Urban Legend of the Goatman Essay example -- Urban Legends

Goatman Version 1--Montgomery County, Maryland It seemed from my story-collection that nearly everyone knows of some urban legend, but I found one story to be especially interesting because it is a relatively famous legend that has roots here in Maryland. The story of â€Å"The Goatman† has a number of variations, as with most urban legends. My roommate told me that he first heard the story from his parents when he was about 12 years old. He suspected that it was probably a joking attempt to scare him from playing outside so late at night because the sound of the basketball dribbling in the driveway would keep his parents awake. According to his parents, the Goatman was located in the suburbs of Montgomery County (his home), which was probably a detail that his parents modified to make the story scarier. He told a version that took place in Prince Georges County because he had more recently heard this version from someone whom he was unable to remember. The manner in which he recounted the legend was not in a mysterious and suspenseful tone usually used to tell such stories at campfires. He began the story by describing the Goatman’s appearance: It’s a half-man, half-goat creature, with the upper body of a man, horns, a hairy face, and two legs like a goat, kind of like a Devil. It was created in a secret government genetics-type experiment that went wrong. [pause] It got out of its cage, which was really bad because it’s as smart as a human but has no conscience, like an animal. The Goatman has been creeping around at night for years. It kills family pets that are left out at night and attacks people who see him, and it has been able to stay hidden so well because it is so smart. He did not mention where the creature was c... ... threatening to domesticated animals. Variations in the origin of the creature can offer different moral messages within the story, as well. For example, the version of the story that explains the Goatman as the ghost of a deformed outcast of an old Indian tribe demonstrates the consequences for mistreating and abandoning members of our own species. Also, the fact that this sacred, spiritual land has been overbuilt by a college campus represents mankind’s over consumption of, and lack of respect for nature’s resources. The storytelling of the Goatman may have the simple purpose of entertainment for the audience, but like most legends, the stories are likely based on some true event(s), and the way that these events evolve into stories of the uncanny reflect the intention to convey some sort of moral message. Works Cited www.puportal.com www.wikipedia.com