The Loch Ness Monster, Fact or Fiction?
For over a century the legend of Nessie the Loch Ness monster has existed in one form or another. Largely dismissed as simple folk lore at its start, it grew in fame and supposed sightings increased dramatically in the 1930s’. So what is Nessie? Legend or myth, hoax or truth?
Yet another view states that the monster is actually an underwater wave. Seismic rumblings far below the lake cause the roiling waves and explosive blasts that have for centuries led people to believe that a giant beast lurks below the loch’s murky surface.
Bones
Here is the prize winning question right upfront. Isn’t it a bit strange that with all the sophisticated technology, the submarines, and the thousands of people that have searched for the legendary “creature of the deep” for years and years not a single specimen or trace of one has been found. No carcass or bone have been discovered, not so much as a fin or a tooth. Funny isn’t it?
Now this fact alone would arouse suspicion in any semi-intelligent person, so are the town leaders just plain dumb not to have noticed this? Of course not. In fact, they are being very clever. What better way to keep the hoax/myth/legend alive than to keep it shrouded in mystery? And if that mystery just happens to have its economic advantages, such as free publicity and increased tourism, well isn’t that just dandy? Hmmm. Skeptic radars on alert?
Having said that, however, I believe that most of the hundreds of eye witnesses who claim to have seen Nessie are honest, decent people who have simply misinterpreted what they saw, either because their eyes deceived them, or due to wishful thinking. There are plenty of photographs of Nessie that haven’t been faked. These pictures are always of very poor quality, gray and shadowy and the form of the monster is blurry. In some of these there is a form which could be taken to be the Loch Ness monster, but it could just a easily be taken for several other things as well.
Final Major Search
The most recent and last sonar exploration of Loch Ness was done in 2004 when an expedition from the BBC used 600 sonar beams to search the Loch from one end to another. They detected no sign of any dinosaur-sized animal in the water. But rest assured, efforts to locate the monster will continue as they have for many years, because while there is life, there is hope, and the true believers in Nessie have learned to never give up hope. Who knows, maybe one day some lucky searcher will find Nessie alive and well. Whatever happens, there’s lots of fun to be had in speculating.
Research Sources:
The Skeptic’s Dictionary
http://www.skepdic.com/nessie.html
The Legend of Nessie the Ultimate Loch Ness Monster Site
http://www.nessie.co.uk
The Museum of UnNatural Mystery
http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/lochness.htm
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