Folklore: Kelpies
Kelpies, the dangerous shape-shifting water creatures from Scottish folklore, take center stage in this intriguing discussion. These beings often appear as beautiful horses, enticing unsuspecting humans to mount them before leading them to a watery demise. The episode explores the cultural significance of kelpies in Scotland, highlighting their presence in folklore and their association with various bodies of water, including the famous Loch Ness. Listeners will learn about the telltale signs of a kelpie, such as seaweed hair and hooved feet, and the enchanting allure these creatures possess. Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the iconic kelpie sculptures in Falkirk, the episode emphasizes their impact on Scottish tourism and invites audiences to reflect on the cautionary tales surrounding these mythical beings.
In this Episode Jodie Paterson discussed Kelpies, their origin and how they have affected Scottish tourism
Transcript
Hello and welcome to another episode of Folklore and Mythology. My name is Jody Patterson and today we are going to be talking about kelpies.
Now, the kelpies that you might be familiar with in Scotland lie in Falkirk. They are two giant kelpie heads sculpted by Andy Scott. Now, he is an artist who chose the kelpies as his inspiration.
They are made of steel and they sit 30 foot high. They are genuinely quite impressive. But what are kelpies and why are they culturally significant to Scotland?
Well, that's what we're going to talk about today. They show up mostly in Scottish folklore. So a kelpie is a dangerous shape shifting water creature that can appear on land as a horse.
The kelpie chooses human victims and appears to them as a beautiful grey or white horse. And according to some of the folk tales, the kelpie can also shapeshift into human form, usually a man.
And the telltale sign is that his hair will be seaweed or his feet will be hooves. Now, in Scotland, almost every sizable body of water has stories of a kelpie, including Loch Ness.
Now, the kelpie is actually the most common water spirit in Scottish folklore and its name is attributed to several different forms in narratives recorded throughout the country. Now, what the kelpie does is it entices humans to go on its back and then it walks them into the water and drowns them.
So how do they entice the humans? Well, these horses are beautiful.
If you see a white horse across a field and it's making eye contact with you, and it is the most beautiful horse you've ever seen, beware. That could be a kelpie and you can't help it. Once you've made eye contact, it's too late.
You're already walking towards the kelpie and you will mount the kelpie and it will take you to your watery grave. And the other way that they allure people is by taking the human form.
Although, as stated before, they may have seaweed for hair and hooves as feet, they may not be quite as alluring as a beautiful horse. So the next time you see a horse and you want to ride it, just remember the tale of the kelpies.
Try to steer clear and whatever you do, do not make eye contact. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Folklore Mythology. It was super fun to write and research.
And one of the reasons I've done it is because the kelpie sculptures are actually celebrating their 10 year anniversary today. And I'm going to upload this episode today as well.
I do think they have done a tremendous amount for Scottish tourism, and I do think they are definitely worth visiting if you get a chance. All right. I'll catch you. Next time on Folklore Mythology. Thank you.
