My interest started in Elementary School, maybe 3rd or 4th grade. I originally started getting interested in scary campfire stories and poems like those found in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. I was madly in love with these books and with the general feeling of scaring myself.
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Around that same time, friends of my parents living in Toms River, NJ, told me stories about the Jersey Devil. These stories prompted me to find books about "real" monsters. I wanted to learn more and the fact that there might be something living out in the dark was just alluring enough to prod me into finding out more.
So I went into the school library and check out as many books as I could. On opening the first one - I wish I could remember the name - I found a story about The Goatman. Not only did it intrigue me with its appearance, but I was raised on a farm that had goats. I just couldn't imagine one of these animals out in the dark forest causing mayhem.
Truthfully, the story creeped me out. It did seem a bit far fetched, as did a lot of the other stories in those books, but they scared me nonetheless. And I wanted more.
My interest for the unknown was born.
Enter the Goatman.
There are many stories about this beast throughout the country, as well as the world. The description stays very steady with every story. The Goatman is basically half man and half goat, as the name suggests. He wanders around on two legs of a goat, complete with cloven hooves. His torso is that of a man and he bears the head of a goat. Some stories report him carrying an axe while others say he attacks with his clawed hands.
Either way, I wouldn't want to meet this creature alone in the dead of night.
In California, he is known as the Chevo Man after the Spanish word for goat. In Kentucky, there is Pope Lick Monster. The Lake Worth Monster was sighted near Greer Island in Fort Worth, Texas. Others appear throughout the US. All of them strike a fearful legend where ever they've been reported.
The only good instance of a Goatman I was able to come across was in Australia. According to Australian legend, this Goatman helps travellers lost in the deserts of the Outback. Those unfortunates he comes across are led to water to quench their thirst.
The rest of the Goatmen through history haven't been so nice.
The first instances we can find are the Satyrs of mythology. Satyrs and fauns have been celebrated in Roman and Greek mythology as followers and servants of the god Dionysus/Bacchus. They were usually fun-loving, always partying, most likely drunk, and very sexual. Many stories find them raping nymphs and virgins for the fun of it.
The satyr was taken into Christian belief in the form of Satan. In many pictures, the devil is shown with cloven goat's feet and legs, a man's torso and the horned head of a goat, encouraging sin and debauchery to enter the hearts of the Hell-bound.
I must also emphasize that many Christian beliefs have condemned Wiccans and Pagans as consorting with the devil due to the similarity to the satyr, considered a good forest spirit to many beliefs.
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In Scotland there is a legend of the Goatman of the Loch near, you guessed it, Loch Ness. This creature is believed to have been loosed by Aliester Crowley in one of his Black Magick Spells at Boleskines. It is also worth noting that Scotland had the Glaistig, a creature appearing as a goat-woman with the bottom half of a goat and top of a hag. She reportedly is a trickster who lures men to her cave and drinks their blood. She will also mislead travellers and throw rocks at them. One town tells of her being a protector of cattle and herders. The villagers would offer her bowls of milk in exchange for her protection.
Worldwide, these creatures seem to be a product of nature, if not an extremely bizarre one. Most seem to be based off of the satyrs of mythology. Once you enter the US, the story changes. Many of the stories in the South revolve around a man who farmed goats. Some stories have him having relations with the animals and producing the hideous off-spring. Others tell of him being killed with his goats nearby and they come together to exact revenge on his murderers.
One such story is of Goatman's Bridge just south of Denton, Texas. In this story, an old black goatherd was lynched over the side of the bridge by Klansmen. When they retrieved the noose, the body was gone and the goatherd presumed dead. According to legend, this Goatman is still sighted on the bridge and in the surrounding forest. Hoof beats on the bridge and maniacal laughter can be heard on dark nights. Those adventurous enough can drive across the bridge with their lights off to meet the Goatman at the other side. Those who have reported seeing or hearing him claim he is accompanied by a terrible sulphurous rotting smell. Many accidents and missing persons reports in that area are blamed on this creature.
In Fort Worth, Texas is the Lake Worth Monster. This creature reportedly attacked a group of three couples who decided to go parking in July of 1969. A gash left in the side of the car was enough evidence to trigger a hunt for the monster. This creature was described as being seven foot tall and covered in gray or white fur. Several dozen people witnessed it angrily throw a tire 500 feet. It reportedly has a mournful cry that can be heard across the lake to this day.
The Goatman of Pope Lick near Louisville, KY has a completely different tactic from the rest. This monster was born from one of two very different origins. One story tells of a goatherd who signed a contract with the devil and was transformed into a terrible beast. The other tells of a circus train that derailed on the railroad trestle where the legend centers. This train contained a circus freak that escaped and is looking for revenge.
Pope Lick's monster is said to carry an axe. He, like many of the rest of the Goatman legends in the US, seeks out teens and lures them to their deaths. Some may be attacked while making out in cars at night, like the man with a hook for a hand from Urban Legend. This Goatman is also known for his ventriloquism. It is said that he can imitate the voices of children and lure people onto the railroad trestle. Once on the trestle there is no escape from oncoming trains.
Other stories of the Goatman come from the Native Americans of the Western US. These tell of shapeshifters or skinwalkers. Many of these stories revolve around a stranger venturing to a campfire out of the wilderness or desert. He or she will sit down with the group and generally go unnoticed because he does not speak or make a sound. Some say it does this so stealthily that the people involved don't even realize there is another person present until too late. These stories often end with the group leaving the man behind when they head home and being chased by a wild creature intent on killing them. Some stories tell of these shifters entering homes in the middle of the night and sexually attacking the inhabitant, male or female.
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| from www.thecryptocrew.com |
Finally, we have the legend I know best. I actually live near its epicenter. This is the Goatman of Maryland, probably one of the better known legends. This one also has several origin stories. One is of a man who kept goats and went mad after a group of teenagers killed them. The other is of a scientist who was transformed into a hideous creature after an experiment with a goat went horribly wrong at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, part of the USDA. This terrible accident left him as a half-man half-goat that was hungry for blood.
Reports of this creature go back as far as the 50's, though most notably in the 70's. Reports remain throughout Prince George's County of his attacks, often with an axe or rock against cars parked in Lovers Lanes. Many unresolved unexplainable deaths and disappearances have been attributed this Goatman. Sightings have been reported from Hyattsville to Bowie. One disappearance has been attributed to him as recently as 2008.
One notorious location rumored to spawn quite a few Goatman sightings is Cry Baby Bridge on Governor's Bridge Road, just east of Bowie. Legend says that you can park your car on the bridge and hear the soft cries of a baby in the night. Another tells of a ghostly car that pulls up behind parked cars, only to disappear then the driver looks back. Some say that the Goatman is responsible for the baby cries as it tries to lure its victims to their death. Human remains have been found nearby, but discounted as a coyote attack. Some people aren't so sure.
Another location boasting many reports of the Goatman is the abandoned Glen Dale Hospital, just a few miles east of NASA Goddard. This hospital's main purpose was to treat tuberculosis victims. Whether haunted by spirits of the victims or the Goatman, strange noise can be heard from within despite being monitored consistently by DC Park patrols.
Whether or not you choose to believe in the Goatman, I have my own suspicions. European reports may be the remainders of myths and legends gone by. Who knows, maybe satyrs still play with the nymphs and faeries of lore. In the US, some of the stories are definitely to ward of kids from doing stupid things. Though the more the stories are told, the more curious adventure seekers become. In several cases, I think it is a case of mistaken identity. While it may not be Goatman, there may be another undiscovered creature lurking out there.
The areas I am suspect of are Maryland and the two locations in Texas. All report a large hairy creature, possibly with horns, but not necessarily. They all report a horrible sulphurous smell along with the creature. All of which are trademarks of another famous cryptid, Bigfoot which has been reportedly sighted in all of these areas. Even the residents of Fort Worth will tell you that their creature is more Sasquatch than anything else.
But, I'll leave Bigfoot for another day.
Notes taken from http://www.goatmanhollow.com/, http://www.goatmansbridge.com/, http://www.wave3.com,http://res.dallasnews.com,http://modernfarmer.com, http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/, http://books.google.com/
Kool!
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