����̽̽

If you’re a lake lover like me, you’re probably familiar with the various legends of lake monsters lurking beneath the surface. The best of which being the friendly lake monster living within Lake Champlain commonly referred to as “Champ.” Over centuries, hundreds of Champ sightings have been reported with descriptions that vary slightly but often describe a creature between 10 and 30 feet long, with humps, flippers, and a snake-like head. With various grainy photographs taken of the creature, and a baseball team named Lake Monsters in homage, Champ is a local celebrity. After threats of hunting Champ in the 20th century, .

But the lake monster lurked in Lake Champlain long before Champ’s namesake was in the history books. The Abenaki people, native to much of New England, befriended this lake monster generations earlier. Gitaskog, also spelled Tatoskok, is a great horned serpent common to the legends of various tribes that call Lake Champlain, or Pitawbagw, home. This serpent is said to be a spiritual being. It can manifest in front of an onlooker but does not appear for long before returning to its resting spot.

“The intrigue is in his elusiveness – he can be seen from afar, but never truly studied,” said Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk. “He is an integral part of the lore of Lake Champlain that we love sharing with kids, tourists, and residents.”

Gitaskog is a legend that connects Lake Champlain’s lore to maritime beings across time, geography, and culture. Gitaskog is joined by sirens, mermaids, sea monsters, and spirits of various forms who are used to depict the mysterious unknown. These universal stories reveal the relationship between humans and water, highlighting the mystical aspects of the creatures of the deep. 

We haven’t seen Gitaskog or Champ at Lake Champlain Sea Grant yet, but we keep our eye out for him while on the water. Learn more about Gitaskog and the role of Pitawbagw in Abenaki creation stories in this short video and head down to the R/V Marcelle Melosira behind ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain to learn more about the history of Abenaki in the Lake Champlain basin from the newly installed interpretive sign.