#ceffyl dwr

[alt-illustrations]

Ceffyl Dŵr

Ceffyl Dŵr or Water Horse of Welsh legend comes from folk tales about a shapeshifter that takes the form of a horse and lures wayward travellers on its back before taking off and leaping into the nearest body of water and drown the unlucky traveller.

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[archivist-crow]

CEFFYL DWR

This water horse lives in the mountain pools and waterfalls of north Wales. Its grey body has a spectral glow that illuminates the mist around it. Its method of attack is to leap from the waters when someone is near, hooking its forelegs over the shoulders of the unfortunate wanderer. If the grip of its forelegs does not strangle him, then the Ceffyl Dwr will trample and kick the stranger to death. In south Wales, the Ceffyl Dwr is said to have wings, but these are lacking in the water horse of the north. The insubstantial nature of the Ceffyl Dwr, which looks solid enough when you encounter it, changes rapidly should anyone try to ride it, for it evaporates into the swirling mists from which it emerged.

Text from The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures by John and Caitlin Matthews (HarperElement, 2005)

[toadspite]

"Tread carefully lest you lose yourself completely,"

Here is the matching piece to my last one! Carwyn is a ceffyl dŵr which is often compared to the Scottish kelpie or the Irish púca. Like all of these creatures, he is a shapeshifter. He favors the form of a black unicorn with a bald face. But he can turn into the following: human, goat, dog, cat, and hare.

The symbol in the bottom left corner is the Ogham sigil for Willow Tree. Willow trees are meant to represent imagination, intuition, and visions.

The full moon is a sign to reflect on one's hard work and find fulfillment.

[thewhimsyturtle]

The monsters of Halloween are almost here!  (Remember Cookie Tortster and Tortsters Inc.?)  👹🍪💙😈🐢💚

In the meantime, Mom and I are reading about the monsters of Wales in @ccjellis​’s stunning new book!  📖  @ccjellis describes the lore and lore and history of Celtic-Welsh legendary creatures alongside lush watercolor illustrations that we can’t stop marveling over!  🎨😲  Mom’s favorite illustration so far is of the ceffyl dŵr, a water spirit that @ccjellis​ has captured beautifully with flowing blues and greens.  🌊💙💚

Mom has been eagerly waiting for this book all the way since 2018, when it launched by Kickstarter.  We unfortunately were not able to contribute to the Kickstarter back then, but now this beautiful book is internationally published and widely available!  📚🛒

[p4ntry-d3m0n]

I got into a bit of Welsh mythology and wanted to try my hand at one that caught my eye

The Ceffyl Dwr!! I thought it was really interesting and decided to try and draw it as best I could with the descriptions I was given

Ceffyl Dwr is a shapeshifter and has been believed to be able to fly, though it kind of depends on your region. It’s a water horse and similar to Kelpie, and its reputation varies. While in South Wales it’s said to be a bit of a trickster and a pest to travelers, it’s said to be more intimidating and have a foreboding presence in North Wales

I tried going with its reputation in North Wales, although I’m not sure if I really did the creature justice lol

[off-in-the-moors]

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.

[applecakeandchainsaw]

The welsh Ceffyl Dwr is a flying water horse

Oh excellent!! 👏 this is the content I’m here for! 👏

I can already imagine the adaptations from water horse to mist horse, iron being used to keep them solid rather than drowning out the sea. Racing between the sea stacks and cliffs rather than along the beach. Having to keep your Ceffyl from snatching at seagulls for snacks.

This art from @skebryna is FANTASTIC I love it

Source: https://skebryna.tumblr.com/post/166267082540/inktober-day-10-ceffyl-dŵr-a-horse-from-welsh/amp

The Skeb — Inktober Day 10: Ceffyl Dŵr. A horse from Welsh...

[lpbestiary]

The Ceffyl Dŵr is a water horse from Welsh mythology. Legends about the creature vary from region to region, with some claiming that it can change its shape, and others giving it the ability to fly. The level of threat also varies, with it being considered a simple pest in the south and something to be truly afraid of in the north.

Most stories agree that the Ceffyl Dŵr lurks in mountain pools and waterfalls. It usually appears as an ordinary horse, but can disappear into mist. It will play pranks on people or specifically try to harm them, usually by enticing them to ride it before dissipating.

Image source.

Monster master list.

Suggest a spook.