The beast approached him, but Columba made the sign of the cross and said: 'Go no further. Columba sent a follower, Luigne moccu Min, to swim across the river. They explained that the man was swimming in the river when he was attacked by a 'water beast' that mauled him and dragged him underwater despite their attempts to rescue him by boat. According to Adomnán, writing about a century after the events described, Irish monk Saint Columba was staying in the land of the Picts with his companions when he encountered local residents burying a man by the River Ness. Columba by Adomnán, written in the seventh century AD. The earliest report of a monster in the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of St. Public interest skyrocketed, with countless letters being sent in detailing different sightings describing a 'monster fish,' 'sea serpent,' or 'dragon,' with the final name ultimately settling on ' Loch Ness monster.' Since the 1940s, the creature has been affectionately called Nessie ( Scottish Gaelic: Niseag). In August 1933, the Courier published the account of George Spicer's alleged sighting.
