Ogopogo: North American Folklore

Here's one for our friend @leaky20

Okanagan Lake is mysterious enough with its extreme depths and massive lakes, but what potentially lurks in those deep waters is a whole other mystery indeed.

The lake, located in British Columbia, is said to be the home of an enormous sea serpent, known as Ogopogo. Ogopogo is one of the most documented cryptids in the world, although one of the lesser known. With so many sightings over the years, there have also been some discrepancies in the description of the lake monster. Some report that Ogopogo has horns, while others say his head resembles that of a horse. Reports vary on his color as well, with stories of grey, black, and green sea serpents. Often, the lake monster is described as multi-humped with reptilian features.

Ogopogo postal stamp source

Ogopogo has been woven in to Canadian folklore since the early 1800s, when reports of a serpent-like creature began surfacing, first with members of the First Nations tribe. Although some say the creatures story goes much further back. Indigenous people local to Okanagan Lake have long told the tale of N'ha-a-itk, or Naitaka, for centuries. Naitaka was known as a bloodthirsty beast that demanded a blood sacrifice in exchange for safe passage across the immense lake. As the story goes, those who attempted to cross the lake without first ritualistically sacrificing some small animal, like a chicken or squirrel, and throwing the body into the water for Naitaka, would become the sacrifice themselves, drowning in the lake.

Many modern scientist however do not believe that a murderous, ethereal sea serpent lives in the waters of Okanagan Lake. Instead they believe the numerous sightings of this sea monster can actually be attributed to something much more innocuous, like an oarfish or manatee. However, some researchers do postulate that Ogopogo could be a relict population of a prehistoric whale the Basilosaurus.

source

Across the country in Ontario, exists tales of another sea serpent, Igopogo. Named in relation to the Ogopogo, but different and interesting enough to deserve it's own post.