Legendary Creatures of Britain - Documentary

Britain. This island is home to a remarkable number of myths and legends concerning the paranormal. Some of the creatures reported here have appeared quite recently. Others, however, are the subjects of tales which seem to predate recorded history. Indeed, this island has been associated with eerie mysteriousness ever since the Romans and Greeks first wrote of the Celtic inhabitants and what they claimed lived among them. To many of these observers, both ancient and modern, some of these beings, what we might call cryptids, monsters, or mythical creatures, are anything but mythical. Hello and welcome to Fire of Learning. I'm Justin. In this video, we will be going over many of the most famous British cryptids and legendary creatures, reviewing the associated folklore and encounters, and considering if, perhaps, some of these witnesses may in fact be telling the truth. Thank you for joining us as we now add another video to our campfire series. Now then, let's get to it. The Cairngorms, a mountain range in the highlands of Scotland. This desolate landscape has been home to a number of unusual events for centuries. It is said by some who travel here, specifically to the largest mountain, which is the second largest in all of Britain for that matter, Ben Macdui, that an unusual being lurks in the mist and snow, which seems to possess a sort of power to induce a feeling of intense anxiety in travellers, as if it were a spirit that could enter into their minds. It is what the Scottish call Amfar l'Mor, that translates to The Big Grey Man, also known as The Grey Man of Ben Macdui, or simply, The Grey Man. Sightings of The Grey Man are relatively rare, often his presence is merely strongly sensed, a bit like a ghost. The feeling of The Grey Man's presence, as mentioned, is often accompanied by a sensation of uneasiness, fear, anxiety, at times even outright panic. The first recorded encounter occurred in 1891. An English scientist, and later professor and inventor, J. Norman Cawley, was making his way through the mountains on a cold, misty day. The mist made visibility difficult, but off in the distance, Cawley claims he was able to hear something unusual. The crunching of footsteps, which he claimed were following him, at about three to four times the length of his own. After a few moments of disbelief, Cawley felt more strongly that a malevolent presence was following him. He took off running in a panic for what he Cawley returned home unscathed, and kept the incident private for fear of ridicule for 34 years, until 1925. Such a story, from a generally reasonable and level-headed man of science, attracted a wide amount of interest. When he finally reported the incident, mentioning in his story that he would never go back to the mountain, he found others who had experienced similar things. Some of the incidents, travelers and climbers noted, were attributable to wild animals, but others had experiences much like Cawley. Hearing footsteps which did not match the pattern of their own, sensing a presence, and feeling a sense of apprehension and panic. The mountaineer, historian, and ironically named Affleck Gray, began to record these reports. Cawley didn't claim to see anything, as again, most people who believe they've encountered the man don't, but throughout the decades a handful of people would. It is described in various ways, but generally as a very large grave figure, hence the name. Sometimes it is shrouded in the mist, and appears much more like a shadow. Others, however, describe it as a short-haired ape-like creature, a bit like a Scottish Bigfoot, or as a giant humanoid with olive skin. It has appeared so real, that some observers have even shot at it. What are these individuals reporting? Researchers aren't exactly sure, but have offered a number of very reasonable explanations. The fact that most people don't see anything, but rather experience intense emotions, with the creature being detected sometimes solely by a kind of gut feeling, leads many researchers to suggest that the encounter is all in their heads. Many hikers and mountain climbers may be experiencing anxiety from, as Graham Reid puts it, prolonged exhaustion and isolation. The ominous environment may also have a powerful psychological effect on people on its own. It has been suggested that low frequency sound, or what is called infrasound, sound with a frequency below 20 hertz, can cause anxiety for unknown reasons. The footsteps may be the product of echoes, or can be attributed to animals that are difficult to see in the fog despite their proximity. Both possibilities feature prominently in a number of stories, and indeed the footsteps often only follow people while they themselves are walking. However, this doesn't necessarily explain the unusual rhythm of the footsteps, which is again a main feature of many stories, and indeed is generally what sparks the feeling of alarm to begin with. One man reported that he thought he was being followed, only to discover that what sounded like footsteps was actually the sloshing around of his drink in his backpack. And what about the giant humanoid figures that people are observing? It could be an illusion, again triggered by the excited mental state and exhaustion, although it could very well be that these people are seeing something real. There is an optical illusion known as a Brocken Specter, which occurs when the sun casts a shadow on the fog, giving the appearance of a giant figure in front of someone, which people may not immediately recognize as a shadow. This requires very specific circumstances, but the phenomenon has been observed on Ben Macdui itself on a few occasions as far back as the 1700s. However, it is often accompanied by a colorful halo, which is not always reported. Fog is also capable of amplifying sound under the right conditions. Some people have produced photographs and found footprints of the Gray Man, but the subjects of the photographs and origins of the footprints remain disputed. Is this sufficient to say that there is a natural explanation for the Gray Man? Perhaps so, or perhaps there is more we have to understand about the desolate, seemingly featureless Ben Macdui and those who may call this mountain home. Either way, its reputation as an eerie and strange place is well deserved, with believers and non-believers recognizing it as such. We remain in Scotland to address our next being, or perhaps breed of beings, which have been terrifying inhabitants of the North for centuries. It is described as a horse, a seemingly beautiful, friendly, strong horse. White, dark grey, or black, often found near bodies of water. It appears quite normal, apart from its hooves, which are backwards, and its mane, which is always soaking wet. The horse is quite inviting, especially towards children, who naturally want to climb and ride the beast, and weary travelers looking for a ride. It may even encourage them to mount by singing. Once on the horse's back, however, the victims find they cannot get off. They have become stuck to the horse, bound to it. The horse reveals itself to be a sinister being, and carries its victims off into the nearby body of water, where they are drowned and eaten. This demonic horse is known as a kelpie. It's a part of a much larger mythology of demonic water-dwelling horses found throughout Northern Europe, with tales of other similar creatures reported throughout Britain as well, which we will address. The legends of the kelpie date back to the ancient Celts. There is a kelpie legend associated with nearly every large body of water in Scotland, though other accounts hold that kelpies are more restricted to certain bodies of water, specifically rivers and streams. Notably, many legends hail from a specific loch in the Highlands of Scotland, called Loch Ness, which we will be returning to later in this presentation. Some legends state that the kelpie has the power to change its form, namely in the daytime, as it would be returned to its horse form when the sun set. It sometimes appears as a handsome lord, or less traditionally as these horses prefer to prey on women, a beautiful lady, which draws in lonely wandering travellers, inviting them to swim, often with the same intentions and therefore often with the same result. One can tell a kelpie however, even in human form, by the waterweeds or sand in their hair. Also, according to some accounts, they retain their hooves in this form. Other times the kelpie takes the form of an elderly man, or sometimes as a large brutish man who captures victims directly. In some of these tales however the kelpie does not consume the victim, but rather, seeking companionship, casts a spell upon them, causing them to fall madly in love with them. Despite its strength and intelligence, legend holds that one can defeat a kelpie. One way to achieve this is by fitting it with a halter with the sign of the cross on it. Another more common way is to grasp its bridle, or the equivalent which is transformed along with the beast when it takes a false appearance, such as a necklace. Once taken, it becomes a servant of any who have tamed it, as it will die within a day without it. The individual also gains control over any other kelpie, no matter whose bridle they have possession of. Once a servant, its powers and great strength are sometimes used for labor. The castle of the Laird of Murphy is said to have been built using a kelpie, who upon its release placed a curse upon his family, preventing them from having children and causing the family to die out. One can also kill a kelpie, namely with a silver bullet. Once killed, it melts into what is often described as a jelly-like substance. As a side note, some legends hold that there are positive kelpies, which save children from drowning, rather than drowning them themselves, though these are less common. The origins of the kelpie mythology are quite old, likely predating Christianity. The legends may not have originated in Scotland and may have been brought over by the Norse. The legends may have descended from tales related to horse sacrifices made to water gods. Indeed, sinister shape-shifting water spirits like the Nix or Fosgrim are common throughout Germanic mythology, and the Shupleti or Nuggle of Shetland and the Tangi of Orkney are likewise similar monstrous water horse creatures on islands which were settled by the Norse during the Viking Age. However, similar tales seem to be spread throughout Celtic mythology as well. There is the Glastin of the Isle of Man, the Kefildur in Wales, the Morgans of Wales and Brittany, and more. Another closely related beast is the Akiska, Scottish Gaelic for water horse, the Manx equivalent being Cabal Uchdi, and the Irish being Agiski. In Ireland, it is pronounced Gaelic, in Scotland, it's pronounced Gaelic. The kelpie and Akiska are so similar that the legends appear to have been confused in some circumstances over many centuries. However, the Akiska is considered more ferocious. One primary difference between the two is that the Akiska are more commonly found in the sea. Much like its kelpie relative, it attempts to lure riders to mount them, who become stuck after doing so, where then it takes them underwater and devours them whole. Apart from, as many legends hold, the liver. It too is capable of shape-shifting, generally into a handsome lord but sometimes into a large water bird. The Akiska is also open to consuming livestock, and even each other, should another Akiska carry the smell of a prior meal. Overall, however, the most sinister of these water horse demons is the Nuckella Vee. The Nuckella Vee does seem to stem from a legend brought by the Norse during the settlement of the Northern Isles. It is said to inhabit the waters around the Orkney Islands. Many tales were collected by the researcher and Orkney native Walter Trail Dennison in the late 19th century, where he often wrote of what he had heard from local farmers directly, though he encountered only one first-hand account. The Nuckella Vee is described in various ways. Dennison claimed that it was a water demon, which turned into a demonic horse as it surfaced on the land. What form the creature takes while in water is not known. However, the one first-hand witness account described it as something far more disturbing than a kelpie. He claimed that it was, indeed, a demonic horse with fins on its legs, but had what appeared to be a rider atop it. Only, the rider is but a torso and arms, with a head which bobs side to side as if it were limp. It is attached to the same body as the horse, much like a centaur. The creature has no skin, exposing its muscle and veins. The horse section also has its own head, with one giant eye and a mouth which breathes toxic smoke. It is said to often roam the beaches of the islands. The Nuckella Vee does not merely prey on lone travelers, however. It is capable of such power that it can inflict hardship on all of the islands. Plagues, droughts, famines, the deaths of livestock, many of these hardships were blamed on this demon and its toxic breath. People were so concerned by the Nuckella Vee that they would not utter its name without saying a prayer immediately afterward. Despite its great power, it is not invincible. It is, in fact, sensitive to freshwater, and therefore cannot come ashore when it is raining and can be escaped by crossing a stream or splashing freshwater on it. It is also confined to the depths of the ocean during the summer months by the Seamither, a much more benevolent sea spirit of Orcadian mythology. Monin. A village in Cornwall, a region in the southwest corner of Britain which is no stranger to strange happenings. April 17th, 1976. Two young girls, June, age 12, and Vicky, 9, melling are on vacation with their family when they spot something horrifying flying above the tower of St. Monin and St. Stephen's Church, located about a mile from the center of the village. They describe it as a large, feathered bird-man with an owl's face. Surely the imaginations of two children at work, right? Well, evidently the girl's father was so struck by the event that he cut their vacation short and went back to his home in Lancaster immediately. There, he reported the story to a cryptozoologist named Tony Doc Shields. A few months later, two teenage girls spotted the while they were out camping in the woods near where the creature had been reported in an effort to look for it, gaining a much more detailed view. They described the creature as a man-sized owl with pointed ears, black, pincer-like claws, and glowing red eyes. At first, they claimed they believed it to be a joke until, terrifyingly, the owl-man shot up in the air. Over the years, more sightings were reported, along with strange, owl-like sounds that came from the church every so often. Descriptions became more detailed, but largely remained very similar. Some would go so far as to claim that they were attacked by it. The reports seem to have stopped around the year 2000, however, and there have not been many more sightings reported in the past several years, with many villagers referring to it as a memory or, especially if they are newcomers, not even knowing about it. And so what was it? Many cryptozoologists note a striking resemblance to the Mothman of America, first observed in West Virginia in 1966 and 67. Ironically, many researchers believe that misidentifications of owls are to blame for the supposed Mothman, and suspect that as well for the Cornish Owlman. Research has shown that people tend to be unreliable at estimating size during brief encounters, especially when excited. Furthermore, it is fairly normal for the eyes of owls to glow red when light is shined into them, as light is reflected by what's called the tapitum lucidum, Latin for bright tapestry, which is a layer of tissue behind the eyes of these creatures as well as many others. Many researchers would guess that that's what's going on here, noting that owls often nest atop towers. Some, however, suspect that the initial incident was totally made up by the cryptozoologist Tony Doc Shields, who had a reputation for creating hoaxes. The Mothman of Point Pleasant is often considered an unusual cryptid, not merely a misunderstood animal but a supernatural being which appears as a warning of imminent danger. Perhaps that could be the case for the Owlman Dartmoor, an area of southwest England in County Devon. The area is home to about 30,000 people, and is protected under English law as a national park which stretches well over 300 square miles. The grasslands and bogs of this area are famous for their beauty, making the area a popular tourist destination. However, in the famously dreary English weather, the area can appear rather ghostly. Indeed, it is an appropriate setting for a number of legends and reports of unusual activity. One example of this are the strange events that have taken place on the road known as B-3212, between the hamlet of Postbridge and an area known as Two Bridges near Beliver Forest. For at least a hundred years, motorists and bicyclists have reported having had unusual accidents along this road. Some claim horses have shied away from the area as well. Many of the victims of these accidents survive, and go on to report that the circumstances of their accidents have left them baffled. These aren't your standard cases of distracted driving, resulting in your average fender bender. Many of these drivers have reported that they felt as if they were forced off the road suddenly, as if they had lost control of the wheel to another force. Some claim that it has been occurring since 1910, but the first verifiable incidents are from the 1920s. Attention to these accidents grew in the summer of 1921, following a string of them. The first involved a motorcyclist, Dr. Ernest H. Helby, who suddenly lost control of his motorcycle. As he struggled to regain control, he yelled for his daughters in the sidecar to jump. He crashed and was killed instantly, but it is said his daughters survived. It's worth noting though, the initial reports do not mention the daughter's presence, and these census records do not mention their existence, but it appears that some of the newspapers did mention them. More on that later. Anyway, finally, on August 26th of that year, an army officer claimed to have identified the culprit. He claimed that a pair of large, hairy, powerful hands had grabbed a hold of his motorcycle while he was in the same area, and forced him off the road. Though this character, and the reports of the incident, remain ambiguous, he is said to have survived, and reported the incident to a friend, whereafter the incident became famous. It was the first of many reports to come of the hairy hands of Dartmoor. Reports continued throughout the 1920s and beyond, throughout the 20th century. Most of the reports were very similar. A pair of hands, sometimes visible, large, muscular, and hairy, suddenly materializing in the same section of road and attempting to force motorists and bicyclists off, oftentimes succeeding. However, there were other reports of the hands being spotted outside of these circumstances as well, such as in the case of one woman who was out camping with her husband in 1924. She claimed that she found the hands attempting to gain access to her caravan one night, until she made the sign of the cross, causing them to flee. Again, she described the These reports may seem like a convenient excuse for poor driving, or a quick way for a shallow individual to gain some attention, but it seems that many of the victims genuinely believe what they've seen, such as Rufus Endel, who survived an accident which he claimed was caused by the hairy hands. He kept the incident mostly private, recounting his experience to the author Michael Williams, asking of him that he not share it in his book Supernatural Dartmoor until after his death. Some have claimed that the hands likely belonged to a spirit who died in the area, perhaps from a car accident, or perhaps they belonged to a deceased prisoner formerly held in the local Dartmoor prison. Indeed, the first victim in the summer of 21 worked at the prison, or perhaps the spirit is much more ancient, belonging to a Bronze Age village that once existed in the area, who still attempts to ward off trespassers. However, many people, most notably many of the locals, remain unconvinced, and attribute the accidents to the road itself, which can be dangerous, especially to people unfamiliar with it, or other causes. Locals sometimes expressed concern that the tales were fabrications that would lead to a decline in tourist revenue. Furthermore, many of the supposed encounters with the hairy hands, such as the encounter with the woman in the caravan in 1924, raise a number of questions that contradict key elements of the story, calling them into question. At times, modern versions of the stories even differ from the original reports, thanks to newspapers and careless storytellers. Indeed, some have gone so far as to question the existence of not merely the hands, but even some of the individuals claimed to have reported the stories, as I hinted at earlier. Perhaps the nail in the coffin for this one is the fact that the decline in reported incidents parallels an improvement in vehicle and transportation technology. But is that truly the end of it? Well, whatever is going on, perhaps it would be wise to exercise a little extra caution should you find yourself traveling down this road. Throughout Germanic and Celtic mythology, there are numerous tales of what scholars call ghostly black dogs. Britain, especially England and Wales, is a hotbed of these legends. Across the island, there are many different names for these haunting canines, with reports of them continuing to this very day. The Black Shuck of East Anglia, the Barghest of Northumberland, the Capplethwaite of Westmerland, the Black Dog of Newgate Prison, the Guy Trash of the North, the Black Dog of Tannic Chase, the Black Dog of the Welsh St. Donnacht's Castle, the Black Dog of Tring, the Freyberg, and well, the list continues. These hellhounds are anything but man's best friend. The dogs are simply the forms that demons, ghosts, or some other unnatural shape-shifting entities are said to assume. The origins of the deathly black dog legends from the underworld are quite old, even predating Christianity. The tales may be so old that the Greek Hound of Hades, Cerberus, may stem from the same roots. They are generally described as solitary, though not always, vicious looking dogs, larger than most, with shaggy black fur, large teeth and claws, and eyes which glow ominously in the darkness, though sometimes it is described as having only a single glowing red eye, like a cyclops. Sometimes even, the dog has a human face or is headless, as is the case for the one in Ivelet, a hamlet in Yorkshire, or can become invisible, like the Barghest and Padfoot. They are said to wander the night, namely in churchyards, graveyards, and empty fields. Sometimes the footsteps are silent, other times they are accompanied by the sound of rattling chains. Some of them even, like the Gabriel Hounds, fly through the night sky. The howls are loud and bone chilling. Legend holds that should you hear such a howl, you should close your eyes immediately. Infamously, the black dog is often an omen of death. Sometimes, as with the black shuck, a sighting warrants your own death, either immediately by the ferocious beast itself or by unnatural forces under his control within the next year. Black ghost dogs have been written about in England since the middle ages, and again, like the pre-date writing on the island. There is a tale of the black shuck from the Old English shuka, meaning devil, specifically, which comes from 1577. The 16th century English clergyman Abraham Fleming tells that on August 4th of that year, a black dog attacked the churches of Bungie in Blythborough. Two people were killed at Bungie, and on the same day, another three at Blythborough, by a dog which appeared outside the church, broke in, and began attacking churchgoers. The dog is said to leave scorch marks behind, as well as the smell of brimstone, aka sulfur, wherever it goes. Holy Trinity Church in Blythborough claims these marks, called the Devil's Fingerprints, remain on its door to this day. In Dartmoor, there has been a legend since the 17th century of a man who sold his soul to the devil, the squire Richard Cavill. Upon his death, black hounds surrounded his burial chamber. His tale served as the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, a Sherlock Holmes story. In the north of England, in Northumberland and Durham specifically, it is said that the barghest roams. The barghest is quite similar to the shuck, save for a few notable attributes. Firstly, interestingly, it is unable to cross rivers. Secondly, it appears to be more likely to vary in the forms that it takes, at times appearing in forms such as a headless person who disappears in flame, or a white cat. The barghest is said to haunt the countryside, though it has been reported even in urban areas such as the city of York, preying on innocent people. In William Henderson's 1879 Notes on the Folklore of the Northern Counties of England and the Border Territories, he claims that, like many ghostly black dogs, the barghest signals death, though not necessarily the death of the individual to whom he appears, but rather an important member of the community. Following the death of the individual, the barghest forms a kind of funeral procession with the local dogs. Should anyone get in the barghest's way, it inflicts a wound on them which never heals. The yeth-hound of Devon is said to be the spirit of an unbaptized child who has taken the form of a headless dog and wanders the forest at night, wailing like a baby. One protection from the dogs, it is said, is to carry a cross or a picture of a saint. The black dogs are not exclusively evil, however. Some are said to be merely apparitions who keep to themselves. Others may even do services for the community of which they are a part. The Church Grim, for example, are said to be spirits of dogs which protect churches from vandals and evildoers. They too announce impending death when one rings the church bell at midnight. The Gurt Dog of Somerset is even said to be benevolent and watches over children specifically, protecting them from evildoers. There is a famous tale of two convicted criminals from the early 1900s who admitted that they intended to rob and murder a man in the forest, but were scared off by the presence of a black dog. In Scotland, the dogs are said to guard treasure. The ghoulgie of Wales, interestingly, is said to take the form of a mastiff. Not only is it the island's most famous cryptid, but it is unquestionably one of the most famous in the entire world, on par with the Sasquatch. Loch Ness, in the Highlands of Scotland, is the largest loch by volume in the British Isles, containing more water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined. The loch has long been considered a home of many of the strange water creatures said to haunt Scotland, such as the aforementioned water horses. The most famous monster said to inhabit these murky waters, however, attracts the interest of millions from around the world to this day. She is no horse, not even a demonic one. When the first encounter with what is called the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, took place is unclear. Some believe the first report comes from as far back as the 6th century AD. The Abbot Yunnan mentions something intriguing in the biography he wrote of a relative whom he never met, Saint Columba, a central figure of Scottish Christianity who lived in this time. While on his mission to convert the native Picts to Christianity, he encountered a group of men burying a man whom they claimed died after having been attacked by a water beast in the nearby river Ness, which it is connected to but is technically not the loch itself. Saint Columba decided to confront this beast, sending one of his followers into the river. When the beast approached this swimmer, it is claimed Saint Columba made the sign of the cross and commanded the beast back into the water. The beast paused and then sank below. It's unclear what kind of beast the tale refers to. As we've seen throughout this presentation, the Celts loved their water monster mythology. Whether or not this was the origin of the Loch Ness monster mythology, an unrelated tale, or if, in fact, it was a medieval report of an encounter with something actually in the water, remains debated. Overall, the true fascination with Nessie doesn't seem to have started until the modern era. The earliest reports of what we could clearly call Nessie come from the early 1800s, when there were reported sightings of something unusual moving around in the water, sometimes referred to as sea serpents. These reports became more popular in the late 1800s. The most famous string of incidents, however, which sparked public attention from around the world, took place in 1933. On April 15th of that year, John and Aldy McKay were driving along the A82 route next to the loch. While looking out the window, Aldy claimed she saw a creature which resembled a whale, rolling and plunging in the water for about a full minute before finally disappearing into the water. She said it had two humps and was about 20 feet in length. It's worth noting, Aldy was aware of the mythology surrounding the beast prior to the On July 22nd of that same year, a report came from a man named George Spicer. He claimed that while he and his wife were out driving on a road by Loch Ness, a large creature, about 4 feet high and 25 feet long, passed in front of their car. Reportedly limbless, it slithered across the road toward the lake. Its neck alone, it was claimed, accounted for about half of its length. He claimed it was somewhat like a dragon or prehistoric creature. Sightings continued throughout the years. Immediately as the newspapers blew up with stories, people set out to try to be the first to photograph the beast. The first alleged photograph was taken in November of 1933 by Hugh Gray, though this was quickly deemed to be a fake, depicting either a Labrador Retriever or an otter. Another photograph was taken the following spring by Robert Kenneth Wilson, a local surgeon and gynecologist. This photograph, shown here, known as the Surgeon's Photograph because of Wilson's desired anonymity, became the most famous piece of evidence for the existence of the monster, and remains famous to this day. However, after extensive examination, it is now recognized as a famous fabrication. Indeed, many years later, it was revealed to be a hoax after all, with the main perpetrator being a man named Marmaduke Wetherill, who had already faked evidence of the monster before. Wilson was merely the one who claimed to have taken the photograph to avoid suspicion. Some individuals were so convinced of the monster's existence that they began to advocate for its protection, fearing hunters. Others, however, including many who had been living near and working on the loch for decades, remained quite doubtful of the presence of any such monsters lurking below. Attention on such things subsided during the war, but the subject became more common again in the 50s. Amid the numerous sighting reports came more photographs, and even videos, many of which were quickly proven or considered quite likely to be hoaxes or misidentifications. One family, on a boat, even claimed to have collided with the monster, causing the grandfather on board so much shock that he had a heart attack. Thankfully, there was some flesh from whatever they hit left on the engine of the boat. This was extremely useful to the search for the Loch Ness Monster, or at least it could have been had the flesh not been scrubbed off from the engine and discarded immediately by a work crew. In 1977, an even clearer picture of the monster was taken by Tony Dock Shields. Remember him from the initial Owlman of Monan incident, which had occurred shortly before this? This is why he earned a suspicious reputation. The monster does, in fact, appear to be yet another hoax in this photograph. Not every event was so easily explainable, however. In 1954, the boat Rival 3 claimed it picked up a large object following the vessel from about 500 feet below on its sonar readings. This event has been left unexplained. It wasn't the first attempt at using sonar to find the animal, and certainly not the last. There have been many more attempts throughout the decades, many being much more complex and thorough, which also have found interesting things. Large moving masses under the water were observed in many different surveys, such as the ones undertaken by Robert H. Rhines, though what exactly these were remains unexplained. Many different things could turn out to be the culprits. Because the water is quite murky, it's often hard to see far below the surface. Because of incidents like these, despite the fact that there is no shortage of hoaxes, science has yet to conclude without a doubt that there is no undiscovered species of large marine animal in Loch Ness. The question not only carries on into this day, but there is an average of 10 reported sightings every year, some of which are occasionally photographed or even recorded and make international news. It's so popular that the animal quickly became a kind of national symbol of Scotland. Naturally, however, we must remember the fact that does not vindicate the wildest explanation available. There is a whole list of more rational explanations for what people are seeing. As one would expect, essentially anything large floating in the water could be mistaken for the monster. Mistaken Nessie reports have been attributed to otters, dogs, boats and boat trails, driftwood, drifting peat moss, fish, seals, birds, deer, optical illusions, waves, geologic activity, anything unusual in the water, and oftentimes even usual things that are easily mistaken. It's quite easy for excitement to blind the skeptical eye of many people, and the legend is certainly exciting. However, again, there are other explanations which maintain that people really are seeing something radical, and they're not as wild as one might expect. Most of them, anyway. A famous hypothesis is that Nessie, or Nessies, are a remnant species, or at least a descendant of what are called plesiosaurs. Now, as an amateur fossil hunter and paleontology enjoyer, I find myself compelled to mention that everyone says that this means Nessie could be a dinosaur, but plesiosaurs are technically not dinosaurs. But they did exist at the same time, living from about 200 to 65 million years ago. The thinking is that Nessie could be, as I said, a remnant of these ancient creatures. This hypothesis goes back to the 1900s, when paleontology was really starting to take off, and people were curious about what these fossilized creatures were, and if, perhaps, any of them were still around. Recall, of course, Spicer mentioned he thought Nessie could be a prehistoric creature. Indeed, Nessie's description is quite similar to what your average plesiosaur is believed to have looked like, although reported descriptions admittedly vary widely, which is quite important. Some people have even described it as looking like a camel, which walks on all fours. It would not be the first time that a species of animal previously assumed to have been extinct for millions of years was discovered. As I briefly mentioned in the North America video, the coelacanth was also assumed to have gone extinct during the K-Pg extinction event 66 million years ago, but was found swimming off the coast of South Africa in 1938. That's an intriguing example, but an imperfect comparison. The coelacanth was far less exciting, lived in very far-off regions from where researchers were primarily working, and is not quite as big or radical as what Nessie is claimed to be. There are a number of critical problems with the plesiosaur hypothesis itself, furthermore, such as that plesiosaurs would have to appear frequently since they rose from the water to breathe, there doesn't appear to be enough food in the loch to support a significant population of the beasts, and most importantly, the loch is only 10,000 years old, and the So probably not a plesiosaur. But still, perhaps a large sea animal has yet to be discovered. Some have posited that it could be a species of shark native to the northern oceans, such as the Greenlandic shark. Another suggestion is a giant catfish, such as the El's catfish, or the European sea sturgeon, which are often bigger than the average man. Another suggestion is a giant eel, as eels are common in the loch. The problem with that is that Nessie hasn't ever been reported to swim side to side like eels do, and eels generally prefer the bottom of these large bodies of water. But many scientists still claim it remains a viable hypothesis, more viable than the others in fact. Why? Well, in 2018, a DNA analysis of the loch was undertaken by a team from New Zealand, which found no presence of sharks, sea sturgeons, catfish, anything reptile, or anything unknown. But, there was a heavy DNA presence of eels, as well as amphibians. Although, this analysis did not find any DNA of otters or seals either, which are present in the loch, and rare creatures do occasionally wander in from the ocean through the narrow river Ness. Some have speculated that Nessie could therefore be a giant undiscovered amphibian, though this explanation still does not take precedence over the many simpler explanations. For now, the Nessie debate continues, and perhaps it will never be solved for certain. It's a bit more likely than many other cryptids reported around the world, but in my personal opinion, the evidence is weaker than that which is presented for the Sasquatch. Whatever Nessie is though, assuming she is something, she thankfully appears peaceful. But, she's not alone. There are multiple lochs and other bodies of water said to harbor Nessie-like creatures as well in Scotland, and throughout the British Isles. Some may be myths inspired by the Nessie myth, others claim they could be members of the same species, and still others say that these creatures are different monsters entirely. Another example lies 70 miles to the west of Loch Ness in Lake Morar. Here too, it is believed by some, a sea monster dwells, called Morag. It's of course less popular than Nessie, but excluding the ambiguous account of Saint Columba, sightings appear to be roughly as old. Indeed, sightings of the Morag go back to the late 1800s, and much like Nessie, continue to this day, at times with multiple witnesses. Morag appears to be Nessie's more temperamental sister. One famous encounter in 1969 holds that two men accidentally hit the creature with their boat, causing her to attack them, leading to a brief fight which may have led to her being shot. However, the legend of Morag originally referred to a mermaid-like creature, said to be half-human, half-fish, and rather beautiful. Her sighting was not desired, however, as it was claimed her appearance was an omen of death, often as a result of drowning. Today, however, Morag refers to a reported creature more along the lines of Nessie. Finally, we return 600 miles south to Cornwall, to the Falmouth Bay. Some locals claim a creature similar to Nessie lurks here as well, the Morgaur, Cornish for sea giant, not to be confused with Morag. The first purported sighting came from a woman named Mary F. in 1976. Mary F. was not the one to report the beast, however, at least to the Falmouth Packet news outlet which reported the story. Rather, the information was sent by a man named Tony Dock- oh for goodness sake. The legend, which some claim Shields invented himself, although I'm not making any accusations here, purportedly goes back to the First World War. Shields claims to have sighted it as well in 1976, and even claims to have photographed the beast. In fact, he has even claimed to be able to summon it. It is described as a sea serpent with a long neck and dark skin, being either black or brown. Ever since these initial reports, however, many other witnesses have claimed to have seen the beast, specifically in an area known colloquially as Morgaur's Mile. Myths and legends, doubtlessly as old as humanity itself. Perhaps these are all fairy tales, inspired by things like misunderstandings, misidentifications, and the simple fun of making up a good story, and the usefulness that such legends could bring to people, such as discouraging encounters in strange areas with real threats in the world. Or, perhaps, there is indeed something to at least one of the creatures featured here. Perhaps something quite efficient at evading detection, like Nessie, or something practically unexplainable, whose existence is attributable to forces currently beyond human understanding. Either way, I believe that these stories are important. They are pieces of I hope you enjoyed this video. If so, I invite you to come check out the rest of Fire of Learning, especially our Campfire playlist, which has more videos on things like cryptids, legendary creatures, as well as holidays, and to subscribe for more videos like this in the future. You can help support the production of videos like these by donating on Patreon, the link to which is in the description. I'd like to thank my current patrons listed here for their support. Fire of Learning is also on Instagram, and I have a science channel called Lucinox, so come check us out there too. Thank you for watching.