Indrid Cold (Art by Jonathan Wesslund)
Indrid Cold, commonly known as The Smiling Man or Grinning Man, is an ultraterrestrial revealed to be a vessel for one of the Yithians. His name comes from his tendency to smile at those who encounter him, it is also said that he still visits West Virginia today.
Overview[]
It is commonly believed that Indrid may be an alien entity and is supported by its close connection with UFO activity and with Derenberger's sighting. It is also said by Derenberger that the Grinning Man is in fact a species of aliens with multiple "grinning men". Although, this is unlikely unless the aliens are shapeshifters, because it would be impossible for a race to take the exact same evolutionary path as us.
However, the third sighting by the Lilly family suggests instead that it may be a ghost or spirit of some kind and was connected with poltergeist activity happening in the residence. It may be a prank that went too far, or a man with a mental illness. Others believe that it is a normal human man or a hoax based off of the popularity and fear of the Mothman, who had been first sighted around the same time.
Appearance[]
The Grinning Man is reported to be human-like in appearance, though is commonly associated with UFO activity and is sometimes believed to be an alien. It is also believed that he is possibly connected to the Men in Black, even purportedly being among their number. However, UFOlogists believe that Indrid is likely an Alternate.
In his first sighting, he was described as being over six feet tall and wearing a reflective, green suit with a black belt. He had a dark complexion and small, beady eyes set far apart. That could fly with his wings. He was described as not having any nose, ears, or hair. In his second known encounter, his suit was said to be blue instead of green, but still retained its reflective property. Along with that he was described as looking perfectly natural with slicked back hair, a coat with the top two buttons unbuttoned, and having pants lighter than the coat but still the same material. He was also described as being quite tan, though not dark, and looking like any normal human being.
History[]
Background[]
Indrid Cold's background as a 'human' is shrouded in mystery though some believe he was never human in the first place but an ultraterrestrial that took the form of a terran to go about unnoticed. In addition, it is revealed that Indrid Cold is in fact the alias taken by a Yithian that transferred its consciousness from another alien being called the "Flatwoods Monster" in 1952 to Indrid Cold.
The reason for this is due to the fact that this Yithian would not be among its kind that was buried beneath the Sandy Desert of Australia, instead going rogue as it wished to spread the message of an oncoming cataclysm that would destroy all life, but it was cast out for not following the code of the Yithians. This rogue Yithian then managed to transfer its consciousness to another unidentified extraterrestrial which the humans dubbed the Flatwoods Monster in order to make its way towards Earth to bypass the psionic barrier the other Yithians placed upon it. However, the crash landing severely damaged the body to where it was forced to abandon its former host and find another, this time in the form of a humanoid being named "Indrid Cold".
1966[]
Sightings[]
Artwork of the Grinning Man.
Indrid Cold was first seen on October 16, 1966, when two boys, Martin "Mouse" Munov and James "Jimmy" Yanchitis, in New Jersey were walking on Fourth Street when they saw a surreal figure standing near a fence. As they walked closer, the figure was a tall bald man wearing a metal green suit who was staring right at them with a huge grin. The idiosyncratic man chased them until they got away from him. UFO sightings were also reported around the area.
"Jimmy nudged me...and said "Who's that guy standing behind you?" I looked around and there he was...behind that fence. Just standing there. He pivoted around and looked right at us. Then he grinned a big old grin."
According to Night Mind, the boys only recalled the more frightening details of their encounter later on. They would recall that the man in the green suit was unusually tall and had unnatural facial features, such as the lack of ears and a nose.
Second Sighting[]
On November 2, 1966, in Parkersburg, West Virginia (around the same area and time as the Mothman came about), Woodrow Derenberger was driving his way home on Interstate 77 until he heard a crash. Then, an unidentifiable vehicle appeared to land in front of his truck. He described it as "an old-fashioned kerosene lamp chimney, flaring at both ends, narrowing down to a small neck and then enlarging in a great bulge in the center." The Grinning Man came out of the vehicle with a dark tan, and walked up to Derenberger and telepathically said his name was "Indrid Cold" and he meant no harm. Cold said he just wanted to know more about the human race and he would visit Derenberger again. After the encounter, Derenberger stated that Cold revealed he was from the planet Lanulos in the galaxy of Genemedes.
Third Sighting[]
During the same period in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the Lilly family had been reporting that poltergeist activity in their home, such as diamond shaped lights. The Lilly's daughter, Linda, was sleeping one night and awoke to see a man standing over her.
"It was a man, a big man. Very broad. I couldn't see his face very well, but I could see that he was grinning at me. He walked around the bed and stood right over me. I screamed again and hid under the covers, when I looked again he was gone."