Cryptid Profile: The Goatman

Since the 1950’s, the citizens of the state of Maryland have told legends about the Goatman. This creature is described as a half-goat half-human cryptid that is extremely aggressive and has been known to kill people who trespass into his domain.

The legend of this creature (most often told by the local teenagers) states that cars parked on non-lit or poorly lit backroads are the most vulnerable to the anger and fury of the Goatman. His weapon of choice is reported to be an axe that he swings with the strength of two grown men. Easily able to penetrate the thin car doors and roofs of “preoccupied” parked teenagers. When asked about where the Goatman came from, the locals will tell the tale about how the creature was once a mad scientist who worked at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The scientist was experimenting on combining human and goat DNA when a lab accident occurred which resulted in tragedy. The scientist became the victim of his own experiment and turned into the monster he was trying to create. He now roams the backwoods looking to take out his anger on anyone he encounters that was foolish enough to enter his woods.

But Maryland is not the only state to tell tales about the Goatman. The legend is also told in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana and Wisconsin. He is known by many different names (the Pope Lick Monster and The Lake Worth Monster being among the most well known), he stalks different locations (bridges, abandoned buildings, and areas around lakes), but reports of his anger and his drive for blood are always the same. No matter what Goatman you encounter, you can always rest assured that he will be angry and is best to be avoided at all times.

Many people believe this legend to be a modern reinterpretation of the Greek and Roman myth of the Satyr. Through natural story telling handed down from one generation to the next, the legend of the Satyr slowly transformed into the modern legend of the Goatman that is told today.

- The Pine Barrens Institute

*Image Credit: https://aaronsimscompany.deviantart.com/art/Satyr-Concept-2-80303831