The Water Horse
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A horse of a very different colour. It’s strange how the most memorable spirits are the malevolent ones. Perhaps, even as today, there was a perverse pleasure in being frightened out of one’s wits. For horror movies, read Kelpies. Kelpies or water horses, better known in the Highlands as ‘each uisge’ were probably the most evil and threatening of all the unearthly creatures, which inhabit Scottish folklore. Unlike its Highland equivalent, which plagued the lochs and coastal waters, the Kelpie’s chosen hunting ground was running water. This water was the medium for their evil deeds, enticing unsuspecting travellers to their deaths in deep waters disguised as shallows. Believers, in effect the entire population, tended therefore to avoid fords. Kelpies could be even more deceitful, appearing before unwitting victims, tempting them on to their backs then galloping headlong into deep water to drown their unfortunate riders. The behaviour of the ’each uisge’ had an even more barbaric twist. It would gorge on the bodies of its prey, leaving only the liver as a pathetic reminder of their human existence. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. A Kelpie could be kept in check by placing a bridle on its head. So fitted, it could be ridden and even worked to the plough, without danger to its human master. Source: http://www.romantic-scotland.com/the-water-horse.html
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