by Kathleen "Katie" O'Donnell
of Punkin' Doodle Boo Folk Art

In many a quiet town's history, there lurks a tale of strangeness or legend that is passed down from one generation to another. Frightening tales of happenings that leave lasting impressions on us as children, these stories prompt us to sleep with the hall light on, or the closet door shut tight. Spooky tales that make us walk briskly past a dilapidated landmark or old cemetery. Later, when we recall those stories as adults, we find we still get goose bumps on our flesh. Recalling those tales as perfectly rational grownups, we still find ourselves questioning our belief in supernatural occurrences, witchcraft, and mythological beings.

 

Last month I shared the frightening legend of the Lake Erie Storm Hag. This month we journey across the ‘Great Pond’ to bring you another lake legend, The Lake Monster of Loch Ness.

In 1933, all eyes were reputedly on Scotland and the vast body of water, Loch Ness. In the summer of 1933, a local newspaper, the Courier, published the story of George Spicer. Spicer claimed that he had "the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I have ever seen in my life".

A few months later, a student of veterinary medicine made similar claims and reportedly had an experience like that of Mr. Spicer. In no time, the stories of a strange creature in Loch Ness gathered the attention of the national and international press. Newspapers reported that a 'sea serpent' or 'dragon’ lived in Loch Ness.

Over the next 5 years, investigators and self proclaimed Loch experts published that the Loch Ness Monster (or family of monsters) had been observed at Loch Ness since the 6th century A.D. Interest spurred the release of various texts and anecdotes that had been uncovered (one from the 7th century) pointing to other sightings throughout history. Pictures and books on the subject gradually surfaced, and to further speculation, Scotland’s Secretary of State ordered that "Nessie", as the creature was named, was to be protected. Instructions were given to the local police, and law enforcement was ordered to patrol the Loch to insure that no attacks on the animal or animals were made.

Since then, much time and research has gone into the pursuit of Nessie. In 1962, a Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau (LNPIB) was set up and it studied the Loch for more than ten years. A group of volunteers set up watch towers around the Loch and were outfitted with camera equipment and telescopic lenses in the hopes of catching a picture of the monster. In addition to the LNPIB, sonar studies have been conducted. As a result, it is now known that the Loch is very deep, roughly 750 feet. We also know that a system of caves is part of the Loch’s underwater geography. In pursuit of the legend, submersibles have been sponsored by several research groups, most notably, World Book Encyclopedia. Perhaps the most hopeful sonar/submersible discovery was made in 1969. Andrew Carroll, a researcher for the New York Aquarium, did sonar scans at Loch Ness. The LNPIB, in conjunction with Carroll’s group, also used submersibles with harpoons designed to take tissue samples. In October of 1969, the initial voyage revealed a ‘strong, animate echo for nearly three minutes just north of Foyers’. No one was able to identify the echo at the time and the echo continues to remain a mystery.

Upon return to New York Aquarium, Carroll and the team determined that the sonar return on the echo was “twice as great as that expected from a 10-foot (3 m) pilot whale”. The estimates put the object’s length at approximately 20 feet or more. Another research team in 1993 was conducting research on a new species of fish in the Loch (not Nessie). This team also found a similar result in a sonar scan from the lower depths of the Loch.

As one can imagine, much speculation has surrounded the Loch Ness Monster. Cryptozoologists have theorized that the animal, if it truly exists, is a unique species that perhaps has evolved very little since the prehistoric era. In the initial 1933 sightings, it was reported that Nessie bore “a striking resemblance to the supposedly-extinct plesiosaur". The argument against this theory is that Plesiosaurs are believed to have been wiped out during the Cretaceous period. In addition, it is believed that plesiosaurs were cold-blooded animals that needed tropical waters in order to survive. The final argument against the dinosaur theory is that the Loch is only about 10,000 years old. Prior to that, the Loch was frozen for more than 20,000 years. No place for a family of cold-blooded, tropical swimming dinosaurs.

Other theories have suggested that Nessie is a long neck seal, an eel of some sort, or a very large amphibian. Other Naturalist and Parapsychologists have also weighed in on the subject, suggesting that Nessie is in fact a Kelpie; a mythical sea creature that swims but becomes a horse when it is on land.

To date, no definitive evidence has been found proving or disproving the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. Unfortunately, many photographs have been falsified or the images too difficult to discern one way or another. No carcass, skeleton or tissue samples have been discovered, nor has the research conducted in the last 8 decades yielded any positive proof. For now, Nessie is the stuff of great legend and speculation. Websites with recent sighting information abound. A fascinating site that will help you to further explore this wonderful Scottish legend can be found on the internet. You may even contact the group of individuals who run the site and ask your own questions at http://www.nessie.co.uk/.

HalloweenArtists.com is a group of talented, artistic individuals who love "Spooky Stories and Frightful Folklore" and all things associated with All Hallows Eve. Each month I will feature a spooky tale that is based on truth and/or regional folklore. I welcome you to send in your own "Spooky Stories and Frightful Folklore" or make suggestions for an upcoming column. Most of all, we encourage you to bookmark our site, so that you may retell these stories to you and yours.

Till next time,
Katie

About the Author:
Kathleen "Katie" O'Donnell is a Colorado artist, educator and mother of two children whose nicknames inspired the title of her business. Her work has been featured in online artisan magazines, and shops and galleries across the country. Visit Katie here on HalloweenArtists.com or on her website at PunkinDoodleBooFolkArt.com.