Strange phenomena special
MONSTERS
The Evidence America may have Big Foot. the Himalayas has the Yeti. but in Scotland we have a creature that kicks all their scrawny butts: the Loch Ness ly/lonster. There are similar monsters across the globe from America through Sweden to Australia. But few people know there is another home grown monster. Morag. residing in Loch
Morar lnear Mulli which has been Sighted over
30 times. Other close relations include Morgawr in COFHWE!“ and Donegal's Eskie. But it's Nessie that's caught the publics imagination.
The first ever reference crops up in AD when St Columba repelled a monster in the adioming River Ness. Then in 1934 the world's most famous pic. ‘The Surgeons Photo'. emerged. Sightings have continued
flirt; .(n’t' it“: ‘ii’S‘. (:n'," ‘.'."{,‘.,::"7 :s'ia': caigttirm check out the w.e .xxx..:ccr‘r‘ess.scct'anrireti N10“:7‘(,f'1ll(:tl‘7lt;€:.ifit1'7’jt'Vil'VUES'f‘t'h' form of Robert Rines' Mire/li‘flci‘ in ‘i:'i'.‘. ‘.'.'ben tne Loch was sqanrie-rl .-.:tl‘sci1ai. Ts. large objects measuring Bil-r1? detected and in 197:”: they captured iiiiderxrater photos t'tat appear to be of a large creature. The Verdict \"v’ell. it is r.\r‘ett‘y shaky. to be honest. The surgeon. Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson. has cerift-Bsstxl to the photo being a fake. And subseduent photos have been inconclusive land very blurredr to say the least. including the recent webcam shot by Canadian Gavin Joth. But people keep on spotting her and even scientific expr-Editions throw up some tantalising tit-bits so let's not
Trait ...‘(:'{3
He's behind you: Loch Ness harbours secrets
right up until the present day and in March
Elvis the burger king
{ avenged by the ‘langsuir' who are demonic females. Related to the lallgSUll' are Scotland's 'boabhan sith'. They take the form of groups of beautiful girls (more male wish fulfilment) with long golden hair and green dresses. England. by contrast. was free of vampire myths until women who purpon to be real. they arrived in print with James undead boabnan sith. iMiles Malcolm Rymer's 18.10 penny Fielder: dreadful Varney The Vampire.
The Verdict A Buffy-style UFOS
website iwww.hunter-net.co.ukl The Evidence Ever since the recently posted a sighting of late 408 when the first 'fly' ng Sixteen saucer" was reported in the
USA, the world of UFOs has
been part of eyeryday life. and
Scotland is no exception. From
a disc-shaped ~vehicle. complete
with alien in Ponobello in 1947
to over 100 sightings in Moffat
in 1978. Scots haven't been
shy of reporting these eyents.
The popularity of The X-Fiies
in the 908 seemed to renew public interest and the
Bonnybridge Triangle became
known as a UFO hotspot. We
haven‘t hao that many reported
'vamps' with American accents who checked into a Glasgow hotel and subseouently vanished. DisappOintingly. the Site turns Out to be part of an on-line role playing game. However. go to wwvvzvainp.org and yen will find testimony of
STRANGE BUT TRUE?
16 THE LIST 29 Mar—l2 Apr 2001
give up hope on Nessie yet.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
The Evidence ‘Just because you're paranord doesn't mean they're not out to get you' rings the conspiracy theorist mantra. Everything from the deaths of JFK this Jealous missus did itl and Elvis imulti-national burger chains did it for the DlellCIIy/l to the alien take— over of Hollywood and Diana Spencer being born along the Holy Grail making her a descendant of Jesus Christ who didn't die on the cross but actually escaped crucrfrxron to marry Mary Magdalene and have three lovely childrenl all come under the conspiratorial remit. Literally thousands of websites exrst for the gratification of those who want to believe that the truth [8 hidden under multi-layers of establishment lies and deceit: all of which are probably concocted in secret bases on the moon.
The Verdict The real effect of the wildest conspiraCy theories is to deflect attention away from all the genuine nasty doings by the authorities at large. Indeed the mother of all conspiraCies is that these theones are planted
by government agencies to betudtlle the public so much that they'll scoff at even the most plausible of plots. Still. who can fail to be entertained by the notion that l' lyis Presley was so grief—stricken by the notion that Paul McCartney would nab his king of rock 'n' roll mantle that he had a word in the ClA's ear. Macca was subsequently rubbed out with an impostor lpossibly of extra- terrestrial naturel called William Campbell being put in his place. One listen to 'The Frog Chorus' and it all sounds utterly believable. (Brian Donaldsoni
STRANGE BUT mus:
cases of abduction, but the UFOs which have been seen come in many shapes and sizes: one shaped like a raily-ray carriage passed above a man's head in Glasgow's Kings Park and one of the largest ever recorded ione and a half miles in Sizer was sighted over Bellahouston Park.
The Verdict If the little green men are appearing in New MeXico. why not Scotland? There seems little doobt that
those Scots tuiilbling out of pubs every y'xeekend really do see mysterious lights s.'.aying ll‘ front of their. . 'LOUlSit Pearsoni
GHOSTS IN SCOTLAND
The Evidence Ghosts. green ladies. poltergeists. phantom lights. spooky castles and other scary things that go bump in the night have haunted Celtic history. The lilalllllg Banshee ‘.East‘en'.ontar:. a stock figure in
spirit mythology. is recorded as far back as the hit ssacre of the McDonalds by tie Campbells in Glencoe. her shrill cry a warning to the doomed men. Poltergeists have proved no respecter of class or clan. In 169:? Andrew Mackie. a Kirkcurlbrightshire taririer. faced a regutar Arriity'.i'l€; of horror as his home ‘.'.'as ripped apart by a curious excl presence. Phantom ll‘ftlSICIE‘lllS and tne Devilisli Ghost of Maior VJCI have led to Edinburgh being nicknamed the Haunted Capital. Tnere are more ghostly castles. naunted houses and plasmastreaked hotels than. yCll could shake Shawn Hutsor at.
The Verdict Too many documented cases to be igncred. The snipe truth is that sontetiiiief the dead do not realise the, are dead. Paul
Dale.
For more supernatural fun see Phil Kay and John Fardell, page 128.