The History Of The Loch Ness Monster – And The Theories On What It Could Have Been

The history of the Loch Ness Monster – a giant creature that inhabits a loch in Scotland – goes back a century, or many centuries, depending on who you ask. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The monster, the myth, the legend

The earliest sighting connected to Nessie by some goes back all the way to 565 CE, with a strange tale from Saint Columba, recorded in the seventh century CE. According to Adomnán's Life of St. Columba , the saint stumbled across the scene of a monster attack whilst attempting to cross the river Ness.

“At another time also, when the blessed man was sojourning for some days in the province of the Picts, he was obliged to cross the river Nesa [Ness]; and when he had come to the bank, he sees some