The character of Gordon Smallwood is loosely based on Woodrow Derenberger.
He has also been depicted as a character in other works of fiction, such as the podcast The Adventure Zone,[3] the video game Fallout 76, the trading card game MetaZoo,[4] and the comic book The Department of Truth. Another character named Mystery Man from the film Lost Highway is loosely based on Indrid Cold.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Keel, J. 1975. The Mothman Prophecies. New York: Saturday Review Press and E. P. Dutton. 269 pp. ISBN 0-8415-0355-9.
- ^ Carey, Liz (December 3, 2021). "Local Lore: Woodrow Derenberger and the Legend of Indrid Cold". The Daily Yonder. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
- ^ "Amnesty: Episode 14". MAXIMUMFUN. August 24, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
- ^ "MetaZoo HQ • MetaZoo's Frequently Asked Questions". MetaZoo HQ. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
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