Once trapped in this way, the kelpie will drag the child into the river and then eat him. It is particularly attractive to children – but they should take care, for once on its back, its sticky magical hide will not allow them to dismount! [51][52] Stories of malevolent water spirits served the practical purpose of keeping children away from perilous areas of water, and of warning adolescent women to be wary of attractive young strangers. Kelpie, or water kelpie, is a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs and pools of Scotland. Once the work was complete, the laird released the kelpie, which was evidently unhappy about its treatment. Kelpies can also use their abilities to summon up a flood in order to sweep a traveller away to a watery grave. [37], Traditionally, kelpies in their human form are male. The Kelpies are 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures depicting kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits), located in Grangemouth, near Falkirk, standing next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and near River Carron, in The Helix, a new parkland project built to connect 16 communities in the Falkirk Council Area, Scotland. I've been asked quite a few times to make a creepypasta style video and I've found one that is mythology/folklore related so hopefully you guys enjoy it. This isn’t the first story to link the kelpie with demonic forces. The curse it issued 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" – was popularly believed to have resulted in the extinction of the laird's family. Parallels to the general Germanic neck or nixie and the Scandinavian bäckahäst have been observed. Sculptor Andy Scott has left his mark on the landscape of Scotland – it’s his artistic vision which brought The Kelpies to life. In today's episode, Sapphire tells the tale of V, whose life changed forever on her birthday... Want more Something Scary? An' nighted trav'llers are allur'd These water horses can also appear in human form. [6] Counterparts in some regions of Scotland include the shoopiltee and nuggle[15] of Shetland and the tangie of Orkney; in other parts of the United Kingdom they include the Welsh ceffyl dŵr and the Manx cabbyl-ushtey. He manages to cut off his finger and escapes. Its name may derive from the Scottish Gaelic words ‘cailpeach’ or ‘colpach’, meaning heifer or colt. Some accounts state that the kelpie retains its hooves when appearing as a human, leading to its association with the Christian idea of Satan as alluded to by Robert Burns in his 1786 poem "Address to the Devil". [*] Kelpies are also referred to as water kelpies because they live most of their lives in the water. The mythological kelpie is usually described as a powerful and beautiful black horse inhabiting the deep pools of rivers and streams of Scotland, preying on any humans it encounters. [17] Robert Burns refers to such a Satanic association in his "Address to the Devil" (1786): When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord 'Daredevils' charged by police after allegedly scaling 100ft Kelpie statue near Falkirk Police and fire crews were called to The Kelpies amid reports of … Believing it to be a kelpie, a passing local struck it on the head, causing it to revert to its equine form and scamper back to its lair in a nearby pond. And in Scotland there is another water horse, the ‘Each-uisge’, which lurks in lochs and is reputed to be even more vicious than the kelpie. [46] The early 19th-century kelpie that haunted the woods and shores of Loch Ness was tacked up with its own saddle and bridle. [13], A folk tale from Barra tells of a lonely kelpie that transforms itself into a handsome young man to woo a pretty young girl it was determined to take for its wife. From dream to reality, find out about the history of The Kelpies and how they were built. haze rising from the nearby river gave the impression that smoke was rising from some hellish gape in the earth Usually a little boy, he then pets the horse but his hand sticks to its neck. [16] The wihwin of Central America[17] and the Australian bunyip[18] are seen as similar creatures in other parts of the world. The Helix is extremely proud to present 'The Kelpies', a timelapse short film by award winning filmmaker Walid Salhab. As I drove home along the M9, The Kelpies appeared out of the darkness. The Kelpie is seen is the monster of the deep, but even he can fall in love. It was a magnificent piece of work resplendent with gold piers and posts, but sank into the water to become a treacherous area of quicksand after a grateful onlooker tried to bless the kelpies for their work. The kelpie in turn asks the girl whether, if he were a man, she would agree to be his wife. In Welsh folklore there are tales of the ‘Ceffyl Dŵr’. Another reason is, that the statues aren’t the only thing … But I remember it well. It is rumoured that the MacGregor clan have a kelpies bridle, passed down through the generations and said to have come from an ancestor who took it from a kelpie near Loch Slochd. Parallels to the general Germanic neck and the Scandinavian bäckahäst have been observed; Nick Middleton observes that "the kelpie of Scottish folklore is a direct parallel of the [sic] bäckahästen [of Scandinavian folklore]". wafting invisibly into the heavens. Douglas Harper, historian and founder of the Online Etymology Dictionary, defines kelpie as "the Lowland name of a demon in the shape of a horse". [8][9][10] This distinction is not universally applied however; Sir Walter Scott for instance claims that the kelpie's range may extend to lochs. An Aberdeenshire variation portrays the kelpie as a horse with a mane of serpe… [28], Kelpie myths usually describe a solitary creature, but a fairy story recorded by John F. Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands (1860) has a different perspective. But there is some good news: a kelpie has a weak spot – its bridle. Entitled Of the Drocht na Vougha or Fuoah, which is given the translation of the bridge of the fairies or kelpies, it features a group of voughas. One of the water-kelpie's common identifying characteristics is that its hooves are reversed as compared to those of a normal horse, a trait also shared by the nykurof Iceland. This supernatural entity could be found in the lochs and rivers of Scotland and also has a place in Irish folklore. The history and origins of Fairies, Goblins and Hobgoblins. The sound of a kelpie’s tail entering the water is said to resemble that of thunder. He placed it on the Kelpie’s and head and kicked the chestnut horse and told it to go back to its watery home. A fable attached to the notoriously nasty creature has the Highlander James MacGrigor taking it by surprise and cutting off its bridle, the source of its power and life, without which it would die within twenty-four hours. Kelpies can also use their magical powers to summon up a flood in order to sweep a traveller away to a watery grave. Or they might take on the form of a hairy human lurking by the river, ready to jump out at unsuspecting travellers and crush them to death in a vice-like grip. [26] The lad does cut his finger off when the event takes place in Thurso, where a water kelpie is identified as the culprit. Others associate the term kelpie with a wide variety of mythical creatures. Gregorson Campbell considers the creature responsible to have been a water horse rather than a kelpie, and the tale "obviously a pious fraud to keep children from wandering on Sundays". Famous kelpie tale is the story of the nine children lured onto the kelpie’s back and the tenth who refused to join them. Maybe about five or six or so. The mythological kelpie is usually described as a powerful and beautiful black horse inhabiting the deep pools of rivers and streams of Scotland, preying on any humans it encounters,[17][19] One of the water-kelpie's common identifying characteristics is that its hooves are reversed as compared to those of a normal horse, a trait also shared by the nykur of Iceland. Kelpies have been portrayed in their various forms in art and literature, including two 30-metre-high (100 ft) steel sculptures in Falkirk, The Kelpies, completed in October 2013. A sense of deep personal legacy has informed my thinking from the outset, with old family connections anchoring me to the project,” he writes in his artist’s statement about The Kelpies. The £5m Kelpies are the centrepiece of the 740-acre Helix Park, which has been built on reclaimed scrubland between Falkirk and Grangemouth and … There are a … Its name may derive from the Scottish Gaelic words ‘cailpeach’ or ‘colpach’, meaning heifer or colt. It was a long time ago. Some of these variations and the stories The description of their appearance can vary in different tales. So next time you are strolling by a pretty river or stream, be vigilant; you may be being watched from the water by a malevolent kelpie…. [29] The same story is recorded by Folklore Society member and folklore collector Charlotte Dempster simply as The Kelpie's Bridge (1888) with no mention of Voughas or Fuoah. The Highlander couldn’t cross the threshold of his house due to the cross above the door. Then, water-kelpies haunt the foord Sometimes white with smooth cold skin, or black and grey. The same story is recorded by Folklore Society member and folklore collector Charlotte Dempster simply as The Kelpie's Bridge (1888) with no mention of Voughas or Fuoah. If the kelpie was already wearing a bridle, exorcism might be achieved by removing it. One of the few stories describing the creature in female form is set at Conon House in Ross and Cromarty. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. I sent 3 copies to Switzerland and everybody found the story of the beginning of the project, the technical data and the stunning photographs a … In the industrial history of the Falkirk/Grangemouth area he found a way to blend the story of working horses and the ideas come down in myth. But the girl recognises the young man as a kelpie and removes his silver necklace (his bridle) while he sleeps. 3 stars Beautiful artwork but kind of a scary story. Such a creature said to inhabit Glen Keltney in Perthshire is considered to be a kelpie by 20th-century folklorist Katharine Mary Briggs,[6] but a similar tale also set in Perthshire has an each uisge as the culprit and omits the embellishment of the young boy. The late 19th century saw the onset of an interest in transcribing folklore, but the recorders were inconsistent in spelling and frequently anglicised words, which could result in differing names for the same spirit. The myth of the kelpies is certainly an old one. But beware…these are malevolent spirits! It would entice people to ride on its back, before taking them down to a watery grave. You probably haven’t heard of “the kelpies… The first recorded use of the term to describe a mythological creature, then spelled kaelpie, appears in the manuscript of an ode by William Collins, composed some time before 1759[1] and reproduced in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh of 1788. [5] It is the most common water spirit in Scottish folklore, but the name is attributed to several different forms in narratives recorded throughout the country. [45], Almost every sizeable Scottish body of water has a kelpie story associated with it,[12][39] but the most widely reported is the kelpie of Loch Ness. The spirits had set about constructing a bridge over the Dornoch Firth after becoming tired of travelling across the water in cockleshells. Folklorists who define kelpies as spirits living beside rivers, as distinguished from the Celtic lakeside-dwelling water horse (each-uisge), include 19th-century minister of Tiree John Gregorson Campbell and 20th-century writers Lewis Spence and Katharine Briggs. It’s set inside acres of beautiful parkland. [6] The late 19th century saw the onset of an interest in transcribing folklore, but the recorders were inconsistent in spelling and frequently anglicised words, which could result in differing names for the same spirit.[7]. After following MacGrigor to his home, the kelpie asserted that MacGrigor would be unable to enter his house while in possession of the bridle, because of the presence of a cross above the entrance door. Read More. The Kelpies in Falkirk (photo © Beninjam200, WikiCommons). Kelpies are said to haunt rivers and streams, usually in the shape of a horse. The kelpie immediately reverts to its equine form, and the girl takes it home to her father's farm, where it is put to work for a year. [24] The intervention of demons and spirits was possibly a way to rationalise the drowning of children and adults who had accidentally fallen into deep, fast flowing or turbulent water. In Aberdeenshire, the kelpie allegedly has a mane of serpents, while the kelpie of River Spey was known to be white and capable of singing. The kelpie is even mentioned in Robert Burns’ poem, ‘Address to the Deil’: “…When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord [11] Scott may also have hinted at an alternative rational explanation by naming a treacherous area of quicksand "Kelpie's Flow" in his novel The Bride of Lammermoor (1818). It is a Celtic legend; however, analogues exist in other cultures. [24] In its equine form the kelpie is able to extend the length of its back to carry many riders together into the depths;[25] a common theme in the tales is of several children clambering onto the creature's back while one remains on the shore. [36] Other accounts describe the kelpie when appearing in human form as a "rough, shaggy man who leaps behind a solitary rider, gripping and crushing him", or as tearing apart and devouring humans. [41][47] The myth is perpetuated with further tales of the bridle as it is passed down through the family. Several stories of mythical spirits and monsters are attached to the loch's vicinity, dating back to 6th-century reports of Saint Columba defeating a monster on the banks of the River Ness. At the end of that time the girl rides the kelpie to consult a wise man, who tells her to return the silver necklace. Commentators have disagreed over the kelpie's aquatic habitat. A kelpie is a shape-changing aquatic spirit of Scottish legend. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. [53], Historian and symbologist Charles Milton Smith has hypothesised that the kelpie myth might originate with the water spouts that can form over the surface of Scottish lochs, giving the impression of a living form as they move across the water. This short video discusses the possibility that kelpies appear in stone carvings made in the seventh century. A kelpie is a shape-changing aquatic spirit of Scottish legend. The name originated in Scotland to describe the shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs, rivers, and streams in their land. It is usually described as a black horse-like creature, able to adopt human form. Kelpies are shapeshifters, so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised at the many and varied shapes their stories take. The association with horses may have its roots in horse sacrifices performed in ancient Scandinavia. The surviving boy is again saved by cutting off his finger, and the additional information is given that he had a Bible in his pocket. The Kelpie, explained. Then, water-kelpies haunt the foord By your direction An’ float the jinglin’ icy boord Advertisements Estimated reading time — 14 minutes I wasn’t very old when I first saw it. And if you are passing by a river and hear an unearthly wailing or howling, take care: it could be a kelpie warning of an approaching storm. [56], Victorian artist Thomas Millie Dow sketched the kelpie in 1895 as a melancholy dark-haired maiden balanced on a rock,[57] a common depiction for artists of the period. One specific story talks of a Kelpie captured by the Laird of Morphie. The Story of The Kelpies. And ‘nighted trav’llers are allur’d Having lured nine children onto its back, it chases after the tenth. The kelpie may appear as a tame pony beside a river. [54] Sir Walter Scott alludes to a similar explanation in his epic poem The Lady of the Lake (1810), which contains the lines. [18], The creature's nature was described by Walter Gregor, a folklorist and one of the first members of the Folklore Society,[22] as "useful", "hurtful", or seeking "human companionship";[23] in some cases, kelpies take their victims into the water, devour them, and throw the entrails to the water's edge. A captive kelpie is said to have the strength of at least 10 horses and the stamina of many more, and is highly prized. Douglas Harper, historian and founder of the Online Etymology Dictionary, defines kelpie as "the Lowland name of a demon in the shape of a horse". [17][20] An Aberdeenshire variation portrays the kelpie as a horse with a mane of serpents,[21] whereas the resident equine spirit of the River Spey was white and could entice victims onto its back by singing. The Kelpie Story You may have heard of “the angels’ share”, where whisky is lost from the cask over many years through evaporation…. The kelpie chased him but he managed to escape. "[13] But the distinction should stand, argues one annotator, who suggests that people are led astray when an each uisge in a "common practice of translating" are referred to as kelpies in English accounts,[14] and thus mistakenly attribute lake-dwelling habits to the latter. Falkirk in Scotland is home to The Kelpies, the largest equine sculpture in the world. In Scotland, almost every lake has a story about a kelpie. For the dog breed, see, Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, "Scottish, Shetlandic and Germanic Water Tales", "Walter Gregor (1825–97): A Life and Preliminary Bibliography", "Primitive beliefs in the north-east of Scotland", Treatises on the Apparitions of Spirits and on Vampires or Revenants, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kelpie&oldid=991322673, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 November 2020, at 13:19. Probably the most well-known of these stories is the one about the kelpie of Loch Ness . Even more surprising, there’s not one basic kelpie story with slight local variations. Kelpies are said to haunt rivers and streams, usually in the shape of a horse . [27] The same tale set at Sunart in the Highlands gives a specific figure of nine children lost, of whom only the innards of one are recovered. The kelpie tried to beg for its return, before following MacGrigor home. Like … Kelpie Read More » [11][12] Mackillop's dictionary reconciles the discrepancy, stating that the kelpie was "initially thought to inhabit ... streams, and later any body of water. Believe or not, but the land-locked Peak District is home to not just one, but two mermaids! Out about the kelpie is a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs and rivers of Scotland was originally name... Present 'The kelpies ', a timelapse short film by award winning filmmaker Walid Salhab the kelpies summer. Is, that the statues aren ’ t cross the threshold of his house due to the pink bus at. Its deep waters of 30 metre high sculptures were opened for Public access from 2014! The darkness use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website in order to a... 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