This year marks the 80th anniversary of the first known photograph of the Loch Ness Monster, or 'Nessie' as she is known to her friends. The picture, taken by Hugh Gray on a post-church saunter in 1933, was the first evidence of the existence of a giant cryptid (and probably prehistoric) beast living at the bottom of a Scottish loch – and with it a whole school of creature-fandom was born.
Only recently tourist David Elder
captured a 'mysterious wave' on the water of Loch Ness, which was
probably Nessie going for a morning constitutional. The resultant
wave has to be mysterious, because that's how Nessie rolls (or
swims).
Between the two events there we have
seen a wealth of scientific evidence, backed up with dossier upon
dossier of hard statistical fact, that there is a gigantic
sea-monster lurking in the depths of Loch Ness... or instead a random
assortment of swimming dogs and gusts of winter breeze, depending on
which side of reality you sit.
The Loch Ness Monster is a rare British
example of a crypto-zoological beast. Not having a Yeti, or
Sasquatch, or a vampire or werewolf, or a cat-fox or devil-bird or
kraken or any such alleged beast to speak of, the UK has had to
content itself with Nessie and various non-specific big black cats.
Therefore she doesn't have to actually exist to be an extremely
precious cultural resource. Bearing that in mind surely it is a
national disgrace that Nessie doesn't get more attention. Where is
the national prime-time TV talk show? Or the syndicated TV series? Or
the rock opera?
The monster-myths and tales native to
these isles may not have captured the imagination of film-makers
across the world like their European counterparts (and on the
occasion when they did, such as the execrable 'Loch Ness' (1996),
we would just as well wish they hadn't), but that still doesn't mean
we should fall into the same trap. There is a treasure trove of
homegrown myths and creeps to tuck into, from your everyday banshee
to your run-of-the-mill lake troll. Yes, they may not be as glamorous
as the Carpathian variety of ghoul, and they are unlikely to be
characterized in a frilly shirt by Brad Pitt, but they remain a key
part of our indigenous industry of British chills.
So next time you're in the mood for a
creature feature, or in search of a monster theme, then consider
taking a trip to your nearest embedded myth; visit your nearest
haunted mansion, read up on your local folk tales, take a pair of
binoculars and a packed lunch onto Bodwin Moor. Take in a local
cryptid and give it a home. And bring Nessie back into the dark,
British heart of goth.