The Kelpies come out from the waters of the Scottish Lochs with one aim, to lure unsuspecting people, often children, back into the water where they will provide food for the Kelpies.

Although their most common form is that of a horse, they are shapeshifters and are more than capable of appearing as beautiful humans to tempt people to come close and follow them to the water, and their death.

The Kelpie is found in Scottish folklore and in most stories, they are creatures who have malicious intents. There are some stories where they are seeking companionship, but these are few and far between. Before we look at these tales, we should look at the Kelpie origins. An extremely common folktale in Scotland, the word Kelpie could originate from the Gaelic words calpa or cailpeach, which mean “heifer” or “colt”. There are many discussions about the origins of the Kelpie myth, one being that they may come from water spouts that can be seen on the surface of lochs and, in the right circumstances, could look like something moving across the water. In his poem, The Lady of the Lake (1810), Sir Walter Scott writes – He watched the wheeling eddies boil, Til from their foam his dazzled eyes Beheld the River Demon Rise: Scott used the term River Demin to describe a Kelpie, and in some tales, demon would be a good description.