The Kelpie by, 1913 Kelpie, or water kelpie, is the name given to a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the and pools of Scotland. It has usually been described as appearing as a, but is able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelpie retains its hooves when appearing as a human, leading to its association with the Christian idea of as alluded to by in his 1786 poem '. Almost every sizeable body of water in Scotland has an associated kelpie story, but the most extensively reported is that of. Parallels to the general and the have been observed. More widely, the of Central America and the Australian have been seen as counterparts.

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The origin of the belief in malevolent water horses has been proposed as originating in once made to appease gods associated with water, but narratives about the kelpie also served a practical purpose in keeping children away from dangerous stretches of water, and warning young women to be wary of handsome strangers. Kelpies have been portrayed in their various forms in art and literature, including recently as two 30-metre (98 ft) high steel sculptures in,, completed in October 2013. The Kelpie by, 1895 Kelpies have the ability to themselves into non-equine forms, and can take on the outward appearance of human figures, in which guise they may betray themselves by the presence of water weeds in their hair. Gregor described a kelpie adopting the guise of a wizened old man continually muttering to himself while sitting on a bridge stitching a pair of trousers. 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.

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. A folk tale from 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.

But the girl recognises the young man as a kelpie and removes his silver necklace (his bridle) while he sleeps. 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. At the end of that time the girl rides the kelpie to consult a wise man, who tells her to return the silver necklace. The wise man then asks the kelpie, once again transformed into the handsome young man the girl had first met, whether if given the choice it would choose to be a kelpie or a mortal. The kelpie in turn asks the girl whether, if he were a man, she would agree to be his wife.

She confirms that she would, after which the kelpie chooses to become a mortal man, and the pair are married. Traditionally kelpies in their human form are almost invariably male. [ ] One of the few stories describing the creature in female form is set at Conon House in. Mozilla firefox download free version. It tells of a 'tall woman dressed in green', with a 'withered, meagre countenance, ever distorted by a malignant scowl', who overpowered and drowned a man and a boy after she jumped out of a stream.

The arrival of in Scotland in the 6th century resulted in some folk stories and beliefs being recorded by scribes, usually Christian monks, instead of being perpetuated. Some accounts state that the kelpie retains its hooves even in human form, leading to its association with the Christian notion of, just as with the god.

Refers to such a Satanic association in his ' (1786). When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord An' float the jinglin icy boord Then, water-kelpies haunt the foord By your direction An' nighted trav'llers are allur'd To their destruction.

Capture and killing [ ] When a kelpie appeared in its equine persona without any, it could be captured using a halter stamped with the sign of a, and its strength could then be harnessed in tasks such as the transportation of heavy mill stones. 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 unhappy about its treatment. 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. Some kelpies were said to be equipped with a bridle and sometimes a saddle, and appeared invitingly ready to ride, but if mounted they would run off and drown their riders. If the kelpie was already wearing a bridle, might be achieved by removing it. Apnetv.com. A bridle taken from a kelpie was endowed with magical properties, and if brandished towards someone, was able to transform that person into a horse or pony.