From the depths of Celtic legends the first mention of these monsters came to us. And the 6th century AD became the time when a certain aquatic beast from the Nessus River appears in one of the chronicles. Then, strangely, all mentions of him disappear until the end of the 19th century!
First appearance
An avalanche of rumors instantly gained admirers and lovers, bringing the situation to the point of absurdity.
One married couple, in the wake of talk about the Loch Ness monster, published a story in the newspaper that they allegedly came face to face with the creature.
After which a road to the lake was built for the prying eyes of numerous tourists who wanted to see for themselves the reality of the reptile.
Someone very enterprising built several observation posts along the shore of the lake, after which the Loch Ness monster was spotted about 20 times a month.
Due to its popularity, the Scottish government decided to capture this creature.
But after the scientific community did not officially confirm the existence of Nessie, this idea was abandoned.
The first written mention is considered to be in the 6th century AD. Biography of Saint Columba.
Written by the abbot of Iona Monastery in Scotland, it tells how the saint defeated a water beast in the River Ness.
The abbot at that time was converting pagans off the west coast of Scotland.
Based on his life, Columba went out to the lake and noticed that the locals were burying someone: the man was maimed and killed while swimming.
The residents were sure that Nisag had destroyed him, that was the name of the monster in Celtic.
People decided to catch and punish the killer.
Armed with hooks, they began to wait.
One of Columba's students decided to become bait and summon the monster.
When the man swam away from the shore, the water opened up and a terrible frog-like beast emerged from the water.
Columba was able to drive away the monster only with the help of prayer.
Loch Ness monster in the 20-21st centuries.
Further mentions are associated with the English military pilot Farrel. In 1943, he was flying over the island and noticed an object resembling the Loch Ness monster.
There was a war, history was forgotten. But in 1951, a local forester, then his friend, and a year later another resident saw a water dinosaur with their own eyes.
In 1957, the book “This is More than a Legend” was published, combining all the stories of eyewitnesses.
Numerous reports were received that residents of different cities and countries saw the monster. However
The famous "Surgeon's Photo". The video recording of Tim Dinsdale can be found in the publication “Loch Ness” on our website
There is only a small amount of “real” evidence.
- Kenneth Wilson and his "Surgeon's Photograph". But later it was found out that this was a fake, which was confirmed by the authors themselves.
- Tim Dinsdale. Being an aeronaut, he captured a footprint while filming, presumably belonging to a huge monster. For a long period of time, this trace was considered the only real evidence of the existence of Nessie, but later it was found out that it was a trace from a boat.
Further research was carried out using various experiments and methods, but they did not come to anything, but only confused scientists with new inexplicable facts.
Whatever it was, the aquatic animal could not be found.
- The latest evidence is considered Google Earth satellite image, which captured a large spot believed to be similar to Nessie.
The main argument against the existence of the Loch Ness monster is the poor flora and fauna in the lake, and therefore the monster simply could not feed there.
Photo from 1972
However, using sound scanning, it was revealed that the lake contains 20 tons of biomass. This means that the giant would definitely have something to profit from.
Endriant Shine is sure that a whole colony of creatures lives in the waters of the lake - 15-30 individuals.
- Frank Serle. Since a reward was announced for the capture of the monster, there was a significant increase in those interested. A demobilized soldier, Frank, armed with a camera, sat on the shore for 20 hours a day. After long observations, in 1972 the monster appeared 230 m from the boat.
Appearance description
According to available data and assumptions, the description of the appearance of the Loch Ness monster is very modest. Most likely it is a plesiosaur.
It has a long neck and its body is shaped like a barrel. In addition, it has flippers and a tail. The body dimensions are approximately 6.5-7 meters, and the tail length is 3 m.
The head is small, but the neck is very long - about 3 meters. The mouth is filled with sharp teeth, which is an excellent device for killing fish.
A distinctive feature of Nessie is its humps. Their exact number is unknown, but it is assumed 1-3. Scientists believe these could be signs of sexual dimorphism, an anatomical difference between females and males, or a sign of adulthood. The skin is smooth, the color is not precisely defined: descriptions range from brown to gray.
Based on eyewitness accounts, Nessie likes to rise from the water in the morning. The diet is very meager - lake vegetation, sometimes fish. It is possible that it is for this reason that the monster does not see the need to go ashore.
Vision is weak, but the sense of smell more than compensates for this. Gills are aids in breathing.
Researchers interested in this topic believe that Nessie refers to reptiles that existed during the period from the Triassic to the Cretaceous era - 199.6-65.5 million years ago.
It was formed in a huge depression in the earth's crust.
The lake is located in the mountains of Scotland, surrounded by cliffs up to 610 meters high.
It has always been considered dark, mysterious and frightening.
The period when the lake appeared was the end of the Ice Age, about 10 thousand years ago.
The depth is 300 meters, the length is 39 km, and the color of the water is black. The bottom area is 57 km2.
Loch Ness is considered one of the three large lakes of the Great Valley.
It is a giant fault that separates the northern part of Scotland and the other part of the British Isle.
Loch Ness is Britain's largest source of fresh water, and the third largest in Europe.
Theories of origin
There are several main versions that can reveal the secret of the Loch Ness monster:
Interested scientists explored the lake up and down. They used sonars, radars and echo sounders.
It was assumed that if you startle the animal, it will float up. For this reason, they even staged explosions and lowered the submarine.
But all attempts were in vain.
A modern underwater drone goes in search of the Loch Ness monster
Later, spotlights equipped with cameras and microphones were installed in the waters. The researchers calculated that if the microphone picks up noise, the spotlight instantly lights up and the cameras begin to work.
The first such photographs appeared in 1972. But they did not bring joy: the images were blurry and unclear.
Analysis of the data obtained led to the conclusion that the monster moves silently, most likely, and therefore the microphone could not work correctly.
It was decided to change the filming plan. Every 75 seconds, a photo was taken of everything that fell into the frame. And this yielded results: sensational photographs of Nessie’s head and body were taken, which became the basis for convening a symposium on this phenomenon.
On December 10, 1975, the resulting photographs were presented to the public. They depict a monster with an oval body, the head was completed with two horns, and the rear fin was diamond-shaped.
Scottish folklore is replete with various legends and stories about the Loch Ness monster. Is it real? It is still not known. Even with the use of modern systems and technologies, it is not possible to obtain reliable evidence.
But eyewitness accounts are coming in daily, without stopping. Photos, videos, sound recordings - everything that is more or less related to Nessie. Despite the lack of positive results, research continues.
Perhaps we will soon get an answer to the question that interests everyone: does the Loch Ness monster really exist?
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Subtitles
Legend
Shooting Dinsdale
The progress of the boat, filmed by Dinsdale himself for comparison, numerous computer studies, additional verification by Kodak specialists, and the initial JARIC conclusion itself provide convincing evidence that there could be no question of a trace left by the boat.
Professor Henry Bauer, Virginia Polytechnic, USA.
Sound scanning
Disappointed with the effectiveness of visual research, those wishing to find confirmation of the urban legend turned to alternative search methods, in particular, sound scanning. The first session of this kind was carried out in the mid-50s, and since then work in this area has continued continuously. Thus, the researchers learned a lot about Loch Ness, in particular, they calculated the total amount of biomass in the lake - a key factor that is directly related to the possibility of a large creature existing here.
In addition, sound research revealed the existence of a seiche effect in the lake, which can cause optical illusion and which Inspector Campbell initially attributed to eyewitness observations. We are talking about the sudden appearance of powerful short-term flows of water, provoked by sudden changes in atmospheric pressure. Such currents can carry large objects with them, which, moving against the wind, can create the illusion of moving forward “of their own free will.” It is this phenomenon that experts explain the silhouette in McNab’s photograph.
Gordon Holmes film
Satellite image
In the summer of 2009, a resident of the UK said that while viewing satellite photos on the Google Earth website, he saw the creature he was looking for. The photograph of the service actually shows something that vaguely resembles a large sea animal with two pairs of flippers and a tail.
Latest Research and Myth Debunking
A group of specialists from the UK, using a robot called Munin, conducted, according to the researchers themselves, the most detailed study of Loch Ness to date (April 2016). Scientists representing the “Loch Ness Project” under the leadership of Adrian Shine decided to check the information provided by a certain fisherman at the beginning of 2016 that there was a huge crevice at the bottom of the lake. According to the fisherman, it could well accommodate the legendary monster. According to the researchers, the robot, using sonar methods, was able to obtain very detailed information about this section of the lake at a depth of up to 1,500 meters. At the same time, the maximum depth of the lake reaches “only” 230 meters (this is one of the deepest lakes in Scotland). However, experts decided to check the periodically voiced assumption that it is actually deeper due to not yet open crevices or underwater tunnels, Sky News reports.
No anomalies were found during the study, which means there is no crevice in which the monster could be hiding. According to researchers, this suggests that the Loch Ness monster, apparently, does not exist after all. But the robot, moving along the bottom of the lake, came across a fake monster created in 1969 for the filming of the film “The Private Life of Sherlock” Holmes." During filming, the model drowned in the lake - due to the fact that director Billy Wilder demanded that two humps be cut off from her, which worsened her buoyancy.
The last photo of the Loch Ness monster
Amateur photographer Ian Bremner, 58, photographed what may be one of the most convincing sightings of the Loch Ness monster to date (September 2016). Bremner drove through the highlands in search of a deer, but instead witnessed a startling sight: he saw Nessie floating in the calm waters of Loch Ness. Ian spends most of his weekends around the lake photographing the stunning natural beauty. But when he returned to his home, he noticed a creature in the picture, which he believes could be that elusive monster. The photo shows a swimming two-meter-long creature with a silvery wriggling body - its head flashed in the distance, and about a meter away from it a tail was visible, with which the animal rushing away splashed the water. The creature was spotted as it surfaced for air. The photo taken by Ian shows a long snake-like creature that fully corresponds to the generally accepted description of Nessie that appeared back in 1933. The photograph he took closely resembles some of the clearest and most famous images of this creature. In 2016, “encounters” with the monster have already been reported five times - including evidence provided by Ian. This is the highest number of sightings since 2002. Some of Ian's friends believe that his photo actually shows three seals playing in the water. Over the years, there have been 1,081 recorded sightings of the Loch Ness monster hiding in the water.
Pros against
The main argument of skeptics remains the indisputable fact that the amount of biomass in the lake is not enough to support the life of a creature of the size attributed to the Loch Ness monster. Despite its enormous size and abundance of water (brought here by seven rivers), Loch Ness has sparse flora and fauna. In the course of research carried out by the Loch Ness Project, dozens of species of living creatures were identified. However, sound scanning showed that the lake contains only 20 tons of biomass, which is enough to support the life of one living creature weighing no more than 2 tons. Calculations based on the study of fossil remains of a plesiosaur show that a 15-meter lizard would weigh 25 tons. Adrian Shine believes that one should look not for one creature, but for “a colony that would number from 15 to 30 individuals.” In this case, all of them, in order to feed themselves, should be no more than 1.5 meters in length; practically this means that the lake is not able to feed a colony of creatures larger than lake salmon (salmon).
In addition to the above fact, there are a number of indirect arguments that also work against the version of the reality of “Nessie”. For example:
However, supporters of the reality of “Nessie” are not convinced by the arguments. Thus, Professor Bauer writes:
Dinsdale's filming convincingly proves that the lake - at least in the 60s - was indeed inhabited by a giant living creature. Moreover, I am convinced that it exists here - or existed - in the singular. Something else remains unclear. Everything indicates that this creature requires oxygen to maintain life. But it hardly appears on the surface. If we summarize the testimony of eyewitnesses who described a massive body with a hump, fins and a long neck, then the appearance of a modern plesiosaur emerges. But the creatures that live in Loch Ness do not come to the surface and spend part of their lives at the bottom. This suggests that we are already dealing with a descendant of a plesiosaur, which over time developed the ability to remain without air for a very long time.
Supporters of the reality of "Nessie" refer to ancient legends, according to which at the bottom of the lake there is a network of caves and tunnels that allow the monster to swim out to sea and return back. However, studies of the bottom and shores indicate that the existence of such tunnels here is unlikely.
Conscious hoax
One alternative explanation for this phenomenon is that the owners of hotels and other establishments located near the lake used the ancient legend of the monster to attract tourists. Therefore, local newspapers published “eyewitness accounts” and photographs supposedly confirming their claims, and even made dummies of Nessie. Wilson's hoax accomplice, Christopher Sparling, was the stepson of Montague Wethorle and testified that people from the newspaper's editorial office pressured Wethorle to produce conclusive evidence. Noteworthy is the proximity of the activation of the theme of “the monster from Loch Ness” (1933) and the film adaptation of “The Lost World” by Arthur Conan Doyle (1925), which popularized cryptozoology, thereby creating fertile ground for the emergence of an urban legend about the existence of a relict lizard in Scotland. It should be noted that the “first eyewitness” - Mr. John Mackay - was the owner of a hotel in Inverness, and in the film “The Lost World” there is a scene of a plesiosaur sailing past a steamship and a small mise-en-scène at the very end of the picture, where a brontosaurus fell from the Tower Bridge it had broken into Thames, floating on the surface of the river, raising his head high on his thin neck and arching his back exactly as captured in the “surgeon’s photo.”
This version does not explain the early mentions of the creature, but these mentions themselves, like most medieval legends, are not accurate and are not confirmed by anything. It can be noted that the biographies of a number of medieval Christian saints contain references to fantastic monsters expelled or pacified by them (for example, Saint Attracta, Saint Clement of Metz and others); It is possible that the story of the pacification of the monster on Loch Ness was remembered a posteriori, when the urban legend about “Nessie” had already taken shape.
The “best” photograph of the Loch Ness monster was taken by 60-year-old George Edwards - the picture has already been studied by the US military experts and recognized it as genuine . The Nessie hunter has spent 60 hours a week capturing the monster for the past 26 years. The author of the photo believes that there are several similar monsters in the lake.
"It was moving slowly up the lake towards Urquhart Castle, it was something dark gray in color. It was quite far from the boat - about half a mile," Edwards told The Sun tabloid. He did not want to publish the photo he received until he received confirmation from experts - the photo was taken back in November last year.
The photo taken by Edwards shows a strange hump sticking out of the water. Experts concluded that the image shows a moving object. According to Edwards, he watched Nessie for about 10 minutes, after which it sank under the water and disappeared.
Loch Ness is a large, deep freshwater lake in Scotland, stretching 37 km southwest of Inverness.
It is curious that modern technology has already detected the Loch Ness monster more than once. In April, Captain Martin Atkinson said that the echo sounder on his ship discovered a snake-like creature one and a half meters long at the depths of the famous lake. He provided evidence of this. His photograph won the "Best Recent Nessie Sighting" award, presented by bookmaker William Hill.
The first mention of the Loch Ness Monster dates back to 565 AD, when in the life of Saint Columba, Abbot Jonah spoke of the saint's triumph over the "water beast" in the River Ness. Since then, the world has been divided into those who believed in the existence of the monster and those who considered it impossible.
Maybe there really is some kind of hefty fish swimming there?
Well, in general, on the Internet you can collect such photographs of this monster, although I won’t vouch for the authenticity :-)
Many legends of Scotland tell of a huge monster that lives at the bottom Loch Ness. To establish the truth - whether there is Nessie in fact, many researchers spent months near the lake, using the most modern research methods and the most advanced equipment.
The lake itself is difficult for people to access - it is a huge crack in the earth's crust. The depth of the lake is 300 m, length – about 30 km. The water of the lake is black, like soot. Scientists believe that Loch Ness was formed as a result of the Ice Age about 10,000 years ago.
Mysterious for the first time Nessie mentioned in 565. Abbot Jonah, describing the life of Saint Columba, recalls his victory over the monster Lake Ness. In those years, the abbot of Columbus converted the Picts and cattle to the pagan faith in a monastery located on the coast of Scotland and ordered the monster to retreat from the coast and not attack people.
Interestingly, residents of nearby villages say that since childhood they were not allowed to swim in the lake or even enter it...
Eyewitness accounts of encounters with the Loch Ness monster
In 1933, the Inverness Courier published an article about an incident that happened to a Mackay couple. They claimed to have personally encountered Loch Ness monster near the shores of the lake. Immediately after this incident, trees and bushes were cut down around the lake so as not to interfere with everyone who wanted to personally observe the lake and attempt to photograph the underwater inhabitant.
McKay herself recalled in her interview:
"It was in the spring. My husband and I were driving home after the Inverness fair. Suddenly, near the 9 km mark, I saw a huge creature. It had a huge body, the color of the creature's cover was black as soot. I have never seen such huge animals. He looked like a whale and an elephant at the same time.
Then I shouted to my husband to stop the car. The road we were driving along was old and narrow, so by the time he stopped, the monster had disappeared from sight and he did not see it. My husband then decided that I had imagined it all. But I didn’t stop there and told about what happened to the local navigation inspector, who worked as a correspondent for the Courier magazine.
After my story, the magazine published an article in the latest issue and it caused a whole wave of curious tourists, researchers and scientists to the lake and its inhabitants.”
Nessie. Estimated appearance of the Loch Ness monster
Chasing the Loch Ness Monster
Over the next 50 years, more than 3,000 people claimed to have observed Nessie. Two months after the incident with the Mackay couple, construction workers who were working near the lake claimed to have seen a monster that surfaced from behind a boat that was sailing on the lake. They all described what they saw in the same way: a large head and a huge massive body.
In the same year, a group of people testified that they observed disturbances on the surface Loch Ness. Suddenly, humps began to appear from the water and then go back under the water, forming a row and very reminiscent of the back of some creature. Eyewitnesses described the movements of this monster as if it were a caterpillar, the humps moving in waves.
In subsequent years, information about the monster began to flow in ever-increasing volumes. In 1938, the crew of a tugboat that was sailing on the lake witnessed a meeting with Loch Ness monster. They claimed that the monster surfaced not far from the lake and accompanied them for a long time. They also described it as a huge creature with a black coat that looked like a whale. The creature had two distinct humps. When it swam near their ship, large waves rose on the surface of the lake, which testified to its impressive size and great muscular strength.
Photos of the Loch Ness Monster
Today there are many photographs monsters from Loch Ness. After an interview with the Mackay couple, the lake began to attract the attention of many photographers who spent months here in the hope of capturing a photo of the underwater monster.
The first shot that impressed Loch Ness monster, was made in 1933. Its author, Hugh Gray, managed to take 5 photographs, but 4 of them were ruined. The frame immediately hit the newspapers, after which the Kodak company officially confirmed that the negative was genuine.
Later, in 1934, gynecologist R. Wilson managed to remove Nessie when he and a friend were going on vacation and stopped for a rest near the lake.
Wilson noticed an unusual disturbance on the surface of the lake and a large head of some kind of animal appeared from there. He managed to take 4 pictures, after which the creature went under water and did not appear again.
Some scientists are skeptical about the images, which show Loch Ness monster. They tend to see floating logs on them, breakers behind ships, wind and squall, which creates something similar to Nessie.
Estimated size of the Loch Ness monster
If the photographs raise doubts among these people, then how can one explain the stories of so many witnesses to meetings with Nessie? Can so many people lie and if so, what is their goal?
The testimony of M. Cameron, who saw the animal on land, is of interest. It walked on 2 huge feet and had black shiny skin. She saw the creature move out of the forest and slide into the water.
Researchers and enthusiasts from all over the world have long been tormented by the question: does the Loch Ness monster exist? Even sophisticated modern technology cannot give an exact answer. The existence of Nessie, living in the waters of Loch Ness, was officially announced in 1933. The British newspaper The Telegraph collected the most famous photographs of the legendary monster.
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At the end of 2013, two British residents saw a mysterious silhouette about 30 meters long on the surface of Loch Ness on satellite maps from Apple. For six months, experts studied the image and came to the conclusion that the object could very well belong to the legendary monster.
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In the summer of 2009, a resident of Great Britain said that while viewing satellite photos on the Google Earth website, he saw the creature he was looking for. The photograph of the service actually shows something that vaguely resembles a large sea animal with two pairs of flippers and a tail. However, it is possible that the satellite could capture an ordinary boat leaving a foam trail.
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In May 2007, 55-year-old Englishman Gordon Holmes claimed that he had convincing evidence of the existence of the Loch Ness monster. The researcher decided to place microphones in the lake and study the sound signals coming from the depths. Near the western shore, he noticed movement in the water and immediately turned on a video camera, which recorded the movement under the water of a long dark object heading towards the northern part of the lake. The creature's body mostly remained under water, but its head surfaced from time to time, leaving a trail of foam behind it.
Experts who examined the film confirmed its authenticity and came to the conclusion: a creature about 15 meters long moved at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour. However, Holmes' filming is not considered conclusive evidence of the existence of a prehistoric monster in the lake. Opinions arose that it could be a giant snake or a worm, a light illusion or a log set in motion by an internal current.
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A photograph of the alleged monster taken in 2005.
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And this photograph from 1977 turned out to be an ordinary fake. A certain Anthony Shiels claimed to have taken the photo while walking near Yorkhart Castle.
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This underwater photograph taken in 1972 by members of an expedition led by Dr. Robert Rhines shows a creature resembling a plesiosaur.
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In this photograph, also taken in 1972, the monster appears to be moving to the right, with its wide-open mouth and powerful back visible.
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Former army captain Frank Searle arrived at Loch Ness in the early 1970s. Going to find the mysterious creature, he took a huge number of photographs of Nessie, many of which were widely circulated by the media. However, they all turned out to be fakes.
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In July 1955, Aersher banker Peter McNab photographed something in the bay near Yorkhart Castle that looked like a huge dark creature cutting through the surface of the lake.
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In 1951, Lachlan Stewart photographed some strange hills above the water. Later it turns out that these hills were actually tufts of grass floating on the surface of the lake.
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And this is perhaps the most famous photograph of Nessie. London colonel and physician Robert Wilson took this photo in April 1934. The author claimed that he photographed the monster by accident while traveling in the area, bird watching. Only in 1994 was it established that this photograph was a fake made by Wilson and three accomplices.
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The first known photograph of the Loch Ness Monster was taken on November 12, 1933 by Hugh Gray.
Loch Ness (literally Nose Lake) is located in the north-east of Scotland in the county of Inverness. The area of the lake is about 60 square kilometers, and the maximum depth reaches 230 meters. The water in the lake, curiously, does not freeze even in the coldest winter. And the living creatures living in its depths amaze with their abundance and diversity. Scottish folklore is replete with centuries-old legends about a monster living in the lake.
