Morag (loch monster)
Encyclopedia
Morag or Mòrag is a loch monster
reported to live in Loch Morar
, Scotland
. After Nessie
, it is among the best known of Scotland's legendary monsters.
The name "Morag" is a pun on the name of the Loch, and of the Scottish female name, "Morag". Sightings date back to 1887, and include some 34 incidents as of 1981. Sixteen of these involved multiple witnesses.
In 1948 "a peculiar serpent-like creature about 20 ft long" was reported by nine people in a boat, in the same place as the 1887 sighting.
The best known encounter, in 1969, featured two men, Duncan McDonnel and William Simpson, and their speedboat, with which they accidentally struck the creature, prompting it to hit back. McDonnel retaliated with an oar, and Simpson opened fire with his rifle, whereupon it sank slowly out of sight. They described it as being brown, 25-30 feet long, and with rough skin. It had three humps rising 18 inches (457.2 mm) above the loch's surface, and a head a foot wide, held 18 inches (457.2 mm) out of the water.
A pair of photographs taken in 1977 by Miss M Lindsay show an object in the loch which is claimed to be Morag. The object appears to have moved several yards from one picture to the other. The first picture shows a round back, while the second picture seems to show two humps.
The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau expanded its search to include Loch Morar in February 1970.
Several expeditions with the aim to prove or find the monster have been made, but no evidence for an unknown, large creature has been found.
Lake monster
A lake monster or loch monster is a purported form of fresh-water-dwelling megafauna appearing in mythology, rumor, or local folklore, but whose existence lacks scientific support. A well known example is the Loch Ness Monster. Lake monsters' depictions are often similar to some sea monsters...
reported to live in Loch Morar
Loch Morar
Loch Morar is a freshwater loch in Morar, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is the fifth-largest loch in Scotland, with a surface area of and the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles, with a maximum depth of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. After Nessie
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
, it is among the best known of Scotland's legendary monsters.
The name "Morag" is a pun on the name of the Loch, and of the Scottish female name, "Morag". Sightings date back to 1887, and include some 34 incidents as of 1981. Sixteen of these involved multiple witnesses.
In 1948 "a peculiar serpent-like creature about 20 ft long" was reported by nine people in a boat, in the same place as the 1887 sighting.
The best known encounter, in 1969, featured two men, Duncan McDonnel and William Simpson, and their speedboat, with which they accidentally struck the creature, prompting it to hit back. McDonnel retaliated with an oar, and Simpson opened fire with his rifle, whereupon it sank slowly out of sight. They described it as being brown, 25-30 feet long, and with rough skin. It had three humps rising 18 inches (457.2 mm) above the loch's surface, and a head a foot wide, held 18 inches (457.2 mm) out of the water.
A pair of photographs taken in 1977 by Miss M Lindsay show an object in the loch which is claimed to be Morag. The object appears to have moved several yards from one picture to the other. The first picture shows a round back, while the second picture seems to show two humps.
The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau expanded its search to include Loch Morar in February 1970.
Several expeditions with the aim to prove or find the monster have been made, but no evidence for an unknown, large creature has been found.
See also
- Muc-sheilchMuc-sheilchThe Muc-sheilch or Muc-sheilche is a loch monster reported to live in Loch Maree, and its neighbouring lochs.Mr Banks of Letterewe tried at great expense to drain Loch-na-Bèiste near Aultbea, in the 1850s, but failed. He also tried to poison it with quicklime. Loch-na-Bèiste is Scottish Gaelic for...
(Loch MareeLoch MareeLoch Maree is a loch in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. At long and with a maximum width of , it is the fourth largest freshwater loch in Scotland; it is the largest north of Loch Ness. Its surface area is ....
and environs) - Morag is a reptile-humanoid in the original campaign of the video game Neverwinter NightsNeverwinter NightsNeverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
Further reading
- Campbell, Elizabeth Montgomery & David Solomon, The Search for Morag (Tom Stacey 1972) ISBN 085468 093 4
- Peter Costello, In Search of Lake Monsters (Garnstone) 1974
- Michael Newton, Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology A Global Guide
- Modern Mysteries of Britain (Guild Publishing 1987), pp 160-1 (Morag photographs)