Monstrous

CryptoZoo => Sightings! => Topic started by: Desdemone on July 28, 2003, 02:16:02 PM

Title: Selma - Nordic cousin of Nessie
Post by: Desdemone on July 28, 2003, 02:16:02 PM
'Selma', the elusive sea serpent of Seljord in Telemark, has again been spotted. The dog days of summer, which stretch from July 23 to August 23 have traditionally been days where the legendary beast has been spotted in Lake Seljord, newspaper Telemarksavisa reports.


 
Jan Ove Sundberg shows off a specially made trap his team used in Lake Seljord during their 2000 hunt for the serpent.

PHOTO: SCANPIX
"It's good to hear that there is still life in her," said Seljord's cheerful director of culture, Bernt Solvoll.

This summer had not featured a single spotting from either tourist or residents, and the previous year was also extremely quiet on the sea serpent front. But on Wednesday Solvoll got a call from a Telemark man who has a cabin near the lake.

"He described himself as a 'calm and down-to-earth guy'. He was afraid of being labeled an idiot and would not give his name," Solvoll told Telemarksavisa.

The cabin owner made the observation along with a friend and claimed that they saw what appeared to be one serpent chasing another. The men filmed the sighting and promised to contact Solvoll in a few days to show him their footage.

"That they saw two serpents chasing each other fits with their mating season beginning now. The serpent usually appears in the middle of July and through August, when it is good and warm," Solvoll told the newspaper.

The sightings in Lake Seljord date back to the 1700s, and the serpent has attracted the attention of Swedish explorer Jan Ove Sundberg who intends to have a new examination of the lake's depths next summer.

Sundberg has promised to return with more advanced equipment than in his previous hunt for the serpent, and he says they have "somewhat unclear" footage of an 8-10 meter long creature from his last trip.

"It could be an enormous cold water serpent we had contact with, but next year we will reveal the mystery," Sundberg said.