I have recently discovered in a used books store a very interesting tome called "Monstres des lacs du Québec". It dates from the early eighties and is apparently fairly rare. It consists of a systematic survey of the lake monster theme in the legends and popular folklore of Québec. The authors travelled around the province gathering stories through interviews with local residents and archival research. Some recite old tales handed down for generations, while others share their experiences of personal sightings (I believe many of these have never been collected elsewhere, thus making this a precious document). In the last part of the book, the authors compare the results with manifestations of the same theme around Europe, looking for similarities and differences. It's a very fascinating read which has renewed my interest in the traditional folklore of my ancestors.
Now the relevant part in all this is the many mystical aspects which emerge from the compiled reports. The aquatic beasts are not always assumed to be flesh-and-blood dinosaur-like creatures, but are often described more like supernatural entities. They are often compared to ghosts, demons and spirits and are attributed appropriate powers. There are old stories of Amerindians worshipping (or at least trying to appease) the Spirit of the Lake, and of Europeans imitating this in colonial times to protect themselves (and of course associating these "serpents" with the christian devil). Other phenomena, such as hauntings or UFO sightings, also seem to manifest in conjunction with monster appearances. The authors have a pretty fortean approach and scientific technique, so they don't speculate too much about this, but it got me thinking.
How could these things be dealt with in a magickal manner? If we stop assuming that they are physical creatures and work from the principle that they are some kind of nature spirits or elementals tied to a particular body of water and treat them as such, would they respond to traditional methods? Could they be summoned ritually or would shamanic techniques be more proper for opening communication? I would be interested to know if anyone has an opinion on this, or if they have heard of such experiments being attempted. |
