Water Horses: more than just kelpies
Water horses as a mythological creatures appear in Celtic and Scandinavian folklore. They're shape-shifting water spirits, who lure and drag their unsuspecting victims to their demise. However, there are many types of water horses, differing from each other not only by places of origin but in behaviour. What they all have in common is: inhabiting bodies of water and taking the form of a horse. I'll try my best to present the best known and least known ones, in simple to understand fashion. In advance, I want to apologies for any mistakes made. I'm only one person doing this partly as a story research and partly as my love/fascination for those creatures. I advise taking this post as a starting point and encourage to look into the folklore yourselves. Also, I apologies for any grammatical mistakes, English is my second language.
Kelpie
Location: Scotland Other names: x Body of water: streams and rivers
the best known of all water horse
appears as a powerful and beautiful black, dark grey or white horse, with reversed hooves and, in some sources, equipped with a bridle and sometimes a saddle
if the kelpie was already wearing a bridle, "exorcism" might be achieved by removing it, which would be endowed with magical properties, like healing, and if brandished towards someone, was able to transform that person into a horse or pony
can shape-shift into a human figures, with water weeds in hair, such as old wizened man; rough, shaggy man; handsome young man wearing a silver necklace, which was its bridle; or a tall woman dressed in green
in the form of handsome young man, said to seeks "human companionship" and will woo a pretty young girl which is determined to take for its wife
if mounted, its skin becomes adhesive, in stories where a hand or a finger got stuck to the creature, the only way to break free was to cut it off
most stories say they only drown their victims, but some say they tear them apart and devour them, leave the entrails to washout to the water's edge
could entice victims onto its back by singing
some sources say, it can have a offspring with a horse, which would be impossible to drown and had ears shorter then normal
could be k*lled with a silver bullet or heated iron, and after dying, it’ll turn into turf and soft mass, like jellyfish
could be tamed with well placed halter, some sources say in should have sign of a cross on it
the noise a kelpie's tail makes when it entered water sounds like thunder
its howls and wails, as a warning of approaching storms
Each-uisge
Location: Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man Other names: each-uisce/aughisky/ech-ushkya (Irish), cabyll-ushtey (Manx) Body of water: sea, sea lochs and fresh water lochs
the name means "water horse", literally
has been described as "perhaps the fiercest and most dangerous of all the water-horses", being unpredictable in nature
can shape-shift into fine horse, pony, a handsome man (water weeds, sand or mud in hair) or an enormous bird (such as a boobrie/great auk)
tears apart and devours the entire body of its victim, except for the liver, lungs or heart (depending on the source), and some times pieces of clothing are also present
preys not only on humans but also cattle and sheep
could be lured out off the water by the smell of roasted meat
can be k*lled with red-hot iron and after being k*lled, leaves jelly-like substance
repelled by silver and fire
sometimes comes out of the water to gallop on land and, despite the danger, if caught and tamed then it will make the finest of steeds
most likely to come out in November
can be ride safety on interior land as long as they don't smell or gets a glimpse of water
because of their pr*datory hunger, they may even turn on their own kind, if the scent of a human rider is strong enough on the monster's body
Ceffyl Dŵr
Location: Wales Other names: x Body of water: mountain pools, waterfalls and seashore (few sources)
most stories say they're fresh water but some sources say there is a salt water version, differing mostly in colour
its characterisation depends on the region, in North Wales its represented as being rather formidable with fiery eyes and a dark forbidding presence, while in South Wales its seen more positively as, at worst a cheeky pest to travellers and at best, luminous, fascinating and sometimes a winged steed
appears as a pony or cob sized horse, dappled grey or sand colour, with hooves facing backwards; or large chestnut or piebald horse
though it appears solid, it can evaporate into mist or grown wings
some sources say, it could transform into frogs
can k*ll its victims by trampling them on the pathways they frequent; or by convincing someone to ride them, only to drown them; or fly them into the air only to turn to mist, dropping the unfortunate rider to his death
like with kelpies, they can be tamed by use of a well placed bridle, though it’s much harder, due to their ability to turn intangible
in some sources its connected with sea-storm: appearing with sea-foam white coat in storm seasons; dapple, grey or white, clumsily stomping about in the ocean waves prior to the storm (possibly brewing up the very storm its sighting precedes); and as large chestnut or piebald horse trotting along the coast after storm
Nykur
Location: Iceland Other names: x Body of water: lake, river, stream and sea
appears as a grey horse with backwards hooves and ears
could change itself into all forms, living or dead, e.g. lambswool or peeled barley
repelled by speaking its name or a synonyms of it (Nennir, Nóni, Vatnaskratti (“water demon”) or Kumbur)
appears on the lake-shore, with half its body in the water, and looks to be quite tame to its unsuspecting victims
if mounted, its skin becomes adhesive and its will ride into the water and drown its victim
its neighing is said to sound like ice cracking
could breed with a horse (giving birth like a normal mare, albeit in the water), its offspring were indistinguishable from those of a normal horse but had a tendency to lie down when splashed with water or when led through belly-deep water
Tangie
Location: Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands Other names: tongie Body of water: fresh and salt water
the name comes from 'tang', which comes from Old Norse "þang" meaning 'seaweed' (probably referring to seaweed of genus Fucus)
appears as a coarse-haired, apple-green pony or a black horse with seaweed or shells in its mane
in other forms, appears as an aged man or merman, also covered in seaweeds
known for terrorizing lonely travellers, especially young women on roads at night near the lochs, whom it will abduct and devour under the water
said to be able to cause derangement in humans and animals
best known for playing a major role in the Shetland legend of Black Eric, a sheep rustler
Nuggle
Location: Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands (few mentions) Other names: neugle, njogel, nuggie, noggle, nogle, nygel, shoepultie/shoopiltee Body of water: rivers, streams and lochs, beside watermills
nocturnal
always male, appearing as a attractive, generously fed and well-conditioned (Shetland) pony or horse, with wheel-like tail which it hides between its back-legs or arched over its back, and sleek coat from a deep bluish-grey through to a very light, almost white, grey
can take many forms, but never of a human
never strays very far from water
fairly gentle disposition, being more prone to playing pranks and making mischief rather than having malicious intents, like stopping the watermill's wheel
some stories state, only magical beings called Finns (Finfolk) were able to ride a nuggle without coming to any harm
Bäckahäst
Location: Scandinavian Other names: brook horse Body of water: rivers, lakes and ponds
appears as a majestic white (sometimes with spotted sides) horse
appears particularly during foggy weather
could be harnessed and made to plough, either because it was trying to trick a person or because the person had tricked the horse into it
Cabyll-Ushtey
Location: Isle of Man, Ireland Other names: glashtyn, cabbyl-ushtey, capall uisce (possibly Irish or Old Irish) Body of water: sea
there are very few tales about it
very similar to each-uisge, but not as dangerous
appears as a pale grey horse, but capable of change into a young man
mostly known for seizing cows and tear them to pieces, stampeding horses, and stealing children
If there are any mistakes or missing informations or questions, feel free to ask.
