Cryptid Investigations #380 - The Podman

Deep in the American heartland where shadows stretch unnaturally long beneath the moonlight, a legend has grown—both in stature and in mystery. A legend of a creature of unnatural origin. Locals are reluctant to talk about it for fear of ridicule or even that the mere mention of its name might be enough to summon this creature. It's name is Podman: a giant, humanoid creature bearing an eerie resemblance to a corn cob, with glistening yellow-gold skin patterned in rows, large saucer-shaped eyes that gleam in the dark, long limbs ending in claw-like hands, and a mouth packed with jagged, dagger-like teeth.

Mostly spotted at night, the Podman is a cryptid said to have haunted agricultural communities since at least the 1970s. Sightings, whispers, and warnings have passed from one generation to the next, blending folklore, fear, and fascination into one of the more bizarre and unsettling figures in the world of cryptozoology.

A Kernel of Truth: Historical Encounters

The earliest known mention of the Podman appears in a Des Moines Register article dated October 31, 1973, where a farmer named Clyde Harmon described a “gleaming man-shaped cob” that "walked out of the field like it owned the place." Harmon claimed the figure had “glassy, glowing eyes” and left behind a strong smell of scorched sugar and mold. His cows refused to approach the corn rows for weeks after the sighting.

In 1981, teenagers in Van Meter, Iowa—incidentally the same town known for its own historical cryptid, the Van Meter Visitor—claimed to have seen the Podman crouching at the edge of a field during a late-night joyride. One witness, Jenna Marks, recalled, “It looked like it was breathing. Its mouth was opening and closing, and it had these shiny teeth. We thought it was a costume, but it moved like nothing human.”

Later sightings came from Illinois, Nebraska, and parts of southern Minnesota, each describing eerily consistent features: the cob-like body, the gleaming eyes, and a presence that made the air feel electrically charged. Some accounts even claim the creature emits a low hum, like wind passing through reeds, before vanishing.

Modern Mysteries: The Podman Persists

More recent sightings have occurred as recently as 2022. A pair of drone hobbyists near Peoria, Illinois, captured what they describe as “an upright yellow figure” moving among rows of corn at midnight. Though the video remains inconclusive—grainy and lacking detail—it reignited interest in the cryptid.

A Reddit thread titled r/CornfieldCreatures featured a 2020 post from user GreenHarvest93, who claimed to have encountered the Podman while camping with friends near a rural Iowa farm. “It wasn’t just that it looked like corn,” the user wrote, “it moved in this slow, waving pattern, like it was part of the field. Then it opened its mouth and hissed. We all ran. One guy left his shoes behind.”

Skepticism in the Scientific Community

While believers continue to gather testimonies and blurry footage, the scientific community remains unimpressed.

Dr. Wallace E. Bratton, professor of neurobiology at the University of Chicago and outspoken critic of cryptozoological claims, dismisses the Podman as "pure hallucinatory projection."

“There’s zero physical evidence for this so-called Podman,” Bratton states. “More likely, it’s a product of hallucinogenic experimentation—particularly in rural communities in the 1970s and 1980s, where recreational drug use often mixed with occult dabbling, urban legends, and mass hysteria.”

Bratton points to patterns of Podman sightings coinciding with reports of psychedelic use. “You have people already predisposed to magical thinking—sitting in cornfields under the influence of psilocybin or Datura—and suddenly, the field comes alive. It’s not surprising they'd anthropomorphize the crops.”

He adds, “The idea that a giant walking corn creature with teeth evolved undetected is not just implausible. It’s biologically absurd.”

The Legend That Won’t Die

Despite the skepticism, the legend of Podman continues to flourish in online forums, local ghost tours, and even indie horror films. Whether it’s a real cryptid lurking in the cornfields or just the fever dream of a generation with vivid imaginations and too much mescaline, Podman remains a haunting fixture in American rural lore.

In 2009, the cult horror film Field Tape: The Podman Incident attempted to cash in on the found-footage boom, depicting a group of amateur documentarians who vanish while filming an exposé on strange disappearances in Iowa cornfields. Despite a shoestring budget, it became a late-night favorite at horror festivals, praised for its unnerving atmosphere and grainy, lo-fi aesthetic.

Podman’s reach also extends into music. In 2015 a track simply tiled Podman was released by the mysterious group known only as the DBC Synthetic Orchestra. This fuzz-laced, fast-tempo ode to the cryptid cemented the creature’s place in the alt-rock underground.

For some, it’s a monster. For others, a metaphor. But for those who claim they’ve seen it with their own eyes, the Podman is terrifyingly real—and always watching from between the stalks.

Have you seen the Podman? Share your experience anonymously at podmansightings.com