Kelpie facts for kids
A kelpie, also known as a water kelpie, is a magical creature from Scottish folklore. It is a shape-shifting water spirit that is said to live in Scotland's lochs (lakes) and rivers. Legends about these water horses are found all over the British Isles, including in Irish and Welsh stories.
The kelpie most often appears as a beautiful and powerful horse, but it can also change its shape to look like a human. In some stories, when a kelpie takes a human form, it still has horse hooves, which gives away its true identity. Almost every large body of water in Scotland has its own kelpie story, with the most famous one being at Loch Ness.
Kelpies have inspired art and stories for centuries. The most famous modern example is The Kelpies, two giant steel horse-head sculptures in Falkirk, Scotland, which were completed in 2013.
Contents
Where the Name Comes From
The origin of the Scots word kelpie is not completely certain. It might come from the Scottish Gaelic words calpa or cailpeach. These words mean "heifer" (a young cow) or "colt" (a young horse).
The first time the word 'kelpie' was written down to describe this mythical creature was in a poem by William Collins before 1759.
Folk Beliefs
What Do Kelpies Look Like?
The kelpie is one of the most famous water spirits in Scottish stories. It is usually described as a strong, beautiful horse that lives in deep pools in rivers and streams.
One of the strangest things about a kelpie is that its hooves are said to be on backwards. This is a clue that it's not a normal horse. In some parts of Scotland, people imagined the kelpie differently. For example, one story describes a kelpie with a mane made of snakes. Another tale from the River Spey tells of a white horse that could sing to attract people.
Tricky and Dangerous Tales
Kelpies in stories are often tricky and dangerous. They might try to lure people, especially children, to ride on their backs.
A common story tells of a group of children who see a beautiful horse by the water. One by one, they climb onto its back. The kelpie's back magically grows longer to fit all of them. One child, however, stays on the shore. When he touches the horse, his hand gets stuck to its skin. To save himself, he manages to break free just as the kelpie jumps into the water, carrying the other children away.
These stories were often told to warn children to stay away from dangerous rivers and lochs.
A Master of Disguise
Kelpies are famous for their ability to shapeshift. They can transform into other forms, but they most often change into a human. When a kelpie pretends to be a person, there might be clues to its real identity, like having water weeds in its hair.
The Kelpie's Human Form
Most stories describe kelpies taking the form of a handsome young man to trick people. A famous tale from the island of Barra tells of a kelpie who turns into a young man to win the love of a village girl.
The clever girl realizes he is a kelpie. While he is asleep, she takes off his silver necklace, which was actually his bridle. Without it, he is forced to turn back into a horse. The girl takes the kelpie to her father's farm, where it works hard for a year.
At the end of the year, she is told to return the bridle. The kelpie, now a man again, is given a choice: stay a kelpie or become a real human. He asks the girl if she would marry him if he were a man. She says yes, so he chooses to become human, and they get married.
How to Outsmart a Kelpie
Even though kelpies were powerful, stories say they could be captured. If a person could get a bridle over a kelpie's head, the creature would lose its power and have to obey its master. Its amazing strength could then be used for tasks like carrying heavy stones to build a castle.
A Kelpie's Weakness
According to legend, a kelpie's bridle was the source of its magic. If someone managed to steal a kelpie's bridle, they would have control over it. These magical bridles were said to have healing powers.
Stories also said that a kelpie could be defeated with a silver bullet. Another tale tells of a blacksmith who protected his family from a kelpie by using hot iron spears.
The Kelpie of Loch Ness
Many Scottish lochs have kelpie stories, but the most famous is Loch Ness, home of the Loch Ness Monster. Long before people started looking for a monster that looked like a dinosaur, they told stories about a kelpie in the loch.
One popular tale is about a man named James MacGrigor. He surprised the kelpie and managed to cut off its bridle, which was the source of its power. The kelpie tried to get its bridle back, but MacGrigor outsmarted it. The bridle was passed down through his family and was said to have magical healing powers.
Today, many people think the Loch Ness Monster might be a surviving plesiosaur. But the old kelpie legend is still remembered in books and stories for children, like The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith.
Origins of the Kelpie Myth
No one knows for sure how the stories of the kelpie began. These tales likely served a very practical purpose: to keep children safe. Parents told scary stories about kelpies to stop their kids from playing too close to dangerous rivers and lochs. The stories also warned young people to be careful around strangers.
Some people think the idea of the kelpie might have come from nature. A water spout, which is a spinning column of water and mist, can sometimes form over Scottish lochs. From a distance, this might have looked like a strange, living creature moving across the water.
Kelpies in Art and Culture
The image of the kelpie has appeared in art for centuries. Some of the oldest carvings of a kelpie-like creature might be on ancient Pictish stones from the 6th to 9th centuries. In the Victorian era, artists like Herbert James Draper often painted kelpies as beautiful women instead of horses.
The Kelpies Sculptures
Today, the most famous artistic representation of kelpies are two giant steel sculptures in Falkirk, Scotland. Named The Kelpies, these amazing horse heads stand 30 metres (about 100 feet) tall.
They were designed by sculptor Andy Scott and completed in 2013. The sculptures are a monument to the role horses played in Scotland's industrial history. They have become a very popular tourist attraction.
Images for kids
-
A line drawing of the Maiden Stone. The creature on it is called the Pictish Beast and might be an early drawing of a kelpie.
.jpg){kind=small}
