Saint Columba and the River Beast

Long, long ago, a kind and gentle holy man named Columba traveled across the Highlands of Scotland. He walked over mountains and through valleys with his friends, visiting the people along the way.

One day, they came to the River Ness, which flows out of a long, deep loch. On the bank of the river stood a group of people, and they all looked very frightened. “What is the matter?” asked Columba. “There is a great beast in this river,” said one of the men. “It is huge and dark, and it splashes up out of the water and roars.” “Now nobody dares to swim across, or even to go near the water.”

Columba looked at the river. On the far side, he could see a little boat tied to the bank. “We need that boat to cross the river,” he said to his friend Lugne. “Will you swim across and bring it back for us?” Lugne was a brave young man, and he trusted Columba. So he took off his cloak and jumped into the cold water.

Lugne swam and swam toward the far bank. But halfway across, the water began to bubble and churn. Up from the deep came the great beast, with a mighty roar! It swam straight toward Lugne with a great splash. The people on the bank gasped and held their breath.

But Columba stepped to the edge of the river and raised his hand. “Stop!” he called in a strong, clear voice. “Do not go one bit closer, and do not touch that man!” “Turn around, and go back down into the deep!”

The great beast stopped, right in the middle of the river. It looked at Columba for a moment. Then it turned around and sank back down into the dark water, with hardly a ripple.

Lugne reached the far bank safely, and he rowed the little boat back across the river. All the people cheered and hugged him. “Thank you, Columba!” they said. And some people say the great beast still lives in the deep water of Loch Ness to this very day, as quiet and shy as can be.