Abstract
Guy de Maupassant’s Le Horla treats the titular entity both as a manifestation of madness as well as a creature seemingly destined to replace mankind. This specter-like being is rightfully the center of much discussion surrounding what is arguably Maupassant’s most well-known horror tale. However, there are other supernatural creatures that have largely escaped the discussion of scholars. This paper proposes that the goat-like creatures described by the monk of Mont Saint-Michel are more significant than previous scholarship has purported. They are reflective of man’s role in the world should there truly be a horla creature and complement the narrative’s other themes of hypnosis and free-will. By analyzing the goat-like creatures and the monk’s philosophy of believing in what cannot be seen, readers of Le Horla are left with an unusual paradox: having to believe in the unseen, and to accept that which is seen cannot always be trusted (since one’s senses can be usurped via hypnosis).
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