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Morag |
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The legend of Morag, the monster of Scotland's Loch Morar, has its roots in mythology -- the name Morag, from the Gaelic word "Mhorag", means "spirit of the lake." There have been over 30 credible sightings of Morag since 1887, making it seem as though the myth has a basis in fact. Loch Morar is the deepest lake in Great Britain. Over a thousand feet in depth, it certainly has room for a population of lake "monsters." Morar does not share the fame of Loch Ness, and remains a rugged, undeveloped lake. A typical description of Morag is as follows: a 25-30 foot long creature, reptilian or serpentine in appearance, brown in color, with 3 distinct humps. These humps are constant throughout most sightings, even back to Morag's early days. These humps, or "funeral boats," are usually seen gliding across the Loch at a reasonably fast pace. One of the most famous Morag sightings was that of Duncan McDonnell and William Simpson in August of 1969. The men were returning from a day of fishing when they spied the creature. "I heard a splashing or disturbance in the water astern of us. I looked up and about twenty yards behind us this creature was coming directly after us in our wake. It took only a matter of seconds to catch up on us. It grazed the side of the boat. I am quite certain this was unintentional. When it struck the boat it seemed to come to a halt or at least slow down. I grabbed the oar and was attempting to fend it off, my one fear being that if it got under the boat it might capsize it." -Duncan McDonnell Simpson then grabbed his rifle and fired at the creature, which sank out of sight. They estimated that it was 25-30 feet long and moved at about 30 mph. Morag's appearance, as given from sightings such as Simpson and McDonnell's, seems to suggest that Morag may be some sort of marine reptile, perhaps a prehistoric survivor. Another candidate could be a large eel. The absence of a long neck makes the popular "long-necked seal" explanation for Nessie seemingly inapplicable here. - entry provided by Meghan Hogan
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