Vidraru Lake Monster
| Vidraru Lake Monster | |
|---|---|
 Lake Vidraru, where most sightings have been reported | |
| Creature | |
| Other name(s) | Vidi, Balaurul de la Vidraru |
| Grouping | Cryptid |
| Sub grouping | Lake monster |
| Similar entities | Loch Ness Monster, Ogopogo, Lake Tianchi Monster |
| Origin | |
| First attested | 1966 |
| Country | Romania |
| Region | Argeș County, Muntenia |
| Habitat | Lake Vidraru |
| Status | Unconfirmed |
The Vidraru Lake Monster (Romanian: Monstrul de la Vidraru), commonly known as Vidi, is a cryptid said to inhabit Lake Vidraru, a reservoir on the Argeș River in the Făgăraș Mountains of Romania. It is typically described as a large, dark, long-necked animal of around 8 metres (26 ft) in length that surfaces briefly near the Vidraru Dam before disappearing into the water.[1]
Reports of the creature began shortly after the reservoir was filled in 1966, and have attracted tourists, amateur investigators and documentary crews to the area around the Transfăgărășan road. The scientific community regards the monster as a legend, attributing sightings to wels catfish, floating logs, boat wakes and hoaxes.[2][citation needed]
History
[edit]Early reports
[edit]
The first widely circulated account dates from the autumn of 1966, when workers finishing the Vidraru Dam claimed to have seen "a back like an overturned boat" moving against the current. The story spread through the nearby villages of Arefu and Căpățânenii Pământeni, where it merged with older local tales about a balaur living beneath the ruins of Poenari Castle.[1]
During the communist period the reports were rarely published, as the authorities considered them inappropriate for a showcase engineering project.[3]
After 1989
[edit]Interest increased after the Romanian Revolution, when regional newspapers began collecting testimonies from fishermen and hikers. In 1997, a group of students from the University of Bucharest organised the first sonar survey of the lake, which recorded "several large, unidentified echoes" at depths of more than 80 metres (262 ft).[2] A second expedition in 2008 found nothing unusual.[4]
Description
[edit]Witnesses generally describe the creature as:
- between 5 metres (16 ft) and 12 metres (39 ft) long;
- dark grey or green, with smooth skin;
- having a small head on a long neck, sometimes compared to that of a plesiosaur;
- moving quickly and diving when approached by boats.
Some accounts add that the animal is only seen on calm mornings in late September, which local guides have used to promote the "Vidi season".[5]
Explanations
[edit]Biologists have suggested that large wels catfish (Silurus glanis), which can exceed 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length, account for many sightings. Others point to seiche waves caused by the dam's water management, or to pareidolia.[6]
"Every reservoir in the world eventually gets a monster. Vidraru simply got one earlier than most."
In popular culture
[edit]The monster has appeared in several Romanian television reports, a 2015 comic book series and an annual swimming race across the lake, the Vidi Cup. A wooden statue of the creature stands near the Transfăgărășan viewpoint above the dam.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Ionescu, Mihai (2004). Legende ale Carpaților. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45. p. 112. ISBN 973-697-114-2.
- ^ a b Dinu, Andreea (14 August 2011). "Vidi, the monster nobody can photograph". Evenimentul Zilei.
- ^ Popa, Radu (1998). "Folclor și industrializare în Argeș, 1960–1989". Revista de Etnografie 41 (2). p. 55–71.
- ^ "Expediția Vidraru 2008: raport final". Asociația Exploratorilor Montani. 2 October 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Argeș bets on its monster to attract tourists". Gazeta de Argeș. 21 September 2019.
- ^ Marinescu, Elena (2012). Fauna lacurilor de acumulare din România. Bucharest: Editura Academiei Române. p. 203.
External links
[edit]- Media related to Lake Vidraru at Wikimedia Commons