Pope Lick Monster — Goatman Lures Victims Onto Louisville Railroad Trestle

The Pope Lick Monster is a goat-human hybrid creature said to inhabit the area beneath the Norfolk Southern Railway trestle over Pope Lick Creek in Louisville, Kentucky. The creature has been described as having the lower body of a goat, the upper body of a human, and a deformed pale face with wide-set eyes and short fur-covered horns.

According to local legend, the creature either hypnotizes victims with its voice to lure them onto the train trestle—where they are struck by trains—or it mimics the voices of loved ones to draw people up onto the bridge. The creature allegedly cannot be photographed and causes electronic equipment to malfunction.

The legend has had real and tragic consequences. Multiple people have been struck and killed by trains on the trestle while attempting to encounter or photograph the creature, including a 17-year-old in 1988 and a 26-year-old in 2016. The railway company has posted no-trespassing signs and erected fencing, but trespassers continue to access the trestle.

A 1988 short documentary film dramatized the legend and increased awareness of the site. Paranormal investigators have reported hearing unusual vocalizations near the trestle. The Pope Lick Monster occupies a unique position in cryptid lore as a creature whose legend itself appears to cause harm, regardless of the creature's objective existence.