Saint Columba (565 CE)
The earliest report of a monster in the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of St. Columba by Adomnán, written in the sixth century AD. According to Adomnán, writing about a century after the events described, Irish monk Saint Columba was staying in the land of the Picts with his companions when he encountered local residents burying a man by the River Ness. They explained that the man was swimming in the river when he was attacked by a "water beast" that mauled him and dragged him underwater despite their attempts to rescue him by boat. Columba sent a follower, Luigne moccu Min, to swim across the river. The beast approached him, but Columba made the sign of the cross and said: "Go no further. Do not touch the man. Go back at once.” The creature stopped as if it had been "pulled back with ropes" and fled, and Columba's men and the Picts gave thanks for what they perceived as a miracle.Aldie Mackay (1933)
The best-known article that first attracted a great deal of attention about a creature was published on 2 May 1933 in The Inverness Courier, about a large "beast" or "whale-like fish". The article by Alex Campbell, water bailiff for Loch Ness and a part-time journalist, discussed a sighting by Aldie Mackay of an enormous creature with the body of a whale rolling in the water in the loch while she and her husband John were driving on the A82 on 15 April 1933. "The creature disported itself, rolling and plunging for fully a minute.
Loch Ness Monster?
Hugh Gray (1933)Hugh Gray's photograph (above) taken near Foyers on 12 November 1933 was the first alleged to depict the monster. It was slightly blurred, and it has been noted that if one looks closely the head of a dog can be seen.William Fraser (1938)On 15 August 1938, William Fraser, chief constable of Inverness-shire, wrote a letter that the monster existed beyond doubt and expressed concern about a hunting party that had arrived (with a custom-made harpoon gun) determined to catch the monster "dead or alive". He believed his power to protect the monster from the hunters was "very doubtful".As I said there are many more such reports and photos but my most favourites of all concern the search, which is the most important aspect and one chap I met when I was there who had a set up just like the one below and he told me that he had a grant for a year to watch the Loch for Nessie for a year from the carpark of the pub in Dores.But even that is beaten by Steve Feltham who moved to the banks of Loch Ness in 1991, and has dedicated over half his life to the search for the truth about the legendary monster. He has previously been recognised by Guinness World Records for the longest continuous monster-hunting vigil of the loch.
Steve Feltham
"I hold the world record for hunting Nessie. I've kept watch since June 19, 1991. I'm going to stay here until I get the proof, that's my life's work...” A tourist attraction in his own right, fans of the mystery often travel up to the loch as much to speak with Steve, in his former mobile library home at Dores, as they do to try and spot the monster.And if he did find it, would the monster sound like this?
The Loch Ness Monster’s Song by Edwin Morgan
from From Glasgow to Saturn (Carcanet, 1973)
Sssnnnwhuffffll?
Hnwhuffl hhnnwfl hnfl hfl?
Gdroblboblhobngbl gbl gl g g g g glbgl.
Drublhaflablhaflubhafgabhaflhafl fl fl –
gm grawwwww grf grawf awfgm graw gm.
Hovoplodok – doplodovok – plovodokot-doplodokosh?
Splgraw fok fok splgrafhatchgabrlgabrl fok splfok!
Zgra kra gka fok!
Grof grawff gahf?
Gombl mbl bl –
blm plm,
blm plm,
blm plm,
blp.
bbb
