The Loch Ness Monster

Sea Serpent? Dragon? Monster Mash? Myth or legend? What is this entity that has been the subject of much debate for centuries? The Lock Ness Monster, affectionately referred to as “Nessie” by its fans, has been sited since 565 A.D. when St. Columba is said to have spotted it while rescuing a swimmer from a sea urchin. Since then, various sightings have been documented. Whether fiction or fantasy, legend or lore, Nessie continues to be an unsolved mystery.

Located in Northern Scotland, Loch Ness is part of the Great Glen, an enormous fissure in the earth that all but divides Scotland in two. There are a number of lochs, rivers and canals which link the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea, and Loch Ness is the largest fresh water lake in Britain. Its waters are so cold and cloudy, making it difficult to see more than a few feet below the surface. And because of this, there is a huge swimming pool in which Nessie can play games with its admiring public.

And even though rumors have shrouded the loch for centuries, it wasn’t until after 1933 that Nessie was seen with frequency. On April 14, 1933, the MacKays opened a pub near the loch. And one night, they spied an enormous creature in the water. They reported the sighting to Alex Campbell, the man responsible for salmon control, who is said to have witnessed the monster on many occasions. Campbell describes the monster as being very large, approximately thirty feet in length, having a long, tapering neck of about six feet and a serpentine look about it. He also claims Nessie has a huge hump on its back.

Since that time, there has been wide-spread attempts to prove Nessie exists. And although photos have been taken, submarine hunts orchestrated in the waters, there is no solid evidence the monster is real. Scientists have toyed with the possibility that Nessie may be some sort of dinosaur, but no bones or fossils have been found. So to date, the Loch Ness monster remains a myth. What do you think it is?