Writing Prompt 72: The Kelpies
“…When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord
An’ float the jinglin’ icy boord
Then, water-kelpies haunt the foord
By your direction
And ‘nighted trav’llers are allur’d
To their destruction…”
The Kelpie Legend
What are these water-kelpies that haunt the Scottish fords? Well-known in Scottish folklore, the kelpies are malevolent shape-shifting water creatures that can take the form of magnificent horses with enormous strength. They brood among the rivers, lochs and fords of the Scottish landscape looking for prey, luring travellers or children to their watery graves.
I am fascinated by myths. The word sounds so soft and gentle, as if just by saying it, an ancient tale will drift into your mind on a cool breeze. Yet often these myths and tales contain a deadly warning. The story of the kelpies warns our young children not to wander too close to the water or else the kelpies will take them, dragging them into the infinite depths of the water beyond.
"The kelpie is perhaps better understood as a personification of the flood itself, an animal-like – or even anthropomorphised, on occasion – version of the reverence and fear the Celts held for water, rivers, lakes, and seas alike. It seems likely that, in Scotland, with all its isles and storms and restless seas, the water (and its spirits) would be seen as largely dangerous, evil even.
The stories of the kelpie were, perhaps, especially useful in warning children away from riverbanks and strange horses alike. All sorts of trouble could ensue if one were to enter an unknown body of water, much less on top of someone else’s animal. A common identifying characteristic of the kelpie is said to be its hooves, hooves that are reversed when compared to those of a regular horse."
A Shape-Shifting Creature
The sculptures in the photograph above, are immense steel forms that stand 30 metres high in The Helix Park near Falkirk in Scotland. Called The Kelpies they were designed by the Scottish artist Andy Scott and are inspired by the iconic Clydesdale horses that were used decades ago for pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges and coal ships through the waterways of Falkirk.
So. Here we have two sides of the kelpie legend — the old stories from Scottish folklore of a malevolent creature, and the majestic sculptures inspired by the horses that laboured for the coal industry.
Perhaps there's a story here, a legend or a contemporary tale, one of evil or of pride. Are you intrigued by the shape-shifting creature, or are you in awe of the strength of the heavy horse? Water is a necessary element for your story in any form, whether a ‘restless sea’ or the waterways of transportation. The choice as always is all yours. Or you could forget all of this and simply write a story that comes to you from the photograph above.
Have fun!
Image: The Kelpies in Helix Park, Scotland. Photo by Tanya Clarke 2023
