The Kentucky Goatman
The Pope Lick Monster is an infamous hybrid creature that many claim lives under an old railroad trestle bridge just east of Louisville, Kentucky. Those who have seen him describe the monster as part-man, part-goat and part-sheep. He is covered in greasy fur, with sharp horns protruding from his pale white forehead and equipped with cloven hooves in the place of feet. The Pope Lick monster stands upright like a man, but this vicious beast is blessed with more than just inhuman strength, he also has supernatural powers.
The origin of the Pope Lick Monster varies depending on who tells the tale. Some claim he is the product of human-animal relations, others that he is the reincarnation of a local farmer believed to have sacrificed goats in a deal with Satan to receive immortality, but the most infamous tale says that the Pope Lick Monster is an escaped carnie out for revenge. He stalks the area surrounding his home near Pope Lick, either hypnotizing his victims or luring them onto the 90-foot high train trestle with his uncanny power to mimic the voice of those they trust. It is there, on the top of that bridge, that his victims meet their death-- often the result of an oncoming train.
A Deadly Urban Legend
While tales of the Pope Lick Monster have been around since the sixties, the monstrous archetype of the goatman has been a staple in lore as far back as the satyrs of Ancient Rome; but unlike these other mythical creatures, the myth of the Kentucky goatman has proven more lethal than the monster itself. The old trestle bridge crossing Pope Lick Creek is still part of an active railroad line, and unfortunately, over the last several decades dozens of people have either been killed or injured on it while searching for the fabled beast.