Lake Monsters

Living dinosaurs or something entirely different?

Of all the cryptids believed to exist around the world, Nessie is one of the most sensationalized by media coverage and speculation. Many people know the story of Ness and have entertained themselves with the concept of an supposedly extinct dinosaur swimming in the depths of a Scottish lake. Controversial photographs and eyewitness accounts helped Loch Ness gain attention while portraying an astounding question asking whether or not dinosaurs could still exist.

The Surgeon's photo, in particular, depicts a shadowy figure estimated to be located around 4 km from the camera. Incredibly, this figure strangely resembles a type of plesiosaur considered only to be part of fossil record. Multiple theories have attempted to debunk Nessie, ranging from a bobbing tree trunk to optical illusions and intentional hoaxes. Despite skepticism, many eyewitness testimonies have stood up to the onslaught and continue to spark the imagination of folks wondering what really might live deep below Loch Ness.

Hundreds of years ago, Scotland's Lochs were home to a Christian revolution, as Evangelist, Saint Columba traveled north toward Pictland in a mass effort to reform local belief systems. He was very successful and gained quite a popular adoration by in part to Adoman, the 9th Abbot of Iona, who documented Columba's travels in prideful detail. Adoman worked to exemplify feats of Columba by recording many miracle events, one of which some believe might indicate Columba encountered Nessie for the first time in history, late in the 6th century. Adoman's account describes Saint Columba running into men burying a body previously attacked by a water monster called Niseag.

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