Beast of Fang Rock

The Beast of Fang Rock was a mythical creature native to Fang Rock. The Fourth Doctor discounted its existence, telling Leela the local fisher folk were "almost as primitive and as superstition-ridden as [the Sevateem]". The creature was seen in the 1820s and two men died that night. Reuben believed the victims of a Rutan scout to be those of the beast. Reuben told Henry Palmerdale there was always death on Fang Rock when the beast was sighted, but he dismissed it as superstitious nonsense. (TV: Horror of Fang Rock)

Descriptions of the beast varied and were inconsistent. Stories of sea monsters existed throughout history and, despite lack of evidence, many chose to explain the mystery of Fang Rock as the work of such a creature. The illustrator of a Coal Hill School textbook imagined the beast as a large octopus; its tentacles wrapped around Fang Rock lighthouse. (PROSE: A History of Humankind)