Described as a prehistoric, aquatic-like, dinosaur, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster has been around for centuries nestled in the Scottish Highlands. The first recorded sighting is dated back to 565 CE by St. Columba when he and a few of his companions stumbled across a few townspeople burying a man near the loch. Apparently, the man was swimming when he was suddenly attacked by a very large water beast. When Columba investigated, the water beast approached him, but quickly retreated after St. Columba made the sign of the cross with his arms and yelled at the beast to “Go back at once!” So it did, and so the legend began. From that point forward, tales and sightings of a water monster swimming in the depths of Loch Ness would become a part of Scottish folklore. Although, the most controversial sighting took place in 1934, known as the “Surgeons photograph”. Taken by a man named Robert Wilson, at first, Wilson wanted no association with, at the time, the most compelling piece of evidence of the monster's existence. Supposedly, Wilson was hanging around the loch and spotted the creature, took out his camera, and took multiple photos. It wasn’t until years later that this was later debunked, in 1999 a book called Nessie: The Surgeon’s Photograph Exposed. It explained that the “head/neck” photographed was simply a mold on a toy sub built by Christian Spurling, the son-in-law of a man named Marmaduke Wetherell. Wetherell had been publicly ridiculed by his employer, the Daily Mail after he found footprints of the monster that turned out to be a hoax. The toy sub photograph was his revenge story. It was said that after the photographs were taken, the men sank their creation and it very well may still be at the bottom of the loch.
With the countless reports of humps and sightings in Loch Ness, expert Adrian Shine explains what a remarkable illusion is caused by large vessels and the large wake that comes from the water after a boat. He also addressed the plesiosaur theory, which can also be debunked. It was a coldblooded reptile that needed a warmer tropical environment to survive. He explains that native birds that swim and live near loch ness can sometimes be unrecognizable and difficult to identify. The scale of the bird can be especially difficult to distinguish in calm waters, and can sometimes look like a creature sticking its neck out of the water.
Even though the probability of there actually being a monster lurking in the depths of Loch Ness, the profound cultural influence it has had over the entire world is enough to keep the legacy alive. What we do know is that we have yet to explore 90% of our own oceans, there is so much we want answers to, and for now, we can only wait.
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