LOCH NESS MONSTER, NESSIE, NESSY
Scottish Folklore
Ancient Sea Creature
This is the name of a lake monster in the legends and folklore of Scotland. It is possibly one of the most famous and enigmatic mysteries in the world concerning this type of monster. Although there has never been a clear image, the description has usually been of a huge body, often serpentine, with humps or undulations out of the water, which stretch for some considerable length, up to 30 feet. The head has been described as like that of a dragon, or a serpent's head over a long, sinuous neck. As the monster moves in the water, the head is held erect and the neck creates a bow wave that extends in a great V shape, even in perfectly still conditions. The monster inhabits Loch Ness, from which it takes it's name, but is almost affectionately called "Nessy" or "Nessie". Loch Ness is an inland channel of about 755 feet in depth and some 23 miles long, connected to the North Sea and the Atlantic at either end by fresh water rivers.
Reports of sightings of the monster are ancient. The first recorded sighting was in the time of the Celtic saints, from ca. A.D. 690 in a hagiography by Adamanans of Saint Columcille (Saint Columbia, ca. 521-597). Sightings of the Loch Ness Monster did not reach the public very frequently until the advent of the road running the length of the Loch. Then, in 1933 a number of people monitoring down the road saw the monster and described it independently, which was reported widely in the press. In 1940 the legend was somewhat jokingly exploited in the "Detective Weekly" with a "Sexton Blake" mystery that "uncovered" a Nazi submarine conspiracy. This theme was taken up in the United Artist Film, "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" supposedly set in 1887 and investigating German submarines. Curiously, during the filming the model Nessie sank unexpectedly to the bottom of the Loch without a trace.
Periodic sightings, photographs, and underwater investigations have taken place over the last 30 years, with little evidence to support or refute the theories concerning the survival of an ancient species.
Source: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth