South Carolina’s Own Loch Ness Monster!

Author: Danny Herrera

It seems like everywhere you go there tends to be a myth that monsters are roaming the lakes. People make up the stories and they often get a lot of attention from others. Those who do not believe nor want to believe have no solid evidence to prove that the monsters are fake. Lake monsters can be considered to be large snakes down to a prehistoric creature. Since it is difficult to spot the actual creature, unless it is seen face to face, it can be mistaken as a mythical monster instead of an animal that is already known.

Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, is a well-known lake monster who has been around for many decades. It’s been said that Nessie has been around since 565 A.D., but Nessie wasn’t considered a monster until May 2nd, 1933. It just proves we don’t actually know what other mysterious creatures have been around for so long.

There are many rumours about the Loch Ness Monster, but a lot of people in the U.S. do not care for a monster that they would probably never get a chance to see. Luckily for us, people have their own monster similar to Nessie and almost have identical names. This monster is located in South Carolina in Lake Murray near Irmo. Messie was first spotted in 1933 and ever since then, there has been more sightings. It makes people question the reality of Messie. It’s a coincidence that Nessie was considered a monster in 1933 and then it just so happens that Messie is also discovered in the same year.  It seems like people got paranoid and started to believe they were seeing things in the lakes from where they would fish.

Lake Murray is a manmade lake that was impounded in the late 1920s to provide hydroelectric power to South Carolina. Lake Murray is 41 miles long and 14 miles wide. At the time of the lake being finished, it was considered the world’s largest manmade reservoir. Once the lake became a recreational attraction, this allured a lot of fishers and people with boats to cruise around in the lake. This lake is a good size to fit a big creature, but it’s strange to have a creature in a manmade lake, which caused it to have it’s doubts of having a monster in the lake.

For example, “Buddy Browning, his wife Shirley and their friend Kord Brazell were enjoying themselves fishing on the lake back in one of the coves when the monster charged them. They denied a South Carolina Wildlife Department claim that it could have been an alligator or a large fish, like a sturgeon. (Alligators are not native to the lake.) (Byers, Thomas).” As those three witnesses stated, they believe they saw something in Lake Murray that was out of the ordinary. Without any actual evidence, people find it hard to believe.

 This leaves people wondering, “do these monsters actually exist?” The only way of getting answers to figure out if they are real,  is if you decide to go visit the lake yourself. That may not be the best option for people because if they do end up seeing the monster, it might end up attacking them.

Works Cited

Byers, Thomas. “Lake Murray Lake Monster Appears Again.” Lake Murray Lake Monster Appears Again, 1 Jan. 1970, paranormalforyou.blogspot.com/2013/12/lake-murray-lake-monster-appears-again.html#.XJ2VRihKjD6.

“Lake Murray (South Carolina).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 July 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Murray_(South_Carolina).

“Loch Ness Monster.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ness_Monster.

Offutt, Jason, et al. “Exploring American Monsters: South Carolina.” Mysterious Universe, 10 Aug. 2016, mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/exploring-american-monsters-south-carolina/.

 Warren, Amanda. “Can of Mystery.” Search Results for Lake+Murray+Monster, 1 Jan. 1970, canofmystery.blogspot.com/search?q=lake%2Bmurray%2Bmonster.

Links for further research:

PBS NOVA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/legend-loch-ness.html
The article gives a brief history of the Loch Ness legend.

http://cryptozoo-oscity.blogspot.com/2009/09/two-lake-murray-monsters.html
Gives more details about Messie. Combines information on the Lake and also Messie.

http://www.irmo-sc.com/irmo019.html
Has the latest sighting seen on Messie and more detailed.

The Legend of the Loch Ness Monster

Morgan Gumola

The Loch Ness Lake located in the Highlands of Scotland is said to have many monsters and cryptids, but the most famous one of all is called the Loch Ness Monster. The Loch Ness Monster, also known as “Nessie” has been a legend in Scotland since 1933. The first sighting of Nessie was in 565 AD but the sighting wasn’t given any attention by the media. The first speculation of the Loch Ness Monster was in 1933 from a sighting by a couple near the Loch Ness Lake. Nessie lives in the Scottish Highlands and in the biggest body of water in Britain. She is said to have two humps, four fins, a long tail, and a snake-like head. There has been no way to know what Nessie feasts on but scientist say if they find out what she eats there will be an easier way to find her. It is said that Nessie is not considered a mammal because she would have to come up for air and a lot more people would have spotted her.

There have been numerous sightings (over 1,000) of Nessie and false images of her as well. The most famous photo of the Loch Ness monster was taken in1934 but later was discovered to be a hoax. The Loch Ness Monster has been reportedly seen on Google maps. In a robot found a large object in the Loch Ness Lake, but it later came out to be a movie prop in the lake from the 1970s film “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes”. There have been multiple organized searches for Nessie and there are four people who are Nessie hunters as their profession. Robert Rines, Tim Dinsdale, and Steve Feltham are three of the four experts on the Loch Ness Monster.

There has been a huge article going around titled “Loch Ness Hunter: Have we been catfished by Nessie?”. Steve Feltham a Nessie hunter for over 24 years believes that the Loch Ness Monster has been a catfish, and the sightings people have reported were sightings of a Wels Catfish. These catfish can grow up to 13 feet long. The expert says that these catfish can live a very long life and have been around for quite the time. The hunter since 1991 has ended his career searching for the monster and says he does not believe that the Loch Ness Monster is a prehistoric monster. The description of Nessie does not match the description of a catfish. The descriptions say that Nessie has two large humps and four fins with a snake like head but a catfish does not look like that. While this legend has been going on since 565 AD Steve Felthams search is over. A lot of Nessie believers do not believe Steve and are still continuously searching for Nessie because of more information out on the internet.

Overall the legend of the Loch Ness Monster will forever be around even if Nessie is a myth or not. There are many attractions, news reports, and movies on the Loch Ness Monster and the search will never be over.

Works cited:

Atherton, Kelsey. “Robot finds Loch Ness Monster (prop) in the lake.” Popsci.com, http://www.popsci.com/robot-finds-loch-ness-monster-prop-in-lake. Accessed 13 Apr. 2016.

Imms, Katie. “Loch Ness Monster: 81 facts to mark 81 years since most famous Nessie 'photo' as hoax claims resurface” Mirror, 21 Apr 2015, http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/loch-ness-monster-81-facts-5558997.

Imms, Katie. “Loch Ness Monster: 81 facts to mark 81 years since most famous Nessie 'photo' as hoax claims resurface” Mirror, 21 Apr 2015, http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/loch-ness-monster-81-facts-5558997.

For more information visit:

The Legend of Nessie the Ultimate Loch Ness Monster site http://www.nessie.co.uk/

Loch Ness Monster sighted-May 02, 1933 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/loch-ness-monster-sighted

The Loch Ness Monster sightings through the years: In pictures http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/10776095/In-pictures-Loch-Ness-Monster-sightings-through-the-years.html

Mysterious Monsters of the Deep: Messie and Nessie

Peyton Smith

 

We’ve all heard the fictional stories of creatures that live in the deep, but have you ever considered where those theories and stories originated? According to Stephen Lyons, in his article “The Legend of Loch Ness”, the earliest evidence of the Loch Ness monster is dated back to the first century A.D., “when the Romans first came to Scotland and found it occupied by fierce, tattoo-covered tribes they called the Picts, or painted people.” The Picts had many animal statues carved in stone, all of which were recognizable except for one which was “a strange beast with an elongated beak or muzzle, a head locket or spout, and flippers instead of feet” (Lyons). It was described by many as a “swimming elephant.” Even though the Pictish statues were the first real evidence, “the earliest written evidence can be found in the biography of Saint Columba, in 565 A.D. when he saw a giant beast about to attack a swimmer in the lake” (Lyons). However, Lyons said the Loch Ness legend we all know about today arose in 1933, when a couple driving home passed the loch and saw “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.” Based on this sighting the first real description of the beast was created, and this description is still how we depict the creature today. The beast was said to have a long slender neck, distinct humps along its back, and fins. Does this monster seem believable to you?

In Bejnamin Radford’s book Lake Monster Mysteries, he discusses some of the most iconic photos of the Loch Ness monster, one of which was photographed by a London doctor named R. Kenneth Wilson. This photo became the most popular form of evidence to many because it came from someone as credible as a doctor, who was believed to be too well respected to lie about a monster. This photo was later falsified and the story behind the hoax was recorded in Radford’s book, it was also recorded in Stephen Lyons’ article “The Legend of Loch Ness”

Hearing about the Loch Ness monster can be terrifying for some, but many people don’t care about the urban legend since it is so far away in a loch in the middle of Scotland. But what if I were to tell you that there have been sightings of a similar beast in a lake many people in South Carolina visit frequently. In 1933, the first sighting of Messie the Lake Murray monster appeared. Lake Murray is a manmade lake located near Irmo, South Carolina, it is over 41 miles in length, 14 miles in width and about 200 feet in depth. The creature was first spotted by a husband and wife, who were out in a boat fishing on the lake, when they said the beast attacked their boat and they had to fight it off with oars to avoid sinking (SC Lakes). Over the years many Messie sightings have occurred, each time “it is always noted as being a giant snake with fins and has been calculated as being 40 to 60 feet long” (SC Lakes). Now next time you decide to go for a swim, beware of what could be lurking just under the surface.

Works Cited:
Lyons, Stephen. “The Legend of the Loch Ness.” pbs.org. PBS-NOVA, 12 Jan. 1999. Web. 7 October 2015.

Radford, Benjamin. Lake Monster Mysteries. Lexington: The UP of Kentucky, 2006. Print

SC Lakes. “Lake Murray Monster.” sclakes.com. SC Lakes, 17 Sept. 2009. Web. 14 October 2015.
Wilson, R. Kenneth. Surgeon’s Photo. 1934. American Museum of Natural History. amnh.org. Web. 14 October 2015.

Links for Further Research:
Can of Mystery: Lake Monsters: Messie and Nessiehttp://canofmystery.blogspot.com/2012/10/lake-monsters-messie-and-nessie.html
This website is a blog post about the Loch Ness Monster and the Lake Murray Monster, it gives a lot of background information about the two creatures.

American Museum of Natural History: Sea Monstershttp://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/mythic-creatures/water-creatures-of-the-deep/sea-monsters
This website explains the theory behind why people believe in sea monsters and discusses many sea monsters such as the loch ness monster, giant squids/kraken, and sea serpents.

Metro News… But Not As You Know Ithttp://metro.co.uk/2015/04/18/loch-ness-monster-really-does-exists-natural-history-museum-scientist-said-5156146/
This news article describes a scientist’s first hand encounter with a loch ness monster sighting and his theory that the beast is an aquatic dinosaur thought to be long ago extinct.

“Nessie” the Loch Ness Monster

Author:  Lawren Black

Original art by Fireberd904

“Nessie” the Loch Ness Monster? The Abominable Snowman?  Bigfoot?  Many don’t believe these exist but for those that do believe are known as Cryptozoologists. Cryptozoologists study these types of creatures because their existence is yet to be proven scientifically.  One of the more famous Cryptids that has been around a long time and is known around the world is “Nessie”, the Loch Ness Monster.  Pictures of Nessie have surfaced and some evidence has been collected, but no real scientific evidence has brought Nessie justice of being real.

 Living under the 24 mile long, one mile wide, 974 feet deep fresh water lake, Loch Ness, in Scotland is the famous “Nessie.”  Nessie has been around since the sixth century, but it wasn’t until 1933 when Mr. and Mrs. John Mackay reported a sighting that swept through the media internationally. Their sighting was published in the local newspaper, Inverness Courier.

Loch Ness in Highland, Scotland (NationalGeographic)

According to two articles, Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained, the appearance of Nessie is said to be a cross between a long-necked prehistoric time creature, Plesiosaur, and a seal.  Nessie real identity is yet to be discovered.  Many pictures only show Nessie as a hump or a “trunk-like” feature sticking out of the water.  Paleontologist Neil Clark even believes that “the monster was perhaps a padding pachyderm.” (National Geographic)  Clark saw many similarities between the two that made him come to believe that they are similar.

Painting by Neil Clark

While on a six-day monster hunt in 1960, Tim Dinsdale shot a four minute long film of what appeared to be a huge creature in the loch.  Dinsdale, who wanted to know more about the unknown creature, sent his film to be analyzed by JARIC, Royal Air Force Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre.  JARIC analyzed the film and concluded that the hump was 12-16 feet long and had a cross section that was at least five feet high and six feet wide.  JARIC also came to the conclusion that the unknown creature moved at a speed of seven to ten miles per hour and that “…it probably is an animate object” and a part of a living creature instead of a surface craft or submarine. (Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained)

In the summer of 1972, Dr. Robert Rines and his team traveled to Urquhart Bay and used sonar and under-water cameras to try and catch evidence of a lake monster.  Their trip turned successful when the sonar equipment and cameras caught a “thing”, 20-30 feet long and 400 pounds, moving through the water. This “thing” had a diamond shaped flippers, roughly six feet long that were attached to its body.

In December of 1975, Ornithologist Sir Peter Scott unofficially named the monster Nessiteras Rhombopteryx.  The name was taken to mean “Ness monster with the diamond shaped fin,” but later was proven to be an anagram that meant ‘monster hoax by Sir Peter Scott.’ (Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable)

The legend of Nessie has been around for many years and will stay around for many more years.  Until factual evidence of the existence of Nessie comes into play Nessie will forever remain a legend.  So what do you believe? Is Nessie real or not? 

Works cited:

Fireberd904. The Loch Ness Monster. 2010. Digital Art. Deviantart.com. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Kristof, Emory. Scotland Photos. n.d. Photo. nationalgeographic.com. Highland, Scotland. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

Clark, Neil. Loch Ness Monster an Elephant? n.d. Painting. Nationalgeographic.com. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

"Loch Ness Monster." Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. London: Chambers Harrap, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 11 October 2013. 

"The Loch Ness Monster." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 11 October 2013.

Lyons, Stephen. “The Legend of Loch Ness.” Pbs.org. NOVA, 12 Jan. 1999. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

Links for further research :

PBS NOVA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/legend-loch-ness.html
The article gives us history of the Loch Ness Monster legend, along with some searches for the monster in the past.

LEGEND OF NESSIE http://www.nessie.co.uk/htm/about_loch_ness/nessgeo.html

This article gives a geological view of the Loch Ness in Highland, Scotland along with surrounding areas.

Rodrigues, Joao. “National Geographic- The Truth Behind The Loch Ness Monster [FULL].” youtube.com. YouTube. 18 Nov. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.

This video is providing us with the truth behind the Loch Ness Monster.