Do you believe in Memphré?

By Taylor McClure, Special to The Record – The Record recently came across a file from the archives referring to Memphré, the Eastern Townships’ very own sea monster. For those who are not familiar with Memphré, there is a long running myth that a sea serpent is occupying the ­waters of Lake Memphremagog. The idea of Memphré was born out of the fables, poems, and legends of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. The sea serpent was always a significant character in local stories. When Europeans first arrived, they were warned by Indigenous people living in the area not to swim in the waters because of Memphré’. The first sighting of the sea creature is believed to date back to 1816. There is a document signed by Ralph Merry IV, the son of the founder of Magog, that describes four different experiences of individuals from Georgeville who believed they had seen Memphré. There have been a number of other sightings since and according to these various accounts, Memphré is between 20 and 70 feet long. Some have gotten a glimpse of his head, his tail, and other parts of his body but no one has ever seen Memphré completely. See full story in the Wednesday, June 12 edition of The Record.