Lake monster
A lake monster is a lake-dwelling entity in folklore. The most famous example is the Loch Ness Monster. Depictions of lake monsters are often similar to those of sea monsters.
In the Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, entities classified as "lake monsters", such as the Scottish Loch Ness Monster, the American Chessie, and the Swedish Storsjöodjuret fall under B11.3.1.1. ("dragon lives in lake").[1]
Theories
According to the Swedish naturalist and author Bengt Sjögren (1980), present-day lake monsters are variations of older legends of
The stories cut across cultures, existing in some variation in many countries.[5][6][1] and have undergone what Michel Meurger calls concretizing (The process of turning items, drawings, general beliefs and stories into a plausible whole) and naturalization over time as humanity's view of the world has changed.[3]
In many of these areas, especially around
In
Paul Barrett and Darren Naish note that the existence of any large animals in isolation (i.e., in a situation where no breeding population exists) is highly unlikely. Naish also observes that the stories are likely remnants of tales meant to keep children safely away from the water.[5][1]
There have been many purported sightings of lake monsters, and even some photographs, but each time these have either been shown to be deliberate deceptions, such as the Lake George Monster Hoax,[10] or serious doubts about the veracity and verifiability have arisen, as with the famous Mansi photograph of Champ.[11]
Examples
Well-known lake monsters include:
- Mishipeshu, in Lake Superior, Canada and US
- Nessie, in Loch Ness, Scotland
- Morag, in Loch Morar, Scotland
- Lagarfljót Worm, in Lagarfljót, Iceland
- Ogopogo, in Okanagan Lake, Canada
- Lariosauro, in Lake Como, Italy
- Champ, in Lake Champlain, Canada and US
- Memphre, in Lake Memphremagog, Canada and US
- Bessie, in Lake Erie, Canada and US
- Nahuelito, in Nahuel Huapi Lake, Argentina
- Muyso, in Lake Tota, Colombia
- Van Gölü Canavarı, in Lake Van, Turkey
- Inkanyamba, in Howick Falls, South Africa
- Tahoe Tessie, in Lake Tahoe, US
- Flessie, in Flathead Lake, US
- Iliamna Lake monster, in Lake Iliamna, US
See also
- River Monsters, wildlife documentary television programme
References
- ^ ISBN 9780765629531. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ ISBN 91-7586-023-6.
- ^ a b Hill, Sharon A. "Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 5: Which came first – the monster or the myth?". sharonahill.com. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ISBN 0-7100-8030-1
- ^ a b Baraniuk, Chris. "The Mythical Monsters That Hide In Lakes". bbc.com. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ISBN 9781870021005. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ASIN B0078XFQKQ.
- ^ Nickell, Joe (June 2007). "Lake Monster Lookalikes". Skeptical Inquirer. 17 (2). Retrieved 23 Feb 2021.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "Paranormal Investigator Joe Nickell Reveals the Truth Behind Modern Cryptozoological Myths". gizmodo.com. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ Nickell, Joe (December 2004). "The Lake George Monster Hoax". Skeptical Inquirer. 14 (4). Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- Bartholomew, Robert E. (June 2013). "New Information Surfaces on 'World's Best Lake Monster Photo,' Raising Questions". Skeptical Inquirer. 37 (3). Retrieved 9 May 2018.