Period 1 Blog #17

The Legend of the Loch Ness Monster

The most famous mystery about Loch Ness surrounds the phenomenon of an enormous creature that is believed to live in the water – known universally as the Loch Ness Monster, or ‘Nessie’ as she’s affectionately known.

The first recorded sighting of the monster was in 565 AD, when it was said to have snatched up and eaten a local farmer, before being forced back into the waters by St Columba.

Over the years, rumours spread far and wide about ‘strange events’ at Loch Ness. Some believe that ancient Scottish myths about water creatures, like Kelpies and the Each Uisge (meaning ‘water horse’), contributed to the notion of a creature living in the depths of Loch Ness.

The excitement over the monster reached a fever pitch when an actor, film director, and big-game hunter were hired to track down the beast. After only a few days at the loch they reported finding the fresh footprints of a large, four-toed animal. They estimated it to be 20 feet long and made plaster casts of the footprints and sent them off to the Natural History Museum in London for analysis. While the world waited for the museum zoologists to return the results, legions of monster hunters descended on Loch Ness, filling the local hotels.

The bubble burst when museum zoologists announced that the footprints were those of a hippopotamus. They had been made with a stuffed hippo foot—the base of an umbrella stand or ashtray. It wasn't clear whether the actor, film directos and hunter hired had been the perpetrators of the hoax or gullible victims. Either way, the incident tainted the image of the Loch Ness Monster and discouraged serious investigation of the phenomenon. For the next three decades, most scientists scornfully dismissed reports of strange animals in the loch.

In 1933, construction began on a major road that runs along the north shore of the Loch. The work involved considerable drilling and blasting and it is believed that the disruption forced the monster from the depths and into the open. Around this time, there were numerous independent sightings and, in 1934, London surgeon R. K. Wilson managed to take a photograph that appeared to show a slender head and neck rising above the surface of the water. Nessie hit the headlines and has remained the topic of fierce debate ever since.

In the 1960s, the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau conducted a ten-year observational survey – recording an average of 20 sightings per year. And, by the end of the decade, mini-submarines were being used for the first time to explore the depths of the Loch using sophisticated sonar equipment. New public interest was generated in the mid 1970s when underwater photographs of what appeared to be a ‘flipper’ were made public.

To this day, there is no conclusive proof to suggest that the monster is a reality. However, many respectable and responsible observers have been utterly convinced they have seen a huge creature in the water.

Prehistoric animal? Elaborate hoax? Seismic activity? A simple trick of the light? It’s even been said that the whole mystery could be explained by the presence of circus elephants in the area in the 1930s.

-Based on the evidence, do you believe in the loch ness monster or do you think there is a more rational explanation for the whole thing? Why or why not?

-Based on the evidence we have so far in To Kill a Mockingbird do you believe all the wild stories about Boo Radley? Is he really a 6 ½ foot tall monster who eats raw squirrels and animals? Or do you think he will turn out to be a regular person? Why or why not?

-How do you think the crazy stories surrounding both the Loch Ness Monster and Boo Radley are similar? How are they different?