LOCH LOMOND, LOCH NESS: HISTORY AND LEGEND
Two of
the most beautiful lakes in the world are in the Scottish Highlands. They are
also two of the most storied. Loch Lomond serves as the unofficial boundary
between the Highlands and Central Scotland and has lent itself to national
folklore for over 150 years.
In 1841
Loch Lomond was cemented into Scottish identity and pride when it was
celebrated in the ballad “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond”. The writer of the
ballad is unknown as is the true meaning of the song, but speculation brings to
light a nation’s struggles. One theory simply attributes the lyrics to a
soldier reminiscing about his beloved homeland while awaiting execution by the
enemy’s hand. A more specific reading interprets the song as a narrative of the
Jacobite rising of 1745.
Loch
Ness has also become synonymous with national identity and folklore. Its beauty
alone should justify its fame but, for over a century, it has been the home of
the legendary Loch Ness monster known by the locals as Nessie. Official reports
of a large sea serpent inhabiting the lake date back to the late 19th
century (earlier medieval accounts are more likely Scotland’s answer to the
tales of sea monsters popular in the day than any record of a particular
sighting), but the legend did not gain popularity until 1934 when, following a
handful of alleged sightings the previous year, The Daily Mail published
a photography by London gynecologist Robert Wilson showing what as purported to
be a giant creature with a long neck protruding from the waves. A flurry of
alleged sightings came in but for decades this photo was presented as the most
positive proof of the creature’s existence. It would be followed by additional
photos of “humps” emerging from the water in the 50s and 60s as well as sonar
readings.
Most of
these photos have been definitively concluded to be hoaxes, including the one
that started it all, Wilson’s 1934 snapshot.
But it
was not the discreditation of the photographs that disproved Nessie’s
existence. Nessie does not exist simply because a creature of its size cannot
exist in Loch Ness. Deep as it is,
Loch Ness cannot possibly sustain a creature of Nessie’s size and feeding
needs, let alone a breeding population which has kept the species in the lake
for over at least one century. Most locals know this. I remember a conversation
I had with the owner of a small newspaper I had landed a job with some twenty
years ago in which I spoke of my interest in folklore and legends, mentioning
the Loch Ness monster as an example. The owner had been to Scotland and told me
that the locals came clean about their skepticism, but the legend was kept
alive because it drove up tourism. I have a feeling, however, that there is yet
another reason, rooted more deeply, why the myth is kept alive. Though this was
not mentioned to my old newspaper boss, a nation’s folklore is a vital
component of its fabric. Much like our Bigfoot, Nessie has become a part of our
folkloric heritage, symbols of the awe our lands inspire. In their own
fantastical way, cryptids tell a nation’s story and in their own way tell as
much about a people as any history book.
After leaving
Loch Ness I had a close encounter with a very real animal that has likewise
become a symbol of the Highlands, the iconic Highlands cows. Further up
Inverness I came to Drumbuie Farm, a family-owned tearoom and bed and Breakfast
where visitors could purchase a small cup of vegetables to feed the hairy cows
with horns as long as the Texas longhorn breed. I was greeted very warmly by
the family with all the earnest and charm I had grown so accustomed to. Highland
cows are raised for beef, I was told, but the small herd I visited and ate the
cut vegetables off my hand were kept as pets.
I
finished my day at Urquhart Castle where both history and folklore, as well as
the blurred line in between, is kept alive by role players, recounting the
lives of the historic figures they portray and signs posted throughout the
castle walls telling of a local folkloric creature. Standing on the banks of
Loch Ness the castle has, over the centuries, been complimented by the lake’s
aura of mystery and legend. History and legend build each other up more often
than people realize and while the job of telling them apart is a valuable
(albeit thankless) one, our story would not be complete without the sense of
identity, pride and culture born of the two.
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