The Kelpie [Scottish mythology, Celtic mythology]
Kelpies are among the most well-known creatures in this bestiary. These aquatic spirits are recurring beasts in Scottish mythology: they take the form of horses that seem to invite travelers to mount and ride them, but those who do are lead to an untimely death as the kelpie suddenly jumps into a river and drowns its rider. Originating from Celtic mythology, these monsters are also able to take on the form of a human, usually an attractive woman (but sometimes a handsome man). In its horse form, it is sometimes depicted with the front legs of a horse but the hind body of a fish, with a long finned tail.
Some folklorists claim that kelpies exclusively dwell in and around rivers, whereas accounts of lake-bound kelpies actually refer to the Celtic Each-uisge, a similar spirit. Some others doubt this claim. What can I say, faery classification is not an exact science.
Despite their magic, kelpies are not invincible, and some sources claim that silver can harm them. Much like werewolves in modern fiction, silver bullets can be used to permanently kill these spirits. If you manage to slay a kelpie, its body will turn into a pile of blubber resembling dead jellyfish. This is actually a trait they share with several other Scottish mythical creatures, like the Suath or Each-Uisge.
The Laird of Morphie, a Scottish folklore character, managed to capture one of these creatures and used its considerable strength to move blocks of stone. This way, the lord built his castle, and when the work was finished he released the kelpie. However, the creature was not happy after being used as a free source of labor, and it cursed the lords family, eventually leading to the extinction of his bloodline.
According to Lewis Spence’s book “The magic arts in Celtic Britain” (1999), some kelpies wear a bridle of unknown origin. This bridle is a potent magical artifact and if you manage to remove and steal it, putting it on a human’s head will magically transform that person into a horse.
In real life, the stories likely originated as cautionary tales to warn children not to play near deep water, and also to warn girls not to go with handsome strangers.
(image source 1: saostar.vn but original artist was not mentioned) (image source 2: Wolf-Fram on Deviantart) (image source 3: “the Kelpie”, painting by Herbert James Draper, 1913)
