Associated With Alien Lore
An entity that has gained a spooky reputation and/or been linked to The Grinning Man on a couple of occassions, “Indrid Cold” has been spotted from time to time in regions experiencing heavy UFO and/or paranormal activity (in USA).
The name, Indrid Cold is mentioned in the late (d. 2009) John Keel’s book, The Mothman Prophecies (1975), in the fifth chapter entitled, “The Cold Who Came Down in the Rain.”
To my knowledge, The Grinning Man may actually be a different entity/phenomenon, however, some (but not all or even most) paranormal and fortean enthusiasts are linking these together. Indrid Cold has been linked to Mothman sightings – and so has our Grinning Man, only for some accounts, Grinning Man showed up prior to Mothman and Indrid Cold. As well, Grinning Man has been described as being much more like MIBs than Indrid Cold has… (apparently, once I am finished this hub, I’ll have to do more research and take on the topic of Grinning Man separately).
Indrid Cold seems to have had an effect on a Mr. Woodrow Derenberger back in the 1960’s and Derenberger’s account is what we’ll stick primarily to for this hub. It is Derenberger’s account that John Keel focuses on in The Mothman Prophecies, as well. The experience Derenberger had is also along the lines of UFO phenomena as he saw a strange object in the sky while driving at night in the rain – just minutes prior to seeing an entity calling itself Indrid Cold.
It seems John Keel is a primary source linking Indrid Cold to Mothman, via Keel’s book, The Mothman Prophecies, however, at times – Keel has been sort of misrepresented as inferring that Mothman and Indrid Cold are very closely linked. Certainly in the movie account of the same name, movie makers took liberties which show more of an association than I believe Keel intended.
Keel’s book simply mentions a number off oddities in the Point Pleasant area, including the Woody Derenberger account on Indrid Cold. Keel also includes details about a horrific bridge disaster and about a native curse believed to be linked to supernatural, paranormal and ufo events in the same area. In my opinion, it is more on the reader/movie viewer end of things – reader/viewer interpretation that Indrid Cold and Mothman got linked together… I just wanted to clear this up early on because I have, myself, started out appearing to link these entities together as if they have causal effects related to each other. This, I don’t know yet – however, I believe there are links between all the phenomena already mentioned – even if those links might just be happenings, sightings and events all in the same general area of the globe.
Certainly that a Native Curse is believed to exist, Grinning Man has allegedly been sighted, UFOs have been viewed, and Indrid Cold has been viewed all within about a two hundred mile radius of each other in U.S.A. is remarkable (and also a terrible bridge collapse occurred in the same area) – however, the biggest links between these things, entities and events might just be that they happen(ed) in the same general area.
Associated With a Hindu Deity?
Indra is a Hindu deity believed to be the god of storms, weather (especially rain), and war – a very powerful god with the authority and capability to unleash violent effects on the world.
Indra is the only and first Hindu god created from human parents, however, this does not limit Indra’s abilities and he possesses transcendent attributes and qualities, including the ability to take on innumerable forms.
Indra is also considered a “demiurge.” Demiurge is a FASHIONER – an entity/God who has the powers to create and maintain the physical universe.
The reason Indra is known also for violence, along with creation – is that Indra is another one of our trickster entities… Indra is mischievous. If not directly involved in un-fashioning things, it is said that Indra has been mischievous, creating chaos or causing/allowing others to create chaos – another form of opposite to the concepts of fashioning.
If Indrid Cold is Indra then what the Demiurge says and does is nothing to scowl or laugh at. We might have to look further into the concept of Indrid Cold! I wouldn’t want to be messing with Indra… a demiurge is a crafter, fashioner, artisan – but as such, this entity can also un-DO that which has been created…
I have no idea if Indra is linked with Indrid Cold, either, but the names are awful close, aren’t they? Just tossing this in and readers can decide if they want to connect Indra and Indrid Cold at some point – or even do some of their own research.
Out of the Kerosene Lamp Thing: Indrid Cold and W. Derenberger, Short Version
Mr. Woodrow Derenberger was a middle aged, ordinary guy from Mineral Wells near Parkersburg, West Virginia. He was driving home from work in his truck, along Interstate I-77 on November 2, 1966, when something happened that would change the rest of his life!
Mr. Derenberger encountered a UFO!
It was after dark and he was nearing Parkersburg and driving up an inclining piece of interstate when he heard a crash. A speeding vehicle came from behind, got around Derenberger’s vehicle, then quickly slowed. What was extremely odd was that Derengberger later reported that this vehicle didn’t look normal like any vehicle he was used to seeing – it looked like an old fashioned kerosene lamp chimney. It was flared at both ends with a bulge in the middle and as he tried to imagine what on earth this vehicle was that had cut around and into his path, slowing ’til Derenberger had to stop, a door slid open on the side of the strange vehicle ahead of him.
A strange, tall man stepped out of the vehicle and approached Derenberger’s truck, while the vehicle moved to overhead once the strange man stepped out. The man was described as around six feet tall, wearing green-ish, glistening attire, with combed back, straight black hair and very tanned skin.
Derenberger says communication was telepathic and he learned that this strange man was known as “Cold.”
Mr. Cold asked Derenberger a number of questions that Derenberger thought were very strange. Soon, Mr. Cold conveyed that he would visit Derenberger again soon, then went back to the strange vehicle and departed, leaving Derenberger wondering what on Earth he’d just experienced!
Indrid Cold Approaches Woodrow Derenberger on November 2, 1966: More Details
Out of the telepathic communication between Mr. Cold and Woodrow Derenberger, the following has emerged:
Mr. Cold “said”/conveyed he was a “Searcher”
Mr. Cold explained that places like the town up ahead along the roadway would be called “Gathering” in the place he is from
Mr. Cold gave his name, stating he is called by the term, “Cold.”
Mr. Cold told Derenberger he should go ahead and talk to authorities about this encounter, and conveyed that he (Cold) would confirm this event on Woodrow’s behalf at a later date
Mr. Cold claimed that his “Country” wasn’t as “Powerful” as ours
While Mr. Cold and Woodrow were involved in communicating with each other, the “craft” (soon-after, Woodrow would quite consistently refer to the odd vehicle as a “ship”) moved to hover above the truck.
At a point whereby Mr. Cold had given cue to Woodrow that communication was at an end, the ship hovered lower… Mr. Cold simply moved toward it, got in, and the ship left, taking Mr. Cold with it.
Woodrow claims that Mr. Cold appeared human
Once Woodrow Derenberger arrived home, badly shaken – and explained to his wife what he’d experienced, she initially believed he needed to go to the doctor. She was worried that he’d been involved in an accident and was in a state of shock in some form or another.
* NOTE – OTHER CONFIRMATIONS related to November 2: Other vehicles passed by and people observed someone talking to Mr. Derenberger at the side of the road. Some people would later affirm to the authorities that they had witnessed someone at the side of the road at the same time Derenberger claims he was communicating with Mr. Cold.
A young man, on the same night, said he witnessed something unidentified. The object flashed a blinding light over him and hovered over the young man’s car, “[…] frightening him out of his wits.”
A Mrs. Frank Huggins later reported she and her children (2) had stopped in their vehicle to watch an object that was hovering near the highway (this likely happened just moments after Mr. Cold finished his business with Mr. Derenberger).
others “[…] had seen a man speaking to the driver of a panel truck stopped on the highway.”
SOURCE (Keel, Mothman Prophecies)
The Next Morning – Nov. 3
On November 3rd, 1966, Woodrow followed up on the instructions Mr. Cold had given the night before. Woodrow went to the authorities to tell about his experience from only hours before. He spoke to local authorities, the police, and to several television station reporters – as well as military officials.
His account provided a media sensation at the time – which grew to overwhelming in very short order (within HOURS) – as everyone wanted to know more, from Woodrow, about this fantastic encounter. The story quickly got out so far that NASA and the American Air Force also contacted and spoke with Woodrow Derenberger. At the time, he believed that NASA and the Air Force each treated him and his story as truth and not as if Woodrow was lying or was of a delusional state of mind.
The local television station, WTAP, other local media, an Air Force Sergeant, the state police and the city police all asked questions of Derenberger and listened to his account of what had happened the night before. By evening, local stations aired the story and so did United Press International (UPI). In turn, Derenberger re-told his story again in the next hours and to anyone who would ask, while phone call after phone call came in as response to the news coverage. NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena) contacted Derenberger and the media sources he was now attached to. NICAP, The Air Force, NASA, all treated the man with the strange story very reasonably and without ridicule, seeming supportive, stating they all knew Derenberger had experienced SOMETHING, that’s for sure – but nobody knew just WHAT.
Derenberger and Co-Worker on November 4, 1966.
Shortly after the original event, Derenberger was a passenger in his co-worker’s vehicle and the two were driving along route 7 (still in the close vicinity of Parkersburg) when Derenberger became aware of a tingling sensation to his forehead. Immediately following the sensation, Derenberger began to receive telepathic communication from Mr. Cold.
Derenberger received the following information:
Mr. Cold hails from the planet, Lanulos
Lanulos location – the Ganymede galaxy
Lanulos is very Earth-like
Lanulos has flora, fauna and different seasons, like Earth also does
Mr. Cold is married
Mr. Cold’s wife is Kimi
Mr. Cold and Kimi have two children – sons
Life expectancy of residents of Lanulos is 125-175 Earth years
No wars on Lanulos
No poverty on Lanulos
No hunger or misery on Lanulos
When Mr. Cold was finished providing Derenberger with information, he prompted Derenberger to brace himself because Cold’s withdrawal would be painful for Derenberger. Indeed, Woody Derenberger nearly passed out from the pain in his head when Cold withdrew contact.
Strangers Wandering Around Asking About Derenberger
For a short spell, about two weeks after Woody Derenberger came out with his account of the strange incident with Indrid Cold, two strangers to the area started approaching the people of Mineral Wells (WV). These two strange men went door to door like traveling salesmen however they didn’t make many sales and didn’t seem to be very good salesmen at all!
Perhaps this is because, more than presenting sales pitches, the duo presented numerous questions everywhere they went. The topic: Mr. Derenberger. More specifically, they seemed aware of the recent reports and wanted to know about peoples’ opinions on the Woody Derenberger – Indrid Cold incident.
Some who were approached by the two men (were they MIB’s?) reported:
the men were selling Bibles
the men were selling hardware
the men said they were from Salem, Oregon and were Mormon missionaries
Descriptions of these two men provided the details of a duo whereby one man was short and dark – the other tall and fair. That is, one is said to have been short, dark-haired, with an olive complexion. The lighter featured man is said to have had features similar to a Scandinavian – tall and blond. As well, the shorter of the pair had a decided sharp, angular, and “pointed” look about him.
Again, these details come from Keel’s book, “The Mothman Prophecy,” and Keel places a note within the Derenberger/Indrid Cold account to let readers know that during the period of time when the strangers interacted with people, asking questions about Derenberger, a UFO flap was in progres over in Salem (I am assuming, from the context, that Keel means Salem, Oregon – however, there have been UFO sightings in Salem Massechussets in the mid to late 1960’s, too!). It is strange (coincidental?) that, to some Mineral Wells residents, the two salesmen mentioned they were from Salem…
Visiting The Galaxy of Ganymede.
Originally, Derenberger’s accounts in November 1966 were received with awe and curiosity but within a few months, the attention turned negative and the Derenberger family did much to just lay low and stay quiet to avoid attention. Naturally, what Derenberger claims happened next, in March 1967 has garnered much in the way of suspicion and outright disbelief, for he claims to have taken a trip with Mr. Cold in a spaceship. Still later, on another occasion, Derenberger has claimed that Mr. Cold took him to visit Cold’s home planet, Lanulos!
According to Derenberger (who later wrote a book about this), in March 1967, Indrid Cold brought his spaceship to land on Derenberger’s property and took Derenberger into the ship for a trip. Derenberger was allegedly transported to Brazil and back. He reported that the inside of the spaceship was very ordinary.
Later in 1967, Derenberger went with Mr. Cold to Lanulos, and reported Lanulos to be pleasant and much like our world. Derenberger asserted that on Lanulos, people don’t wear clothes all the time – a detail that John Keel found strange and wrote about in his Mothman Prophecies” in Chapter 9 (“Wake Up Down There!”).
* NOTE: from here on out, the information I’ve been able to access on Derenberger is spotty and I am still unable to obtain a copy of the book “Visitors From Lanulos” written by Derenberger and Harold W. Hubbard. I mainly have material by John Keel (who sat with and interviewed Derenberger several times) to look through and a little information from Derenberger’s daughter, Taunia Bowman.
Taunia Bowman has some articles online but much of the content turning up from online content searches containing her name lead to the same two or three articles which are copied and pasted on multiple sites, blogs, etc.
According to Keel, Derenberger took more than two trips with Mr. Cold in a spaceship. He also became familiar with some personalities introduced to him via Mr. Cold, including Cold’s wife, Kimi…
From here, Derenberger’s story and allegations start to sound a little twisty and spotted through with hallucinations, so I’m going to stop providing details at this point (until I can obtain a copy of Derenberger’s book, read and review it myself!). It’s not that I don’t think more details are important to provide – it’s just that the remainder of what is known about Derenberger and what Derenberger published, etc., is ever so speculative, subjective, etc.
Where the details thus far have some date, witness and authority markers (media interviews, other eyewitness reports, etc), much of what went on with Derenberger after March 1967 is really still being examined, sorted out by a number of interested parties…well sorted out or made out to be plain hysteria and non-sense by those unimpressed with the latter parts of the Derenberger history.
I’ll update the information on this hub once I’ve had a chance to read the Visitors From Lanulos material.
At 74 years of age, in 1990, Woodrow Derenberger died – after being ridiculed most of his life after November 1966. Only his daughter (but not his sons) has/have come forth to discuss his life or his extraordinary claims about Indrid Cold/Lanulos in any detail after his death.
If you’re interested in listening to the Derenberger Interview segments, they are only available through one website, as far as I have found:
Mr. Derenberger Interview – The Truth on Indrid Cold
I can’t embed the interviews here as parts 1 and 2 are protected and are only available at the one site, on-site.
A third video is available via You Tube and is embedded below. In this third part of the interview, Derenberger describes Indrid Cold’s spacecraft.
In Parting…
Up to this point, I have to think that Mr. Derenberger DID experience something different than what many other UFO abductees and contactees described in the 1960’s.
Something very strange DID happen to Mr. Derenberger in November 1966 and Indrid Cold is the name that rolled off Derenberger’s tongue for decades following his original encounter with an unexplained “ship” and “being.”
Later in life, it seems that Derenberger experienced much of what other abductees and contactees report – experiences that might be explained away as hallucinatory, containing memory glitches, and what seem to be perception glitches.
However…
I believe that Mr. Derenberger legitimately believed and believed in whatever he experienced.
Some people are after attention, make claims, then sort of go away and melt back into the crowd after UFO media coverage arises then also dies down. Mr. Derenberger, at a great loss of family and friends and at great expense of ridicule and prejudice, continued to talk of Indrid Cold, the planet Lanulos – and even paid out of his own pocket to get the book, “Visitors From Lanulos” published. In my opinion, these things make Derenberger a not-so-ordinary contactee and I will continue to look for information about his claims.
If anyone knows where I can obtain a copy of Visitors From Lanulos, please let me know.
There are many theories about who/what Indrid Cold is, from suggestions that he/it is an alien all the way to the possibility that he/it is a “thoughtform” or “tulpa” created, in part, by Derenberger’s imagination.
Mr. Cold may, indeed, come from a place called Lanulos. Whatever he is and wherever he comes from is still unexplained. The Indrid Cold mentioned by Derenberger is much different than the Indrid Cold shown in The Mothman Prophecies movie – the former seeming to be quite harmless as compared with the latter, fictional creation.
Personally, I think Grinning Man is an entirely separate and different entity from Indrid Cold and that the two are independent of each other.
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