Sixty years ago, three priests from Ireland encountered a creature resembling a monster with a horse's head while fishing on Loch Ree. The reverends had heard of an ancient legend but did not take it seriously. However, Loch Ree is just one of three lakes in Ireland where 'relic' creatures have been 'recorded.' The scientific community refers to them as cryptids — encounters with them are reported by 'eyewitnesses,' but their existence has not been confirmed by science.
Everyone knows about Nessie from Scotland's Loch Ness. However, we will tell you about other lake monsters that may have escaped your attention.
Lori from Loch Ree
On the evening of May 18, 1960, three priests from Dublin decided to fish on Loch Ree. Reverend Matthew Burke, Daniel Murray, and Richard Kungly were well acquainted with the area and the legend of a mysterious creature inhabiting the waters of the lake. Soon, according to them, the surface of the water began to bubble, and a head appeared.
“It swam slowly, ignoring us,” recalled Father Matthew Burke. “We watched the monster for 2-3 minutes. It moved in a northeast direction, then completely submerged and did not reappear.”
The priests did not shy away from journalists and willingly shared their impressions of the encounter with the monster. They also presented a report at a meeting of the Irish Anglers' Society. According to them, the creature's head resembled either that of a horse or a python. They could not specify the exact dimensions but suggested that it was at least 5 meters long. Some of them thought that the monster had humps or bends in its body that also surfaced in the water.
In the following months, several reports came in from eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen the mysterious creature in Loch Ree. It was named Lori, and Irish newspapers wrote about it with enthusiasm. Interest in the story intensified after two fishermen caught something large and heavy in the lake in August of the same year. Their catch pulled the boat 40 meters before breaking free and disappearing. The fishermen claimed that the animal was able to snap the strong fishing line.
Despite all these testimonies, scientific research on the cryptid was not conducted for a long time. Only in 2001 did Swedish ichthyologist Jan Sundberg organize an expedition to Loch Ree, which received wide coverage in local media. Sundberg gathered a team of researchers from different countries, divers went into the water, sonar scans were conducted, and round-the-clock photo and video recording took place. However, Lori was never found.
It is worth noting that myths about lake monsters with horse-like heads are widespread in Ireland. Loch Ree is not the only lake with such legends. However, it stands out with another story: according to it, there is an underwater city with a cathedral at the bottom of the reservoir.
Morag from Loch Morar
“Here lives the Morag monster” — this is the old Scottish song about Loch Morar. Although it is far from the fame of Loch Ness, it surpasses it in depth (309 meters compared to 230) and is the deepest lake in the UK.
There is a belief that anyone who sees the monster from this water body will immediately drop dead. Therefore, in the past, people avoided approaching its shores, but now “monster hunters” are drawn here just as much as to Loch Ness. The pilgrimage began in the 1970s when the first eyewitness accounts of encounters with Morag emerged.
In July 1969, a local fisherman noticed an animal on the bottom of the lake that resembled a huge lizard, 6 meters long. Its body had a green-brown hue and four limbs. The fisherman claimed that the monster looked at him, and he hurried back to the shore.
In 1970, several fishermen heard loud screams and curses. Near their friend's boat, who was fishing nearby, some creature surfaced, nearly capsizing the frightened fisherman, and disappeared into the depths, leaving only ripples.
However, modern people, unlike their ancestors, do not consider Morag terrifying. They believe that it does no harm, only makes frightening sounds and looks threatening. And, of course, it appears only before those who sincerely wish to see it.
The Sturshön Monster
The legend recorded by Swedish priest Morgens Pedersen in the mid-17th century first mentions the monster from Lake Sturshön. The pastor merely relayed a local legend: two trolls, sitting on the shore of the lake, lit a fire and hung a kettle over it. When the water boiled away, a horrible creature with a cat's head and a snake's body jumped out of the kettle and quickly disappeared into the waters of the lake. Over time, it grew to gigantic sizes. The legend describes the beast as a 6-meter-long reptile with fins and humps on its back.
The boom around the Sturshön monster occurred in the 1890s. At that time, locals seriously intended to catch the lake monster, and even King Oscar II of Sweden participated in this endeavor. The search was unsuccessful, but the research interest did not wane.
Another 100 years passed, and in 1998, a video recording emerged, once again drawing attention to the monster from Lake Sturshön. A camera set up on the shore by an operator captured something “warm and made of cells” at night. Apparently, such an explanation did not satisfy real monster hunters. Even more automatic video cameras were installed along the lake. It is said that incredible-sized footprints were found on the shore, which scientists could not explain. However, a real existing animal has yet to be discovered.
