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Lair of the Beasts: Weird Waters

Monsters of Scandinavia

By Nick Redfern July 16, 2011

Monsters of Scandinavia
© N/A

Weird Waters: The Lake and Sea Monsters of Scandinavia and the Baltic States is an excellent new book from author and creature-seeker Lars Thomas, and which is published by England’s CFZ Press. Of his book, Thomas says the following:

“Aquatic monsters have a long and venerable history in the waters of northern Europe, dating at least all the way back to what must surely be the grandfather of all lake-, sea- and other monsters, the mighty Midgårdsorm or Jormungandr from the old Norse mythology - a creature long enough to encircle the globe and bite its own tail.”

Thomas continues: “Though some have since claimed sightings of monsters several hundred meters long, some even confusing the creatures with small islands, nothing has ever come even remotely close to the gargantuan size of the Midgårdsorm. And naturally, the only one who ever dared to challenge this monster was the old Norse God Thor - the God of Thunder. In many ways, the Midgårdsorm is the archetypical mythological monster, but that doesn't mean all monsters are figments of the imagination.”

He adds: “The borderline between fantasy and reality is one that is fine and fluid, with aspects of one realm carried over into the other. Real creatures can so easily clothe themselves in mythological splendor, and thus become bigger, scarier, and more fabulous. In the centuries following the time of the Midgårdsorm, many kinds of strange creatures have been seen in the waters of northern Europe. The monsters are still very much alive, in tradition as well as in reality.”

And, having now read Lars Thomas’ book this week, it’s a title I deeply recommend to one and all. Weird Waters is an excellent regional study of a whole range of unknown and amazing water-based beasts of a type that most people generally associate with Scotland’s infamous Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, as it is (or they are) generally known.

One of the most important things about Thomas’ book is that it does not take the annoying and lazy approach of simply securing all its data via the Internet and a large dose of copying-and-pasting. Rather, Thomas is one of those researchers who – very correctly – realizes the paramount importance of actually getting out into the field – or, for this particular project, the lakes and seas – and seeking out the evidence, the eye-witnesses, and, of course, the monsters themselves.

Weird Waters is packed with tales – both historical in nature and from the modern era – on all-manner of long-necked, humped sea-monsters that are said to lurk in the dark waters of Scandinavia. And Thomas has certainly done his homework: he reveals countless, astonishing cases from – among other locales – Norway, Greenland, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Iceland. And, in doing so, Thomas demonstrates that something truly weird is going on in all these lands – and in several others, too.

Visually-speaking the book is first-class: it contains numerous photographs, old drawings and paintings of marauding sea-monsters, weird-looking oversized fish, bizarre creatures that look like they just slithered out of the pages of an H.P. Lovecraft novel, and much, much more.

In a world where any mention of lake-monsters and sea-serpents inevitably conjures up imagery of Nessie, Lake Okanagan’s Ogopogo, and Lake Champlain’s Champ, it’s very good indeed to see a full-length book devoted to an aspect of a phenomenon of which most of us would otherwise be largely, and unfortunately, unaware.

Whether you have a longstanding interest in accounts of unknown water-based animals, you’re a person who is new to the subject, or someone just plain curious about the whole controversy, Lars Thomas’ Weird Waters is a great, in-depth, scholarly study of a perplexing puzzle that mainstream science and zoology – largely and very unfortunately – ignore.

Thankfully, there are people like Lars Thomas who do not ignore such mysteries. Buy his book. It will not disappoint you!

Lars Thomas’ Weird Waters: The Lake and Sea Monsters of Scandinavia and the Baltic States is available now from CFZ Press, Woolsery, England.

Nick Redfern is the author of many books, including his latest, newly-published title: The Real Men in Black.