Shadowbox : Gassyendientha, the Seneca lake monster

In 1805, four fishermen were casting their lines into Lake Ontario near Kingston, Ontario. It was a beautiful day. The sunlight glimmered on the surface of the water as the fishermen talked and laughed.

Suddenly, a strange shape resembling an overturned rowboat emerged from the water.

Concerned for the safety of the rowboat’s passengers, the fishermen immediately began making their way over to the shape. Imagine their surprise when the shape began making its way over to them! The object, they realized, was not a rowboat at all.

Instead, the men were greeted by an enormous, serpentine creature with huge eyes and a mouth to match. Reflecting on the terrifying experience, they recalled that the creature had to be more than 45 metres long and as wide as a barrel.

As one might expect, the fishermen panicked. They frantically rowed back to the shore, fleeing for their lives. The monster skimmed atop the surface of the water, close behind.

Once the men were safely back on dry land, they said the creature taunted them from the lake.

Lake Ontario is an ecological wonder.

Every drop of water within the Great Lakes basin flows through Lake Ontario. Being so close to the Atlantic Ocean, this lake is a crucial corridor for transportation, water exchange, fish migration, and perhaps monsters looking for lunch.

Did you know?
Lake Ontario may be the smallest of the Great Lakes, but it provides drinking water for over 9 million people. It’s also home to more Canadians than any other watershed in the country.

Lake Ontario also hosts an abundance of migratory fish species, including Canada’s largest freshwater fish, the Lake Sturgeon. Lake Sturgeons themselves are often confused with lake monsters due to their size, prehistoric features, and serpent-like shape.

But what other creatures reside in this lake?

In early accounts, the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Nations would speak of an entire race of giant serpent-dragons living in the lake. The Seneca spoke of Gaasyendietha, an enormous hydra snake that could breathe fire and fly like a bird.

In First Nations cosmology, serpents are often related to waterbodies. Gaasyendietha is said to live in Canadian waterbodies, and especially in Lake Ontario.

Stories of Gaasyendietha have been passed down through oral tradition for centuries. There are two main origin legends of the creature. The first is that the beast was born from serpent eggs, and the second is that he came to Earth on a meteor.

Sometimes, Gaasyendietha is called the “meteor dragon.” The creature is said to soar through the sky on a trail of fire.

Since time immemorial, people have used myths to make sense of natural phenomena. Perhaps in this case, Gaasyendietha was a way to explain the swift trails of light that skyrocketed through the air over Lake Ontario.

If you didn’t know what meteors were, you might think they were dragons too.