MONSTERS, CRYPTIDS AND SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
MARYLAND GOATMAN
The Maryland Goatman is an axe wielding, half man, half goat, hybrid, which is known to roam the back roads of Beltsville, Maryland, with other sightings often reported near Fletchertown Road and Lottsford Road in Prince Georges County. He is probably the best-known and most persistent variation on the goatman story in the United States and tales of him go back to the 1950s. Although this hideous creature may not be as famous as his cryptid cousins Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, he still retains a devoted following, that has inspired horror movies such as “Deadly Detour” and origin stories that could equally be the stuff of movies. He is most famed for frequenting Lovers Lanes, typically terrifying teenagers and damaging their cars with his bloody axe, but also has a reputation for killing family pets and according to one story, the Maryland Goatman was blamed for the brutal murders of 14 hikers in 1962, their bodies chopped to pieces while the goatman emitted “screams that only the devil himself would make.” It would however seem that this particular cryptid is not unique, as he bares striking similarities to the other cryptids “The Pope Lick Monster”, “The Lake Worth Monster”, “The Proctor Valley Monster” and “The Waterford Sheepman”.
Physiology:
This creature is described as having the head of a goat and the body of a man, with many cases also including the hind quarters of a goat as well. As well as possessing great physical strength and horns, which can be used to cause physical harm, this beast is also often described as carrying a bloody axe and emitting a terrifying scream that “only the devil could make”.
Etylmology:
The name Goatman is a descriptive term used to describe the hybrid nature of the creature. Possessing physical attributed of both man and goat. Although this particular creature has been recorded since the 1950s there are mythological references going back over 2000 years of such creatures in Rome and Greece (see pan)
History:
According to Dr. Barry Pearson, a folklorist at the University of Maryland, the stories began around the ’50s and ’60s, with the Goatman having his “heydey” in the ’70s, when the death of a dog was blamed on Goatman by local residents.
Territory:
America
Origination:
According to the legend, the Goatman as originally a scientist from the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, named “Stephen Fletcher”, who was performing experiments on goats. His studies took a dark turn and he ultimately fused goat DNA with his own mutating him in to a human/goat hybrid hungry for blood. Another twist on the origin story tells of an old hermit, who lost his mind after teenagers killed his beloved flock. Out of pure grief or due to a dark pact in search of vengeance, he became the hybrid, bloodthirsty beast.
Nature:
The Maryland Goatman is a solitary and predatory creature, that appears to be driven by rage and bloodthirst. Any humanity this creature may once have possessed is long departed, leaving nothing more than a violent, hate filled shell intent on vengeance.
Modus Operandi:
This creature prefers to stalk back roads and woodland areas in search of its prey. It will frequent places, where it knows its victims are otherwise pre-occupied or distracted, such as lovers lanes, providing the opportunity to approach undetected. Those that have fallen prey to this beast are said to have their bodies dismembered and scattered as if in a fit of rage.
Vulnerability:
Although according to some origin stories where the Goatman may have utilized some form of dark magic in his creation, there have been no other recorded sighting, where he has used such abilities since. For the most part, sightings of the creature describe his physical strength or axe as his main forms of attack without the inclusion of any supernatural or other worldly abilities. This would suggest that he is not a magical being and would be vulnerable to any conventional for of attack. However as there have been no encounters with the creature, where this has been put to the test, I would not like to be the one to put this theory to the test.