The lake
Store Lee

In the very south east corner of Norway is the lake Store Lee, just east of Halden. Only a small piece of the northern tip is on the Norwegian side of the border. The rest is on the Swedish side. The lake is in the shape of a capital A, the left leg being Stora Lee. The right leg of this extremely narrow and long lake extends into other fjords with names like Foxen and Lelång. The Silen lakes belong to the same waterways which drains into the gigantic Vänern lake which contains both big lake trout and salmon.

1972 – 73

Late summer, an afternoon.
The Skromle islets.
Seen by Trygve Nesset from  nearby Otteid.

Five years ago I was in a small wooden boat occupied with some timber outside the Skromle islets, he says. Suddenly a big monster surfaced 50 meters away creating big wawes. This giant fish or whatever it was, seemed to be 4 meter long. Just parts of it was visible abowe the surface. As quickly as it emerged, as quickly did it submerge.
Could it be a catfish?
Of course it`s possible, but I call it an orm. A sea serpent. People wouldn`t believe me when I got back and told them what I saw. They laughed at me. But I have seen what I have seen, and now Askeland has seen the same at about the same place.

I would never like to have that beast in my boat. That would be the end for me, Trygve Nesset says.

1978

End of July, evening.
The Skromle islets.
Seen by Per Askeland and his wife, from Bærum near Oslo.

I have a cabin at the other side of the Otteid bay close to the Swedish border, at Nebba. A few days ago I was sitting at my cabin enjoying the evening and scouting for ravens. I have a pair of excellent Zeiss binoculars and was sweeping the area of the Skromle islets. What I found really startled me.

The lake was calm, but suddenly a few powerful waves formed in the middle of the lake. It looked like the waves of a giant rising fish. Inside the waves somthing ugly and brown green rose out of the water. It was ubelievable, but the view of the monster was crisp and clear. It was about 3 meter long and maybe 1 or 1 1/2 meter across. I handed the binoculars to my wife who also saw the same as me. The sighting lasted one or two minutes. Suddenly it crashdived and was gone. Big waves spread across the lake, like waves from a motorlaunch going at a speed of 7 - 8 knots.

The distance from my cabin to the creature was 300 – 400 meters. My Zeiss is first class, and both I and my wife are absolutely sure of what we saw. The area of the islets is a good fishing spot, so maybe a giant fish of some kind was catching its prey there. I never imagined anything like that to exist here, says Askeland.

[Both from Halden Arbeiderblad, August 2nd 1978]
The newspaper clippings are found by Espen Samuelsen, Halden.

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