Jon Solo Sebastian 03/02/2025:

Something most people don’t realize is if you go out at night looking for what lurks in the shadows; you will find what you’re looking for more often than not. It might not be the exact thing you’re seeking out, but it can change from a fun adventure to absolute horror in the blink of an eye. The legend of the Pope Lick Monster is more about the result of searching for him than it is about the alleged monster causing any actual harm. Or is it?

This week’s Monster of the Week is the Pope Lick Monster of Louisville, Kentucky. He’s also known simply as the Goat-man. He has a weird name, and he’s accompanied by a dark and tragic story. The tragedy isn’t centered only upon the goat-man, but about his victims, as well. Many people have died or have been injured seeking out the monster. Most can be seen as accidents, but could the works of the supernatural be at play? Could there be a goat-man summoning people to his residence under a railway bridge where he leads them to their deaths?

What makes him a Goat-man?

The Pope Lick Monster by appearance is half-man, half-goat, and is sometimes described as part-man, part-sheep. He’s a bipedal creature with goat-like horns on the top of his head. He has the head of a goat, but the rest of his body is human-like; just with a lot of hair, and goat legs with hooves for feet. If you were roaming the area late one night (don’t) and saw him, you’d likely think he was the devil or a demon coming for your soul; which could almost be the case when you factor in the lives he’s claimed.

I couldn’t find any credible sightings reported of the goat-man, but people as recent as 2019 have gone out looking for him. What they found was injury and death. As I’ve already mentioned, looking for this creature is dangerous and I say this, and will continue to say it: do not go looking for this creature. He’s interesting to read and learn about, but he’s a myth wrapped around real-life tragedy.

Where did he come from?

The trestle bridge on the Norfolk Southern Railway looks ancient and inactive, but the bridge still has several trains crossing it each day. Searching for the goat man led to many people climbing on top of the bridge, which isn’t a bright idea regardless, but then they find themselves trapped when they hear a train. They’ve either jumped off the bridge and perished or have been injured, or have been hit by the train. Authorities raised an eight foot tall fence around the area, and placed “no trespassing” signs around, but some people avoid the warnings and climb the fence anyway. This could be the thrill seeker within them, or it could be the call of the Pope Lick Monster.

According to legend, the Goat-Man has several ways that he kills his victims, and some of these ways don’t involve attacking them at all. Some say that the Pope Lick Monster lures his victims to the top of the bridge using hypnosis alone. Or, perhaps, he’ll cry out and adjust his voice to sound like someone in distress at the top of the bridge. Either way, he convinces his victims to climb the 90-foot trestle bridge to the top (which sounds absolutely terrifying on its own). 

What happens at the top of the bridge varies from story to story. Some say that the Goat-Man times it perfectly so that his victim gets hit by a passing train once they reach the top of the bridge. Others say that he jumps out at them, causing them to fall off the bridge to their death. And some say that the face of the Goat-Man is so disturbing that the victims cannot bear to live after seeing it and they willingly throw themselves off the bridge. 

It’s best to avoid looking for this one; no, seriously. Whether the Pope Lick Monster is a legend or not, the one thing that is very real is that he has claimed many lives ever since the folktale began. I can honestly say that I won’t be going to look for him. With fences and “no trespassing” signs, along with the railway still being used by trains; I don’t see anything good coming from a search for the man-goat that more than likely does not exist. Read about him here, or in other articles or books, instead.