Idea: Cryptid (and other weird) Locations

[Paranormalcy]

This is offtopic for what I usually post about, especially in the last few years, but this is something that occurred to me before, but the paranormal inclined person I mentioned it to didn't think much of it, so maybe it's nothing.

I remember watching a good amount of documentaries and shows about some fairly famous cryptid and related phenomena: mothman, flatwoods monster, jersey devil, hopkinsville, etc. And I realized that a number of these (not necessarily THESE, but in this vein) "creatures" are not very far from each other. Mothman and I think Flatwoods monster or some other one (my memory, so bad sometimes) are only a hundred and some miles apart.

Anyway, this sort of thing is my point. If you look at all these stories from a large view, it almost seems like you can trace an area where these things either occurred (and maybe continue to do so) or an actual movement, like whatever it was started at Site X, moved a hundred miles west and landed at Site Y a month later, etc.

I'm of the skeptical bent so this seems much more likely to be from word of mouth and maybe "paranormal jealousy" (conscious or otherwise) and maybe having seemingly weird things in one's own neck of the woods and taking inspiration from tales from elsewhere to help explain these things.

But regardless of your view on what it is, does anyone notice or think there is any connection or sigificance to the location or often fairly short distances (broadly speaking) between many of these things, including cryptids, maybe UFO/alien landings/sightings, famous poltergeist cases, etc.?

[Sakari]

Very true, and I agree.

With Bigfoot, you can see the first stories in the PNW/California, and if they were on a map with dates, you would see similar stories of the same thing spread east like a plague through the years. With the plague spreading faster when Cable TV came out, and than the internet, and even more with the finding Bigfoot, and other shows.

And now, they are all over the world.......But, they were not before.

[Horta]

This is a fascinating subject. Not only in the regional sense, but now with communication so easily achieved, around the entire globe.

We haven't really lost our fondness and propensity for mythology since more primitive times. Often they just seem more relevant to our circumstances. The growth of the ufo/ aliens culture since WW2 for example, seems to reflect much about our technologically advanced society. There does appear to be correlations between sociological conditions and the popularity of certain mythology (the correlation between socio-economics and religion for example, is well known). I feel there is likely to be similar correlations regarding myths like bigfoot. How such myths firstly begin and then how they spread, is a fascinating topic and I wish more academics though so as well. There doesn't seem to be a lot of in depth research into popular cultural myths.

[Kenemet]

I remember reading that the Chupacabra stories actually start with a Mexican ghost of the same name - the farther away it was, the louder its voice (and when things got REALLY QUIET, it was nearly on top of you.) Later it migrated to Puerto Rico, where it became a blood sucker and then traveled onwards.

So, yes, you can trace these to an extent. Nowadays, Internet makes it more difficult (as with the recent "Slenderman" craze.)

[Podo]

I would imagine any creepy are that would confound our consciousness to create "what if" scenarios would be perfect for a sighting of something. All a person needs to do is to get into the mindset of wondering "hey, wouldn't it be scary if..." and let pareidolia do its thing on shadows, rocks, scampering raccoons, and whathaveyou. We're very suggestible creatures, and it doesn't take much to get our minds playing tricks.

[BeastieRunner]

1. That picture is freaky.

2. Anybody want to map a phenomenon and see how that looks?

[monkeyman2269]

I see cheepycabaras in the city alot always making up stories trying to get change

[Dougward5]

I have noticed sightings tend to follow waterways....