The ladybird has been associated with the Virgin Mary and is said to be symbolic of Her presence in nature. Naturally it was believed that anyone hurting or killing one intentionally would meet with unfortunate results.

One famous, perhaps slightly cruel rhyme, said by children traditionally to encourage ladybirds to circulate around the garden and fly away was 'Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home. Your house is on fire and your children are gone'. A rural English (UK) belief once indicated that ladybirds could understand human speech and that this saying would encourage them to fly away. Why anyone would want to say such a phrase is a mystery, but perhaps this was a gentle warning. It is now believed that most fly away because of the high salt levels in human skin.

LAMB
See Mystical WWW Mystic's Menagerie : Sheep.

Whilst the lion has been known to be an animal that eats meat, even people if driven to such needs, it has long been a belief that one will not eat a royal prince or any member of royalty. This belief is connected with the idea of the lion being the king of all animals, and that it shows respect for its human counterpart.

LIZARD
An old belief in France tells that should a lizard run across the hand of a female, then she will develop needlework skills that will be admired for its beauty.

Beware the lizard that appears when a wedding is about to take place, as in many European countries, it has been considered to be extremely unfortunate to see such an occurrence. If the bride should see one on the way to the ceremony it has been thought that the union will be an unhappy one.

LOCH NESS MONSTER
The beloved and legendary creature that has led sceptics and believers alike to spend many hours by the side of the Scottish loch in the hope of seeing 'Nessie' as she is affectionately known to the locals.

In 565 AD St Columba is reputed to have been the first to have witnessed the appearance of the monster when it attempted to take the life of a brother monk swimming on the loch. The monster is said to have disappeared when St Columba shouted out 'Go no further, nor touch the man! Go back!' as Nessie approached. The monster has been the subject of much speculation ever since with the biggest interest occurring after an alleged sighting on April 28 1933 three-quarters of a mile off from the north shore of the loch. The body was said by the two locals to have resembled a whale. Weatherall, a game hunter investigated the possibility of a monster in 1934 but with no success. Later that year RK Wilson produced a photograph alleged to indicate the head and neck of the monster (the picture is still undisputed). A further sighting in 1960 by Tim Dunstall drew attention again by producing a 16mm film containing images of Nessie swimming across the loch; from the publicity generated a society was developed to research all sightings and to find evidence. The Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau (LNI) grew but evidence was not forthcoming. The LNI joined with the Academy of Applied Science in 1972. Efforts increasing to use underwater sonar and dolphins carrying cameras that would be activated by sonar. Footage from 1975 alleging to demonstrate the presence of Nessie was later discovered to be that of a tree stump. In 1974 the Loch Ness and Morar Project built upon the scientific research with 'Operation Deepscan' beginning later in 1987 with seasonal information to be gathered by Project Urquhart. Despite the Natural History Museum and the Freshwater Biological Association maintain a presence at the loch with the vessel Calanus having sounding systems, video and sonar.

Evidence that Nessie exists has not yet been produced with findings focusing on the geological make-up and fish stocks within the loch. The fake photographs have abounded in the twentieth century but still extensive research continues. If all the sightings have been proved to be unfounded reports, the existence of such scientific interest at the loch does beg the question as to why it remains a focus of such interest. The legend does not appear to have diminished the power or the possibility of such a monster inhabiting such quiet waters. READ MORE

ABOUT NESSIE AT

The Legend of Nessie
OR
Nessies Highland Web Site
OR
The Official Nessie Page

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