![]() ![]() Over the ensuing decades, research teams have filmed, taken sonar readings, and studied old photographs in search of the infamous Loch Ness Monster, usually finding proof just inconclusive enough to keep the mystery alive. Then came the definitive “surgeon’s photograph” published by the Daily Mail in 1934 - which was, years later, determined to be a hoax concocted by a disgruntled employee of the newspaper. Thirty years later, the original negatives proved the “monster” was an otter rolling on the surface. That evidence was provided by Hugh Gray in December of 1933 - a photograph, which prompted the Scottish government to pass legislation to protect the Loch Ness Monster from harm. After the Courier ran that story, more reports of sightings surfaced, and tourists flocked to the loch to be the first to snap evidence of Nessie. Three months later, a couple reported seeing a prehistoric dragon-like creature waddling across the road to the loch. Go back at once.” The creature made a hasty retreat.īut the legend took off in the 1930s, sparked by a part-time journalist for the Inverness Courier who wrote about the possibility of a sea serpent in the lake’s waters. According to onlookers, Saint Columba made the sign of the cross and shouted, “Go no farther. But halfway across, the sea serpent attacked the man. Saint Columba enlisted one of his followers to swim across the river to lure Nessie ashore. ![]() The earliest mention of the infamous sea dinosaur dates to the sixth century, when Saint Columba, an Irish monk, was told that a “water beast” had dragged a local man underwater, drowning him. The Loch Ness Monster may, in fact, be a kelpie. It’s possible to take a guided tour of The Kelpies and even go inside the 98-foot statue. Pro Tip: Visit the world’s largest equine sculpture - two magnificent horse heads (kelpies!) in Falkirk’s Helix Park. Scottish poet Robert Burns memorialized the beasts in his 1785 poem Address To The Deil (or “Devil”): “Then water-kelpies haunt the foord, / By your direction, / And ’nighted trav’llers are allur’d / To their destruction.” Be especially careful walking along rivers or streams just before a storm, when kelpies’ haunting wails offer an ominous warning.Īlthough the origin of the kelpie myth is elusive, it has endured. The sound of a kelpie’s tail entering the water is said to sound like thunder. Or a kelpie might engage its magical powers to create a great flood to sweep its victim into its clutches. Once a victim is stuck and trapped, the kelpie will drag it underwater to eat it. The flip side of the endearing unicorns are the terrifying kelpies, shape-shifting horses that live in rivers and streams and drag unsuspecting victims to their d.e.a.t.h.Īccording to legend, a kelpie may appear as a tame horse to entice a child or as a beautiful woman to lure a young man to touch its sticky hide. Consider visiting on National Unicorn Day (celebrated on April 9) to get your unicorn fix. ![]() But, really, anywhere you go in Scotland, you can find a unicorn. Pro Tip: Unicorns are ubiquitous in Scotland! The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh Castle, Craigmillar Castle, and St Giles’ Cathedral - all in Edinburgh - sport unicorns. Upon unification with England in 1603, James VI of Scotland (who became James I of England) replaced one of the unicorns in the crest with a lion, England’s national animal, to symbolize the joining of the two nations. Others point toward the “unicorn of the sea,” the narwhal.īut it was William I who introduced the unicorn to the Scottish royal coat of arms in the 13th century. No one knows how the unicorn myth got started, but some have speculated that an ancestor of the rhino, the now-extinct Siberian unicorn, which lived alongside humans 35,000 years ago, may be the prototype. No wonder independent Scots have incorporated this creature into their national character! The creature has been part of Scotland’s ethos for centuries.Īccording to legend, the unicorn is fiercely independent, is the strongest of all wild animals, and can only be tamed by a virgin maiden. In Celtic mythology, the unicorn represents both purity and power, innocence and dominance. No list of Scottish mythical creatures would be complete without mentioning Scotland’s national animal - the infamous unicorn, which adorns the country’s royal coat of arms. ![]()
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