Goatman (Maryland)
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The Goatman is a hominid cryptid reported to be living in the United States of America most commonly associated with Prince George's County, in Maryland. It is a hybrid creature; part man and part goat.[1] Some claim it is a relative of Bigfoot. Its appearance is similar to the satyrs of Greek mythology (of which Pan is one), the Devil, and the horned men seen in cave paintings.
The Goatman of Maryland is often associated with Governor’s Bridge Road, Lottsford Road and Fletchertown Road, in Prince George's County, and with the nearby Glenn Dale Hospital; the former site of a state tuberculosis sanitarium. It is reported to have attacked a number of witnesses and to have damaged property.[2] It has also been reported to have killed family pets.[3]
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[edit] History
Reports of the Goatman began in 1957, with sightings occurring in Upper Marlboro and Forestville, Prince George's County, Maryland.[4] From there, sightings spread to other states; with reports of the Goatman being made as far south as Texas in the 1960s, Washington and California during the 1980s, and as far north as Ontario, Canada and Cannelton,Indiana during the 1990s.
Alleged sightings have now been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington,Colorado, and Wisconsin. The largest concentration of these sightings has been around Bowie, Maryland.
Recently it has been rumored that there has been a sighting of the goatman in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
[edit] Urban Myths
Since the 1970s, the Goatman has become the subject of a number of popular urban myths in Maryland and beyond.[1] Myths vary, but the Goatman preying on courting couples[5] in a similar fashion to the Hook legend,[6] or attacking cars parked at the side of the road, are both common themes. It has also become part of the urban legend of “Crybaby Bridge” (Governor’s Bridge Road, Prince George's County).[1] Florida sightings are sometimes attributed to the Skunk ape, another Florida myth.
Urban myths often put secret genetics programs forward as a possible source of the Goatman. Experiments by the federal government and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Maryland, have both been suggested as possible Goatman origins. There is no evidence to support either.
[edit] References
- In the Joe R. Lansdale mystery novel, "The Bottoms" young Harry Collins discovers a mutilated black woman's body hidden deep in the woods followed by more murders. He suspects the murders have been done by the Goat Man, and local legend of the creature says the creature resides in the local bottoms of East Texas.
- Blackman W Haden (1998), “The Field Guide to North American Monsters: Everything You Need to Know About Encountering Over 100 Terrifying Creatures in the Wild”, Three Rivers Press, ISBN 0-609-80017-5
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b c Moran Mark, Sceurman Mark (2004), “Weird US: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets”, Barnes & Noble, ISBN 0-7607-5043-2
- ^ Opsasnick Mark (1994), "On the Trail of the Goatman", Strange Magazine Issue 14, ISSN 0894-8968
- ^ "Residents Fear Goatman Lives: Dog Found Decapitated in Old Bowie”( November 10th, 1971), Prince George's County News
- ^ Newton, Michael (2005). "Goatman". Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide. McFarland & Company, Inc.. 176. ISBN 0-7864-2036-7.
- ^ Halloween web: The Maryland Goatman, (October 2006)
- ^ Snopes: The Hook
[edit] External links
- Goatman Legends
- The Goatman
- Maryland Goatman
- Satyrs in Cryptozoology
- Detailed info and comments in EastGhost Haunts database
