Pope Lick Monster

VampireGreece · Southern EuropeLegendFear 9/10

Description

A vampire from the folklore of Greece. The Pope Lick Monster (more commonly, colloquially, the Goat Man) is a legendary part-man…

The Legend

The Pope Lick Monster (also known as the Goatman) is a legendary creature said to reside under the railroad bridge over Pope Lick Creek in the Fisherville area of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. This creature is described as having characteristics that are part human, part goat, and part sheep. Various urban legends exist about the origins of this creature and how it hunts its victims. In some stories, the monster is said to use hypnosis or voice mimicry to lure intruders to the bridge, leading them to their death by an oncoming train. Other tales suggest that the monster jumps from the bridge onto the roofs of passing cars. Another legend states that this creature attacks its victims with a blood-stained axe, and those who witness it are so disturbed by its appearance that they jump off the bridge. According to another legend, the monster is a hybrid of human and goat, vowing revenge after being abused as a circus freak. In one version, the monster is said to have escaped after a train derailed on the bridge. In another version frequently told by locals, the monster is described as a distorted reincarnation of a farmer who attempted to sacrifice a goat to gain Satan's power.

In Popular Culture

The Pope Lick Monster became the subject of the 1988 film 'The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster,' produced by Louisville filmmaker Ron Schieldknecht. This 16-minute film premiered on December 29, 1988, at the Uptown Theater, with most scenes shot at the Pope Lick Bridge, although character scenes on the bridge were filmed at other safe locations. Norfolk Southern railroad officials expressed significant concern, fearing that the film would lure teenagers to the bridge. They were particularly worried about one scene that they believed could be dangerously misleading, which depicted the high school protagonist hanging from the side of the bridge, narrowly avoiding an oncoming train. In reality, it takes 5 to 7 minutes for a long train to pass through the 772-foot (235m) bridge, making it nearly impossible for anyone to hang on long enough, and the vibrations are strong enough to shake the ground beneath the bridge when a train passes. Railroad officials warned that the film could increase the number of fatalities, issuing a statement at the premiere to highlight the dangers of the bridge.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Pope Lick Monster" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia