Nessie myth

You claim that the earliest recorded mention of Nessie “dates back to the sixth century” (your report, 23 April).

This was an allusion to the report in Adomnan’s account of the life of St Columba, written about 665 CE (ie in the seventh century).

He claimed that Columba prevented a savage beast from biting a swimmer in the river (sic) Ness.

However, Adomnan would never have heard of Nessie and was merely inventing a story (100 years after the “event”) to show the power of Christianity over the water gods of the Picts.

The first report alleged to be of the monster in Loch Ness was in 1933.

Steuart Campbell

Dovecot Loan

Edinburgh