Loch Ness Monster footage

Something resembling a large snake was filmed winding its way through the Jokulsa river in the Fljotsdal valley last week and quickly posted online by Icelandic broadcaster RUV.

It has since become a viral sensation with many viewers heralding it as proof at last of a legend spanning seven centuries, that of the Lagarfljot river worm.

Mentions of Iceland's very own mythical sea creature, akin to Scotland's Loch Ness monster, can be traced back through the country's folklore to 1345.

The alleged beast is a little different from descriptions of Nessie, which supposedly has a large, dinosaur-like body and a long neck, but the myth of its creation is certainly impressive.

According to the legend, a small heather worm was put onto a golden ring so that the precious metal would grow and so in turn the ring. However, when the owner of the ring returned he found, to his horror, that the ring was no bigger but that the worm had in fact grown enormously. The owner then threw the ring and worm into Lagarfljot river where the creature continued to grow and grow.

The latest purported video of the creature was taken by local resident Hjortur Kjerulf and appears to show something meandering its way through the waters.

However, the short clip has not been enough to win over the doubters, who claim that the mythical worm is nothing more than an innocuos bit of old net, thawing out after becoming frozen in the water and snaking its way through the river.