Ep 258: Mantis Men
“Standing there in the water, right next to him, was this half-mantis, half-man. Almost eight feet tall.”
Description:
Anyone familiar with UFO and alien abduction lore knows that all manner of creatures have been reported to be associated with the phenomenon. While the "Grays" have dominated the popular culture imagination, some who claimed encounters recall things as fantastic and diverse as robots, androids, simians, reptilians, humanoid hybrids, and even Nordic-looking "Space Brothers and Sisters." Yet one scary entity may be at the apex of strange intruders, an evolved lifeform with telepathic powers, a tall, biped body, and a triangular-shaped head resembling an earthly mantis insect. But what if these insectoid organisms existed apart from the transportation technology we'd like to think they travel with? What if they were a natural, independent species from another world that overlaps ours, unintentional visitors from another planet or dimension, or maybe they've been here all along and just developed a way to cloak themselves, but it sometimes fails? While many tales of these characters connect to UFOs, a significant number of testimonies describe terrifying singular surprise appearances in wilderness settings. Two such separate anecdotes come from fishermen along the same stretch of the upper Musconetcong River near Stephens State Park in New Jersey. One interesting note is that the men strikingly felt that, whatever they were, the beings were just as shocked to see them as they were to see the beings. So who are they, and what do they want? Should we fear them, or with their advanced intelligence, are they apprehensive about us and feel they need to control us? Wade with us into the frightening and mysterious waters of the Mantis Men.
Location:
Stephens State Park, New Jersey, north of Hackettstown along the upper Musconetcong River, where at least two reports by separate fishermen claim they spotted a tall, mantis-human hybrid creature in the water.
Reference Links:
“The Musconetcong River 'Mantis Man' Returns” from Lon Strickler’s Phantoms & Monsters™ website
“Urban legend: Have you seen the Musconetcong Mantis Man?” from NJ.com
“Musconetcong Rivers History” on Gerald Kohrdt’s YouTube channel
“Possible Half-Human, Half-Praying-Mantis Carving Found on Ancient Rocks” from Smithsonian Magazine
“The Praying Mantis: A Master Of Evolution” from Adopt & Shop
“3-D Praying Mantis Vision Confounds Evolution” from the Institute for Creation Research
Alpheidae, or the snapping shrimp, pistol shrimp, or alpheid shrimp
The 1986 motion picture The Fly with Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis
AL Episode 155 with Terry Lovelace: Abduction at Devil’s Den
AL Episode 222 with a followup from Terry Lovelace: Devil’s Den: The Reckoning Part 1
AL EP 212: SASQUATCH: THE SEARCH FOR MANLIKE MONSTERS IN HISTORY
“Mantis Man sighting on the M'cong... this is no joke” from Hackettstown Life
“The Mysterious Aboriginal Rock Art of the Wandjina Sky Beings” from ancient-origins.net
“Episode 51 - Mantis Man” (Explicit) from The Unbelievers podcast on Spreaker.com
Related Books:
Suggested Viewing:
Suggested Listening:
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CREDITS:
Episode 258: Mantis Men. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound. Music and Sound Design by Allen Carrescia. Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher. Ed Voccola, Technical Producer. Research Support from The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2023 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.