One of the things I want to do with this blog is to document how my experiences are changing my growth in my spirituality and my role as decent human on this blue marble. I keep a lot of my writing about the cemeteries and what is happening there on the Caretaker Project. Today though, we are going to do an addendum to a post I made back in March. You can read the first part here.

In that blog post we talked about the Christian form associated with the Devil based on popular Pagan idolatry. Flash forward and you can google “Goatman” sightings all over the United States. Buzzfeed Unsolved did a hilarious exploration of the legend on the bridge between Denton and Copper Creek Texas that I would be remiss if I didn’t include for prosperity’s sake.

In nearby Kentucky, we have the Pope Lick Monster, a more serious affair that has caused actual deaths including that of 15-year old Savanna Bright two years ago, who was hit by a train following the legend instructions of crossing the railroad trestle.

Closer to my home of course is the Goatman of Red Ash. While the tours state that 2020 was the “50th Anniversary” of the Goatman, who only comes out on February 29th, others have different stories, including this post from r/DarknessPrevails in 2017.

It was Valentines Day of 2013 when a friend of mine wanted to take a walk and hang out. Since we had nothing better to do we decided to walk out Red Ash, a very haunted and creepy place, especially after dark. We had plenty of daylight walking down the deserted road looking at the scenery, joking around and riding our skateboards. We had walked about 5 miles then began heading back. About halfway out it was completely dark. No street lights, nothing. Only our phones. We heard something rustling in the forest surrounding us, my friend shined his phone and what we saw almost made us die of fear. Nearly 9 foot tall, with a pentagram on his forehead stood this goat-like creature. We ran immediately when he started coming towards us and luckily we escaped. I never returned to that place again after dark. I also wouldn’t recommend it with the other stories of Red Ash Tennessee.

One of the most logical explanations of seeing a large horned creature is the abundance of elk in the area. But pentagram engraved foreheads and tales of Satanic cults in the area bring to mind a exploration of the area from author and Paranormal Researcher, Tammy J. Poore:

The gated grave at Turley Cemetery is the one the red furred goat-man and hell hounds are supposed to defend. Many people report  bad feelings, glowing lights, strange noises & even a few people remark they’ve been chased out of the cemetery by unknown forces. When trying to escape, some visitors have reported seeing hovering, transparent blue lights as wide as ten feet slowing their descent, When we left the stretch of road known as Red Ash, my husband saw hovering, transparent blue lights; he asked if I saw them, and indeed for a moment I glimpsed a ball of light blue hovering off of the ground, it was hard to focus on and before I could evaluate what I was looking at, it was gone.

In my opinion, I think there is a small possibility of paranormal phenomena along the road and near the coal towers. I also believe that the many attempts to perform sacrifices & rituals, or to communicate with spirits, people have sent out an open invitation for spirits, good & evil to visit the area and perhaps call it home.  As for a goat-man, well I do not believe in this creature, nor do I believe that there have been so many murders/suicides in that one area, as I have spent countless hours researching Red Ash trying to validate the possible haunting.

One of the more fascinating aspects of the Goatmen legends are the presence of train tracks and bridges, both are transitional spaces, with running water. The Pope Lick Monster was named after the Pope Lick Creek below the train trestle). You cross both tracks and a bridge to reach Turley Cemetery in Red Ash. Is this significant to a conjuration? No, more of an observation of shared circumstances.

If we look past the “Goatman” and “Monster” hashtags, we find the realm of spirit and of the fae. Guardian spirits and Horned Gods and Goddesses. Archetypes of the same idea, whether they be satyrs and fauns or antlered forest guardians. Locally, there are quite a number of statues depicting Pan and his aspects. In Louisville Kentucky there is a well known statue in Hogan’s fountain in Cherokee Park by the sculptor Enid Yandell with his own legend…It’s said that every night at midnight—or on full moons, depending on who’s telling the story—Pan becomes animated and roams the park, damaging cars and causing trouble.

In Abingdon Virginia, near the VA/TN state line is a fountain by Artist Charles Vess, based on his illustrations from the graphic novel The Sandman and William Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night Dream. Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is another aspect of Pan.

If we further look into the Green Man and his many visages in tree carvings and hangings, you will often see these spirits alive and well among us today. While it’s easy to point that it’s of the devil and possibly demons (complete with hell hounds), those who were here before us were aware of those that protected sacred spaces, and knew to appease them rather than making them angry.

By scarring the land with rails of iron and steel we have made barriers to these spirits stronger than any wall. By clear cutting the old wood of the forest and strip mining the mountains we take sharp points and heavy cold machines to wound the guardians and anger those long dormant energies. Is it any wonder they strengthen now to keep us out? There is so much blood and death on the train tracks, lost souls in the mines, so much disrespect of the well hidden sacred burial places of our people, now places for thrill seekers who do not belong there and vandals who are more evil than any perceived half goat demon…What do you expect to find there?