Bilk - no 019-020 - 1988 01

Magazine Overview

This issue of BILK, identified as numbers 19 & 20, published bi-monthly in January 1988 by Ulrich Magin in Mutterstadt, Germany, focuses on the theme of 'Behemoth'. The cover features a quote from W.H. Auden's 'New Year Letter' about 'Ichthus playful in the deep' and a stylized illustration of a sea creature.

BEHEMOTH:

Scotland: Pre-1900 Reports of Monsters in Scottish Lakes

The article begins by referencing pre-1900 reports of monsters in Scottish lakes, promising to revisit them. It cites the 18th-century German encyclopaedist Zedler, who described Loch Lomond as having thirty islands and locals using rafts to connect them, leading to a legend of 'swimming islands'. Zedler also noted fish without fins and water that turned wood to stone, with agitated waves.

Further details on Loch Lomond are drawn from Buchanan's 'History of Scotland', which lists it among the 'Wonders of Scotland'. Buchanan mentions edible fish without fins, water that petrifies wood, and 24 islands, one of which is a 'swimming island'. The article suggests these descriptions have often been considered early accounts of 'Nessie', but the detailed description of man-made swimming islands might debunk them.

The First Nessie Story

The issue highlights the first reported sighting of the Loch Ness Monster in the 'Inverness Courier' on July 1, 1852. The report describes two large bodies moving on a calm Loch Ness, observed by locals who prepared weapons. Speculations ranged from sea-serpents to whales or seals. Eventually, the objects were identified as a pair of deer or ponies seeking a dip in the loch. The article notes this as an important report, possibly the first historical account of the phenomenon.

Other Lake Monsters and Sea Serpents

The magazine then presents a series of other historical reports of lake and sea monsters from the 19th century:

• Inverness Advertiser (March 1854): Reports of a 'fish of large size' in a Highland loch.
• Scottish Highlander (May 1888): Mentions a monster in Loch-na-Beiste.
• Scottish Highlander (August 1888): Describes a monster in Loch Bad-I-Cramh resembling a 'giant calf'.
• Scottish Highlander (October 1888): Details alleged monstrous fish in Loch Laxy, seen around 1808 and again in 1888, described as a '50 ft long horrible creature'.

The article posits that these early Scottish monsters were more like 'kelpies' and differed from the later plesiosaur-type monster associated with Loch Ness. However, it notes a shift towards the latter type, with increased publicity for figures like Mackal and his 'zeuglodon' potentially leading to more such sightings.

Loch Ness and Ogopogo Sightings

• Ronnie Brenner: Curator of the Loch Ness monster museum, reported seeing the 'beastie' in 1984, describing it as 'very large', looking like an 'upturned boat', about 25 feet long and 200 meters offshore.
• Sonar Expedition: An expedition yielded further sonar contacts, described as 'mid-water contacts which strike us as stronger than fish', but they could not be re-contacted.
• Lake Okanogan: A July 1974 sighting of Ogopogo is reported, where Mrs. Clark saw an 8 ft hump and a long tail with a whale-like fluke.

Other Forteana and Oddities

The issue also includes several other intriguing reports:

• Washington: An 11-ft sturgeon found dead in a lake was speculated to be a 'giant, fish-like monster' that swallowed ducks, thus solving another freshwater monster mystery.
• Paul Kane's Drawings (1847): Kane documented local Indian legends of a lake with 'strange fish, which have heads like bears' near Mt. St. Helens.
• Land Dragons: A reference to an article on 'rock-towers of Venezuela' and the possibility of surviving dinosaurs.
• Giant Gecko: A new species of giant gecko was discovered in New Zealand.
• Steller's Sea Ape: A BBC Wildlife item and an article from Smeeton's book are mentioned, suggesting the 'drawing of Gesner' was a 'Jenny Haniver', an artificial monster made of dried rays.
• 'Water Apes': The theory of human evolution beginning with water-dwelling hominis is mentioned, with a skeptical stance.
• United Kingdom?: A report from the German magazine 'Musik Express' quotes Keren Woodward of Bananarama about the 'Mirror' newspaper printing a story about the group being attacked by a 'Seamonster', which was likely a hoax about a shark.
• Irkuiem: An article by A. Androshin in 'Pravda' describes the 'irkuiem' as a land animal, possibly a surviving Arktodus, with a pale white color and an elongated head like a polar bear. Its presence is established in the Autonomous Korjakian Region.
• Wales: A cyclist reported a strange, distant, darker patch moving on the sea near Pembroke, which the local YHA guide noted as an area famous for UFOs.
• Soviet Submarine Operations: Milton Leitenberg's book claims Soviet subs regularly travel in Swedish waters, with alleged sightings in waters of several European countries.
• Marine Life: Various reports on whales (stranded and excavated), basking sharks, and shark attacks are included. A 'monstrous catfish' excavated at a Roman site in Germany is noted as being two meters long.
• Marine Forteana:
• A 23-year-old man disappeared for two years and reappeared with amnesia.
• The freighter 'Matsamaru' capsized without apparent reason.
• The ship 'Melville' passed over a submarine volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean.
• A pilot reported a 'giant green boiling patch' on the ocean surface west of Ireland, identified as a submarine volcanic eruption.

Loch Ness 'Wakes'

A short extract from Pennant's book on Scotland mentions 'strange wakes' in Loch Ness, noting that on November 1st, 1755, the waters were affected by winds and waves, rising and flowing up the river Oich with great impetuosity, causing a boat to be driven ashore and damaged.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around cryptids, particularly lake monsters and sea serpents, with a strong emphasis on historical accounts and folklore. The editorial stance appears to be one of critical investigation, presenting various reports and then offering potential explanations or questioning their validity, as seen with the Loch Lomond 'swimming islands' and the 'Nessie' story. There is a clear interest in documenting unexplained phenomena from historical records and contemporary sightings, while also acknowledging hoaxes and misidentifications. The magazine also touches upon other fortean topics, including UFOs and unusual animal discoveries, suggesting a broad interest in the unexplained.