Beware The Allure of the Vicious Kelpies
Beware the allure of the kelpies, lest they steal you away into the icy depths. These shape-shifting nightmare creatures feature heavily in Scottish lore. Read the blog to find out why the Scots are so deathly afraid of them.
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Kelpies In a Nutshell?
Kelpies are mythical creatures that originated in Celtic folklore. They are particularly prominent in Scottish mythology. They are said to be supernatural water spirits that appear in the form of dark horses, often described as beautiful and powerful creatures.
Kelpies dwell in bodies of water such as lochs, lakes, rivers and burns. They are notorious for their trickery and inherent malevolent nature. Their intention is to deceive people, particularly travellers, by appearing friendly and docile. They linger near the water’s edge, posing as tame horses waiting to be ridden. In this way they entice unsuspecting people onto their backs. Once the kelpie is mounted, it will reveal its true nature. These doomed riders will find themselves stuck to the backs of the kelpies as the mythical steeds dive into the water. And thus their terrible fates are sealed in a watery grave.
These malevolent water spirits are often depicted as extremely strong and swift swimmers. Effortlessly navigating through the water with their prey firmly tethered to their backs. They are believed to have the ability to elongate their bodies, allowing them to accommodate multiple victims or change their size as needed.
Shapeshifting & Keplies Go Hand in Hand
To the untrained eye, kelpies appear to look like beautiful, glossy black or grey horses. However, if you look closely, you’ll see that their hooves are reversed, with the horseshoes pointing backward. A distinctive trait that helps differentiate them from ordinary horses.
Kelpies can also transform into handsome young men (and occasionally women) to enchant their victims. It is said that once transformed, the hooves will remain, revealing a lifesaving hint at their true nature. This led Christians to believe that kelpies were personifications of the devil with his cloven hooves.
In this vein, famous Scottish poet, Roberts Burns, wrote a poem called Address to the Devil in 1786. He alludes to the kelpies as minions of Satan.
When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord,
An’ float the jinglin icy-boord,
Then water-kelpies haunt the foord
By your direction,
An’ nighted trav’lers are allur’d
To their destruction.
Reports of kelpies appearing as old men have also done the rounds. The old man will be seen sitting on a rock or bridge near a loch muttering to himself. Sometimes, he will be mending a pair of trousers*. Whatever you do, don’t try to help him, lest he grab you and drag you into the water.
Capturing or Killing Kelpies
While kelpies are primarily known for their sinister intentions, some legends mention that they could be tamed or controlled by skilled individuals, often with the use of magic bridles or ropes. According to the legend, when a kelpie appears in its equine persona without any tack, it can be captured using a halter stamped with the sign of a cross.
Such stories suggest that those who possess the knowledge and power to master a kelpie can harness their super strength and use them for transportation of heavy goods or other hard tasks.
A Quick Little Folk Tale for You
One folk tale describes how the Laird of Morphie captured a kelpie and used it to carry stones to build his castle. Once the work was complete, the laird released the kelpie, which was evidently pretty disgruntled about its treatment.
It issued a curse before leaving:
Sair back and sair banes
Drivin’ the Laird o’ Morphies’s stanes,
The Laird o’ Morphie’ll never thrive
As lang’s the kelpy is alive”
I dated a Scot for a few months. I had to break it off, because he kept trying to talk to me in bed and I didn’t know what he was on about. Love a Scottish accent, but I do struggle with it sometimes. Anyway, allow me to translate…
Sore back and sore bones
Driving the Lord of Morphie’s stones,
The Lord of Morphie will never thrive
As long as the kelpie is alive
This curse is believed to have resulted in the extinction of the laird’s family.
Some kelpies are said to be equipped with a bridle and sometimes a saddle, and appear invitingly ready to ride. If the kelpie is already wearing a bridle, exorcism might be achieved by removing it. A bridle taken from a kelpie is said to be endowed with magical properties. If the bridle is brandished towards someone, it can transform that person into a horse or pony.
Reporting Sightings of Kelpies and Folklore
Ten Little Children
A common Scottish folk tale is that one day, ten children were playing by a loch when they were approached by a beautiful, shining grey horse. It was so calm and friendly, that they all started to climb onto its back. Strangely, the horse seemed more than capable of accommodating them and even seemed to grow as the children clambered on.
Finally, just one child remained on the ground. He was very small for his age and quite timid. So the grey horse waited patiently until this tenth child plucked up the courage to stroke him. The little boy reached out a hand to touch the horse’s nose, but the minute he made contact, his finger became stuck. At that moment, the horse began to charge towards the water with nine children on its back and a tenth being dragged along in front. All the children began screaming as they realised that this was no horse – it was a kelpie and they were trapped.
The scared little boy at the front realised that he had a pen knife in his pocket and was able to quickly whip it out and cut off his finger. He fell to the ground and could only watch as his nine friends were plunged into the freezing water. His pals disappeared under the surface, never to reappear.
The Mare and Her Foal
One misty morning in 1944 at Lough Shanakeever, Patrick Canning, headed out to check on one of his donkeys. It was heavily pregnant and the foal was due any day now. He spotted the mare down by the lake and was walking towards his donkey when she stepped aside to reveal another four legged creature. It was darker than she was and smaller, so Patrick assumed that she had given birth by herself in the night. The foal was circling its mother as if waiting to be fed.
He hurried his pace, concerned about the newborn’s proximity to the water. But as he neared, the foal spotted him and disappeared into the lake. When he reached his mare, he realised that she was still heavily pregnant and hadn’t given birth yet.
Patrick’s donkey gave birth to her real foal several days later.
Recalling the incident, Patrick said that the foal had seemed a bit out of proportion.
Patrick Canning
It was long. And it was rather a bit high, you know. It was black. My sight was not...because there was mist and rain and everything. The neck seemed to be...I'd say it was a bit long…
A Handsome Man Promises to Marry a Young Maiden
This tale is from Barra. One day, a lonely Kelpie took the form of a handsome man. He made contact with a young maiden who came to the edge of the water and they fell into an passionate embrace**. The kelpie in disguise promised to marry the young woman.
However, the young woman was not so dumb. She realised that the man was a Kelpie from his backwards hooves. While he was sleeping, she ripped the silver necklace from around his neck. The silver necklace was the kelpie’s bridle and, once it was gone, he immediately turned back into kelpie form.
The young girl took the kelpie to her father and he was made to work for the family for an entire year. Once his servitude was over, the girl took the silver necklace back to the kelpie to return it to him. But the kelpie asked instead if she would marry him and he decided to remain in human form. The young maiden accepted and they lived happily ever after.
And why wouldn’t she marry him? Takes the “hung like a horse” idiom to a whole new level [chortles].
The Steel Kelpies of Falkirk
The Kelpies are a set of statues 98 feet high. Designed by artist, Andy Scott, in October 2013, they are sculptures depicting horses heads rising out of the water.
They’re located between Falkirk and Grangemouth and stand next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal in The Helix. Which is a new parkland project built to connect sixteen communities in the Falkirk Council Area in Scotland.
The sculptures were opened to the public in April 2014. As part of the project, they have their own visitors‘ centre, and sit beside a newly developed canal turning pool and extension. This canal extension reconnects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the River Forth, and improves navigation between the East and West of Scotland.
I’ve never been in person, but the pictures I’ve seen look very striking and beautiful. I do plan on taking some trips to Scotland… you can’t do a ghost podcast without visiting Edinburgh, after all. And I have some of my own Edinburgh ghost stories. But I’d love to take some trips further afield too. It’s on our list!
FOOTNOTES
* I’m not sure if the trousers have two or four legs, because I’m not sure how horses would wear trousers. Or whether the trousers are all part of the act. It’s a strange detail.
** They did banging
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