Legend of Loch Ness

PROPOSED RUSSIAN SCOTTISH SCHOOL PROJECT SPURNED AS 'TOO POLITICAL'

By Stephen Wilson

 

A proposed project aimed at uniting Scottish and Russian schools on the theme

of shared legends of monsters has been recently rejected by the local Inverness

Council in Scotland.The reason provided for spurning the proposal was that it was

deemed 'too political.' Perhaps local politicians regard such an innocuous idea as

getting into unwanted hot water. The proposal comes at a time when relations

between Russia and Britain have reached an all-time low. However, why such a

project is considered 'political ' has yet to be fully clarified or elaborated unless one

can banally claim that 'everything is political'. But such a claim can explain everything

and nothing. It is generally accepted that politics refers to how we make decisions

and debate profound issues related to how we govern. Which political party the

Loch Ness Monster belongs to remains unclear.

Nevertheless, a headmaster called Keith Russell of a Primary school in the borders

of Scotland supports the project. It is not near Loch Ness but still something. A school

in Tver, by the name of V.V. Andreev, organised a cultural festival in May where kids

were encouraged to become acquainted with Scottish legends of monsters, Scottish

songs, dancing and other Scottish customs. A painting competition was organised

around who could paint the best picture of a monster. The founder of the

project, Maria Koroleva, a folklorist, linguist and teacher of Scots Gaelic, explained

to Second City Teachers the main idea for the project. 

"We hope to use the idea of shared monsters to not only educate children but also

awaken their interest in Scottish and Russian customs of folklore," she said. "When I visited

the school during the festival I was teaching the children how to perform Scottish

dances as well as songs. We are using the theme of monsters as a kind of spring

board". 

Local Russian teachers and politicians believe such a project would

help not only educationally and culturally but also attract attention to ecological

issues. It might also represent a boon to the tourist industry. After all, Loch Ness

represents a major tourist attraction . According to Olga Grigorevna: "We need

to strengthen our relations between Tver and Scotland, to cement cultural,

economic, sport, tourist and trading ties.The idea of connecting Brosya with

Nessie can be an example of civil diplomacy."

Asked whether she believed in the existence of the monster Maria replied: " Yes, of

course. There are a lot of reported sightings of the monster going back to ancient

times. For example, you come across one report written by a monk in the 7th century,

in his Life of Saint Columbia, where he writes that monks from Iona were attacked

by the monster while sailing across on a boat. Saint Columba managed to pacify

the monster. The Scottish monster seems quite aggressive and can attack anyone.

Whereas our monster from Tver known as Brosya is reputed to have saved a city

from the invading Mongol Tartars. It even leaped out of a lake and attacked a German

bomber during the war. "

The idea of inspiring the interest of children in folklore through legends of monsters

is a good ploy. For centuries, people have been almost obsessed by the idea of

both sea and lake monsters . Those monsters have been blamed for sinking ships,

fishing boats as well as attacking local villagers. And Loch Ness is not the only

place in Scotland with legends of monsters. At the Angus Coast near the town of

Montrose, at the turn of the 19th century, fishermen reported encountering a monster

of "distinctly snakey appearance ....The uncanny looking animal made no noise, and

apparently, swam at great speed'.

According to old legends and recent reported sightings, a reptile monster haunts

Lake Brozno, a lake located only 250 miles northwest of Moscow. It is reputed to

be 16 feet long and luminous. It has been blamed for reports of missing fishermen.

as well as spreading terror to fishermen in the Volga river. One elderly woman who

lives in Benyok stated in an interview: "I do not feel comfortable staying in this place.

The monster could crawl into my house any day". But many people are skeptical

about such fears and reports. Lyudmilla Bolshakova , at the Moscow Institute of

Paleontology stated : " It sounds like a country fairy tale, the kind of story told over

the years in the countryside.'' Much of those reports are dismissed as mere hearsay,

gossip, blatant invention or confused identification. Critics state witnesses really

saw either a huge moose or wild animal. The fishermen may have died because of

an eruption from an underwater volcano. This reminds me of how Scots scoffed

at the reports of witnesses by claiming floating logs or ripples in the water can

resemble monsters. It is very easy to be cynical . What is certain is that just like

around Loch Ness, local people have reported strange inexplicable events where

they have seen odd animals or apparitions. Indeed, many local witnesses in Loch

Ness keep silent lest they be ridiculed as lunatics! They do not wish to attract

unwelcome attention to themselves.

But does it really matter whether such a monster exists or not? At the end of the

day legends of monsters are an integral part of Scottish and Russian folklore. And

the songs, stories and music of folklore are what make our lives richer, more

entertaining and enchanting! Why kill the magic?