The Lagarfljótsormur, Lagarfljotsormurinn, Lagarfljót worm, (or simply Iceland Worm Monster) is an Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

ic lake cryptid

Cryptid

In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...

. The worm is purportedly located in Lagarfljót

Lagarfljót

The lake Lagarfljót is situated in the east of Iceland near Egilsstaðir. Its surface is measuring 53 km² and it is 25 km long, its greatest width is 2.5 km and its greatest depth 112 m...

 Lake, a freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

, below-sea-level, glacial-fed body of water in Egilsstaðir

Egilsstaðir

Egilsstaðir is a town in east Iceland on the banks of Lagarfljót river.It is part of the municipality of Fljótsdalshérað, the county seat of Norður-Múlasýsla and the largest settlement of the Austurland region with, as of 2011, a population of 2,257 inhabitants.-Overview:Egilsstadir is located at...

. The water visibility is incredibly poor as a result of siltation

Siltation

Siltation is the pollution of water by fine particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments, and to the increased accumulation of fine sediments on bottoms where they are undesirable...

, and the creature--if it does exist--has not been scientifically studied. Sightings have been consistently logged since 1345. There are many stories about kynjaskepnur, that is, strange animals or unknown phenomena, in Lagarfljót.

Description

The worm-like creature is presumed to be longer than a football field, or 300 feet (91.4 m), and has been seen coiled near the shore by countless eyewitnesses. According to reports, it has been spotted in both water and dry land. It is believed that it can slither onto land.

Mythos

One of these stories concerns the Lagarfljótsormur, that is thought to live in a connecting river and show itself only very rarely. The legend of the worm is first mentioned in the Icelandic Annals of 1345. When a hump surfaced out of the river, it was thought to bode great news. More recently, gas

Gas

Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...

ses that are forced up out of the water have been discovered in two places and it is thought that this may offer an explanation.

External links

• http://www.grapevine.is/Travel/ReadArticle/Chasing-Monsters-in-East-Iceland