ST COLUMBA AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
Columba was newly converted to Christianity when he was partly responsible for the Battle of Culdrebene. Thousands of people lost their lives so he sailed to Britain repentant and founded a monastery at Iona. He travelled all across northern Britain spreading Christianity. His life as a saint was documented by adamnan where he gives what is possibly the first ever recorded sighting of The Loch Ness Monster.This is his account;
Whilst travelling across Scotland Columba had to cross Loch Ness. While waiting to cross he came upon some locals who were carrying a man who had been bitten by a water monster. His body had been pulled from the lake by the people using a hook from their boat.
Undeterred Columba ordered one of his followers, Lugne Mocumin, to swim to the other side of the Loch to fetch a boat. Lugne stripped off and began to swim across the water. Suddenly the monster, who had not been satisfied after losing its earlier meal, swam across to Lugne and with jaws wide open lunged at him.
The locals on the bank froze with terror upon hearing its awful roar but Columba, composed with his belief in the Lord invoked the name of god and raised his hands to make the sign of the cross and said’ You will go no further, you won’t touch the man, go back at once!’ upon hearing the voice of the saint the monster fled at once ‘more quickly than had it been pulled back by ropes’ said Adamnan.
The villagers who were of course heathens immediately bowed down to Christ and converted to Christianity. Although it is true that Adamnan wrote this 100 years after Columba’s death it has a certain ring of truth to it and I like to think Nessy is still in the Loch but is now more of a vegetarian.
GJ
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