On May 2nd 1933 the story of the Loch Ness Monster first appeared in the press, starting off a long-running debate on whether or not some unknown animal or fish inhabits the murky depths of the loch.
The modern story of The Loch Ness Monster was born when a sighting makes local news on May 2, 1933. The newspaper Inverness Courier relates an account of a local couple who claim to have seen “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.” The story of the “monster” (a moniker chosen by the Courier editor) becomes a media phenomenon, with London newspapers sending correspondents to Scotland and a circus offering a 20,000 pound reward for capture of the beast.
After the April 1933 sighting was reported in the newspaper on May 2, interest steadily grew, especially after another couple claimed to have seen the animal on land.
Amateur investigators have for decades kept an almost constant vigil, and in the 1960s several British universities launched sonar expeditions to the lake. Nothing conclusive was found, but in each expedition the sonar operators detected some type of large, moving underwater objects. In 1975, another expedition combined sonar and underwater photography in Loch Ness. A photo resulted that, after enhancement, appeared to show what vaguely resembled the giant flipper of an aquatic animal.
Further sonar expeditions in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in more inconclusive readings. Revelations in 1994 that the famous 1934 photo was a complete hoax has only slightly dampened the enthusiasm of tourists and investigators for the legendary beast of Loch Ness.
The story might have hit the headlines then, but the people around the loch have known for centuries that there was something else was sharing the loch that holds more freshwater than the whole of England and Wales combined. The first known sighting was by St Columba in the year 565.
This is taken from an 1874 translation of Vita Columbae The Life of St. Columba), written by St Adamnan in the 7th century.
“….On another occasion also, when the blessed man was living for some days in the province of the Picts, he was obliged to cross the river Nesa (the Ness); and when he reached the bank of the river, he saw some of the inhabitants burying an unfortunate man, who, according to the account of those who were burying him, was a short time before seized, as he was swimming, and bitten most severely by a monster that lived in the water; his wretched body was, though too late, taken out with a hook, by those who came to his assistance in a boat. The blessed man, on hearing this, was so far from being dismayed, that he directed one of his companions to swim over and row across the coble that was moored at the farther bank. And Lugne Mocumin hearing the command of the excellent man, obeyed without the least delay, taking off all his clothes, except his tunic, and leaping into the water. But the monster, which, so far from being satiated, was only roused for more prey, was lying at the bottom of the stream, and when it felt the water disturbed above by the man swimming, suddenly rushed out, and, giving an awful roar, darted after him, with its mouth wide open, as the man swam in the middle of the stream. Then the blessed man observing this, raised his holy hand, while all the rest, brethren as well as strangers, were stupefied with terror, and, invoking the name of God, formed the saving sign of the cross in the air, and commanded the ferocious monster, saying, ‘Thou shalt go no further, nor touch the man; go back with all speed.’ Then at the voice of the saint, the monster was terrified, and fled more quickly than if it had been pulled back with ropes, though it had just got so near to Lugne, as he swam, that there was not more than the length of a spear-staff between the man and the beast. Then the brethren seeing that the monster had gone back, and that their comrade Lugne returned to them in the boat safe and sound, were struck with admiration, and gave glory to God in the blessed man. And even the barbarous heathens, who were present, were forced by the greatness of this miracle, which they themselves had seen, to magnify the God of the Christians.”
Another tale about St. Columba regarding the Loch Ness ‘Monster’ asserts that Columba gave the monster a blessing and the freedom to live in the loch for having towed Columba and his followers from one end of Loch Ness to the other in their coracles against the winds, In this version, the monster is a Scottish 'water-horse’, maybe a Kelpie?, which can change its form at will; for the towing job, the monster transformed itself into an athletic young man, tied the coracles together, changed back into a 'water-horse’ Although this version only seems to appear in a 1973 book “ The Story of the Loch Ness Monster ” and it is speculated that the author Tim Dinsdale simply made it up, a bit like many of the sightings? Well who am I to say that!
Of course Loch Ness is not the only place in Scotland that has a monster, Morag is said to inhabit Loch Morar.
In 2019, TripAdvisor user Joyman L logged into the site to detail their visit to Loch Ness in Scotland, said to be home to a legendary monster. “The intrigue and curiosity of the Loch Ness monster only adds to the attraction of this loch,” they wrote in their four-star review. “With several information boards about the loch and not witnessing any monster, I came away still intrigued and even more curious!” Other tourists left with a more cynical view of the legend. In their review titled “no sign of Nessie ???” Tripadvisor user @onmytravels23 wrote, “I reckon they just made [Nessie] up to get tourism in. Ah well … it was a nice Lake.” Even without spotting the monster, @onmytravels23 rated Loch Ness five stars.
Whether they view the Loch Ness Monster as a fun story, an elaborate hoax, or an undiscovered species, millions of tourists flock to the cryptid’s alleged home each year…
‘The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology’ campaign is now live on @kickstarter so please take a look and feel free to support or share the link with the ones who you think would love to have a book about Yeti, Thunderbird and other fascinating cryptid creatures! Thanks so much!
Tomorrow, November 12, marks the anniversary of the first photograph apparently taken of the Loch Ness Monster, when, in 1933, Hugh Gray spotted the sea serpent while walking along Scotland’s River Foyers. In celebration, we combed through some old editions if Fate magazine for images of Nessie. So, are you a believer?
I’m doing nesstober over on twitter, where you draw a nessie (or in my case a nessie involved) picture based on a daily prompt. Here’s the first six but I’ve got a lot more on twitter already, you can check them out here
