"Nessie" The Loch Ness Monster

When most people think of Scotland, one of the first things that springs to mind is the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. However, with the exception of one, recorded sightings of "Nessie" have only come about in the twentieth century. The first recorded sighting was by St. Columba, who referred to the creature as an aquatilis bestia. The legend has it that St. Columba had instructed one of his monks to swim across the River Ness to fetch a boat. The monster was disturbed by the monk and surfaced, frightening everyone - except St. Columba, who made the sign of the cross and ordered the beast to return to the depths. If this part of the legend is to be believed, then "Nessie" would be more than fourteen centuries old! Some Scots think the creature merely another of the legendary Kelpies, beasties reputed to inhabit most every body of water in Scotland. Yet even with modern technology, proof of the creature's nonexistence remains as elusive as proof of her existence. Loch Ness is located in Inverness-shire in the Highlands.

An ancient legend has it that long ago, in the green valley near the loch, there was a magic well that supplied plentiful water for the people, as long as anyone who used the well remembered to replace its cover. One day, a mother drawing water from the well heard her baby crying. In her haste to see to the child, she forgot to replace the cover on the well and the waters bubbled over, flooding the valley. As the people ran to the safety of the hills, one turned back toward the valley and cried out "Tha loch ann a nis!" meaning roughly, There is a lake in it now! Glen Urquhart, to which Loch Ness is attached, is rife with legends and famed for its Gaelic, which is said to be the purest in Scotland. It is also a place reputed for the ever-presence of the power of evil, boasting three kinds of devil - the black, the speckled, and the white - and any number of witches.

In the ruined Castle Urquhart, which stands at the foot of the glen on the shores of Loch Ness, legend claims there are two hidden vaults, once which is said to contain treasure, the other the plague. Castle Urquhart is a 14th- to 16th-century castle, and one of the largest in Scotland. Its site, and vitrified remains, attest of a timber-laced fortress south of the landward access, making it likely fortified since the Iron Age. The castle once had a massive gatehouse, a 15th-century great tower, domestic quarters, and a motte within the enclosure. Once designated a royal castle, Urquhart has been the site of raids and disputes for centuries, and was even partially blown up in 1691 by government troops following the 1689 Jacobite Rising. Now decaying, this once regal fortress is open daily to visitors seeking to catch a glimpse of the legendary "Nessie."