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| Photo by Leslie Cross on Unsplash |
The Legend of What's Beneath Lake Norman's Waters
Man-Made Lake. Flooded Communities. Nuclear Power. Aliens.
*Oh god... Did something just touch my foot?!?!?!*
Location: Lake Norman, North CarolinaDeep in the heart of North Carolina lies her largest man-made lake covering 32,750 acres and hiding forgotten communities, farms, homes, and cemeteries. You might think today’s lore is about a haunted lake given that knowledge, but it’s not. Today’s tale features the legend of Normie, the unknown lake monster living deep in Lake Norman’s extra toasty waters.
Before we get started today, can I just say how DISAPPOINTED I AM in my home state for having a lake on top of old cemeteries and not one haunted swim spot? I am so disappointed and sad. You failed me, North Carolina. You broke my ghostie lovin’ heart. It’s like getting a glass of unsweet tea when you asked for iced tea at the local diner. Like it’s not the worst, but where’s the sweet stuff? But I digress… Onto today’s tale of tails!
The Lore
Built in the 1960s by Duke Power Company, Lake Norman used to just be a freshwater lake kept warm by North Carolina's mild climate mixed with wastewater from runoff from a local nuclear plant. But back in 1996, reports started to come out about something... not normal swimming around Lake Norman.
Normie Encounters
With seemingly endless encounters posted online, literally anything you can think of regarding a lake monster has been reported. Some people report hearing loud splashing nearby, while others say a creature bigger than them tried to knock into their boat. Some have seen him pop his head or body out of the water, while others just see a wake in the lake and nothing to cause it. In some cases, Normie seems to be the aggressor and actively comes after swimmers or boats, where in others, he seems to be trying to get away from whoever is trying to catch him, either on film or by net. Whatever Normie is, he doesn't seem to like people too much. And what do people think Normie is? Rumors include a giant, radioactive fish mutated by the water runoff at the power plant. Others include a genetically mutated batch of fish that were dumped into the lake. And some suggest prehistoric creatures that have found their way to the lake via the river system.
Due to its large size and depths of over 100 feet in some parts, just about anything of any size could be lurking under Lake Norman's surface. Reports have included creepy features such as: looking a bit like a large alligator, red eyes, dog-like head, slim-covered skin (well, you try to stay slim-free living underwater!), large body, giant eyes so big the monster attached must be whale-sized, and multiple fins. There have also been reports of either bioluminescence or underwater lights, but these reports are less common, so it's hard to say if Normie glows green or not. And as the lake is fed by a river, some descriptions sound less fishy and more Nessie in nature with some believing Normie and Champy, the lake monster swimming around Lake Champlain up north, are somehow connected.
(LakeNormanMonster.com is a great place to read personal experiences, some more descriptive than others in both descriptions of Normie and the experience itself. And if you have encountered Normie, tell me! Send your story in and I will share it with the class!)
Native American River Monsters
The Catawba River that feeds Lake Norman used to be home to the Catawba Nation (and still is in SC). They have many legends of river monsters which include giant snakes and giant leech-like nasties. As the river is a long one, reports from its headwaters to its mouth of various unknown splash-creators have been around as long as their people have lived in the area.
Alien Origins?
Now this is probably my favorite piece of Normie lore - aliens! (If you aren't picturing that dude from Ancient Aliens, I'm sorry. If you are, let's be friends!) But for real for real, people have reported UFOs in the Lake Norman area almost since Lake Norman was created. These reports date back to 1968. The reports are your standard issue unknown flying craft and remain consistent. Did little green men bring Normie to us? If so, why? If not, so we have aliens and a lake monster, BUT NO FREAKING GHOSTS?!?! (No, I am NOT letting this go! I wanted a haunted underwater city!)
The Facts
As always, the facts are the hardest part of my posts to write. Usually, it's because my whimsy side clashes with my science side and the whimsy wants to forgo logic. There is some of that here today as there always will be, but mostly the facts hurt today because of the history associated with the area Lake Norman occupies. We all know settlers and our country/government were trash (and still can be) to certain races of people. In this case, the Catawba tribe who lived along the Catawba River for 6,000 years and have had their people displaced, murdered, and reduced to near extinction thanks to (you guessed it!) white people and the US government. As I want to keep this a spooky happy space and not a spooky sad place, I am going to suggest you check out the source links below and do your own research. It's highly educational but I also know difficult for some. As such, we are going to begin the history side of things closer to the creation of Lake Norman.
Creating Lake Norman
Covering more than 50 square miles, Lake Norman is sourced by the Catawba River and drains into Mountain Island Lake, another, smaller, man-made lake in North Carolina. Even though the lake itself did not begin construction until the 1950s, Duke Power's (FKA Southern Power) plans for its development began in 1904 with the construction of the Old Catawba Station Dam. Duke Power then started buying the land, obtaining licenses, and approval to move forward with the creation of the lake. In addition to buying farms, homes, and more from the families and communities that were to be flooded, Duke Power had to clear much of that land as well. There seems to be some conflicting information among what is stated online and what local historians have to say in regard to how much of the previous buildings, communities, and yes, gravesites are left beneath the water. Some say they are mostly still intact with others saying almost everything was leveled or relocated. As I am not a scuba gal, I cannot say for certain if there are buildings beneath the lake but I can imagine anything that is left has deteriorated between the decades of water and lake life taking their toll. As for the graves, some sites report specific graves being moved while others seem to only mention the markers being moved. (So.....do we have potential for a haunted lake or not? I still want freakin' lake ghosts.) The station dam and lake were completed in 1962 and 1964 respectively.
Known Lake Creatures
Most of the wildlife are the kind of creatures you expect for North Carolina: various bass, catfish, perch, bluegill, alligator, beaver, coyote, deer, raccoon, snakes, squirrel, turtles, etc. Due to the deep and warmer than normal waters near power stations, some fish (catfish in particular) have been reported to grow larger than expected. The local birds are ones to be expected with swans, geese, egrets, ducks, ospreys, and even bald eagles all making their home along Lake Norman and its shores.
Water Quality
A big source of concern for both people using water sourced from Lake Norman and people who swim, boat or fish in the lake is the quality of the water because of coal ash from the coal power plants and from waste runoff from the nuclear power plant. Back in 2018, a report indicated that the water was harmful to drink due to radium levels exceeding EPA standards. Thallium levels also exceeded federal standards and NC groundwater standards. Duke Power has reported that they are closing all their ash bins and that the test sites were on their property and do not accurately reflect water quality further away. There does not appear to be an updated report or a current one for the entirety of the lake (last one dated 2007).
Normal Explanations for Normie
At the end of the day, there are more than a couple normal culprits for what Normie could actually be. For starters, many descriptions are very alligator-like. Having lived on the coast of both North and South Carolina, I can tell you, gators are pretty common. I have one that is between 4-6 feet in my apartment complex's retaining pond. Log (as he is affectionally known to me and mine) just likes to chill in the sun and doesn't like people bothering him. Go golfing at pretty much any course and you will see at least one watching you from the water hazards. Hell, Greenfield Lake here in Wilmington has lots of them and it is much smaller than Lake Norman. So what I am saying is this - Normie may be a normal alligator just living large with so much extra swimming room in tropical-esque waters and munching on oversized fish.
And speaking of oversized fish, when I first started my research, one of the first videos I watched was from a guy attempting to catch the largest catfish he possibly could, I believe he said he was going for a 15-pounder (because of course I don't have his video saved) and I am pretty certain one or two of the videos I have linked below, they caught much bigger fish. Big fish = big wakes. And if you get a school of big fish, you might think you are seeing something more Normie than normal.
Additionally, we have water snakes here in North Carolina and some of those snakes like to find themselves swimming in the roasty, toasty waters of Norman. Now, just like with alligators and fish, snakes can grow nice and big if the conditions are right.
If you pair a big gator or snake with one of the many birds or even fish swimming about, you might get a watery tussle and that tussle may look like a big ol' cryptid splashing in deep waters as you stand on the shore.
While I have never seen Normie or anything I could begin to call lake monster-like, you can't deny there are more than a few possible and logical explanations of what could be splishin', splashin', and pretendin' to be Saturday night's latest creature feature in Lake Norman.
Highland (Head) Games
If you are unfamiliar with North Carolina, you may be surprised to know a lot of us have Scotch-Irish blood pumping through our veins (it's why I look so cute as a redhead after all). As a result, we tend to have a lot of Highland Game events throughout the state. In 1994, just two years before the first reported sighting of Normie, the Loch Norman Highland Games had a hot air balloon, complete with a Nessie-like serpent design on it. This may be Normie's true origin story - a simple balloon design to honor one modern-day cryptid and inspired another.
Having never seen anything I can safely call a lake monster (or even a sea or river monster), I can't say what lurks beneath the waters of Lake Norman. Maybe it's a big monster who just wants to stay hidden from the world in a forgotten, underwater, haunted cemetery. Or maybe it's just a really big fish. Or maybe it is aliens after all and they have chosen to leave us one of their native species. The fact is until someone catches Normie or a body washes up on shore, we will never know if there truly is a cryptid swimming around Lake Norman or not. And if by chance you have seen Normie, I am ready to listen to your story with my full and undivided attention, so send it to me!
Until next time lore lovers, stay spooky💖
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