"Bucking" the Trend- not all Kelpies are Baddies

The story of the Kelpie of Loch Garve (so it's technically an Each Uisge, but we'll keep it as Kelpie for this story) tells of a Keplie that lived at the depths of the loch with his wife.

Now, the Kelpie obviously loved his cold, wet lair at the bottom of the loch, and was well in his element. Although he would make trips on land (most likely hunting mortals) he was always glad to get home. His wife, however, was less impressed. She always felt the terrible cold, and shivered endlessly in that miserable lair at the bottom of the murky loch. At first the Kelpie put this down to her making a fuss over nothing, but as time went by, she became more and more unhappy. Fearing that she might leave him, the Kelpie racked his brains wondering what to do. And thus he began to worry about her wellfare.

Next day he made a decision. He went to shore and transformed himself into a handsome jet-black stallion (as kelpies mostly do) and made for a local famous builder. The Kelpie tramped at the hearthstone until the man came out. Seeing this handsome black stallion standing before him, the man, either against his better judgement or oblivious to the warnings of waterhorses, was enticed to climb upon the horse's back. Immediately he became stuck fast, and the Kelpie galloped at high speed towards the loch, the terrified, poor builder completely helpless. The Kelpie plunged into the icey cold waters, his tail pounding the surface like a thundercrash. As the two made their descent the reluctant passenger uttered a prayer. It seemed like forever the builder was carried down into the black waters, but for some reason he did not drown.

When the reached the bottom, the Kelpie let the builder dismount and explained his predicament, and with a desperate and anxious hint in his superantural voice promised no hurt upon the builder or his family. He made a bargain that if the builder do this small thing, then he and his family would have a plentiful supply of fish until the day he died; they would never want for food from the loch.

So the builder set about building a huge and magnificent fireplace and lum the like of which no mortal eyes ever have or ever would witness in a million years. The great chimney twisted upwards through the dark waters to almost the surface, to carry the smoke far away from the lair. Then the fireplace was lit and a great fire sprung up and began warming the lair. When the Kelpie saw the sheer delight upon his dear wife's face, he knew that the builder had fulfilled his bargain and more!

He took the builder back up through the dark, icy waters, back to shore, and to his house, as if nothing had gone amiss that night, for time in the lands of the faeries does not have the same meaning here. True to his word, he never forgot the work of the tradesman. The builder and his family were never unable to put fish on the table, and lived like royalty.

But what of the Kelpie and his wife? Well, when the loch freezes over in the midst of the coldest winters, some say there is still to this day a patch of water that never freezes; where a small patch of water never cools likethe rest of the loch. Possibly where a tall lum nearly reaches the surface. This is because a fire still burns merrily in the lair of the Kelpie and his happy wife.



Quite a nice tale I thought I'd share with you all. It's a very different picture ofthe dreaded waterhorse of Scottish(and Irish, and Manx) myth.

That's great Urisk, I'd never heard that one.

Good tale that man, keep it up.

Lee.

Good tale

Would like to use it on the site with your agreement.

You are right about it technically being an Each Uisge, Briggs in her dictionary of faries has Kelpies haunting fresh running water, and the Each Uisge as a denizen of lochs/sea lochs.

cheers

That's a splendid tale which once again shows time relativity in Magonia... a few centuries before Langevin and Einstein.

DJP wrote:

Good tale

Would like to use it on the site with your agreement.

You are right about it technically being an Each Uisge, Briggs in her dictionary of faries has Kelpies haunting fresh running water, and the Each Uisge as a denizen of lochs/sea lochs.

cheers

Thanks guys, I thought it was a good wee tale. Sure you can use it Dan, as technically it's not mine. It's an old tale, but I read it in a Lomond book (Myths and Legends I think), but obviously added to and changed it a bit here and there using my own dialogue; seeing as it's based on an old folk story, they are very organic and changeable. I thought I'd keep from confusing matters a bit ( plus Kelpie takes less time to type every time than Each Uisge ) by calling it a Kelpie. It's a more familiar term.

Whilst researching the Irish and Isle of Man versions of the Each Uisge I came across a funny tale.

A man was in his row boat crossing a river or loch when he noticed a Each Uisge in the water, it's horses head sticking up above the waves. He was terrified and rowed like the clappers to shore. On th eshore he met a guy asking to borrow his boat. "You don't want to go out there" he told the gentleman. "Yes I do he replied, my mare and it's foal have just swam to the other side".

Love it!

Great tale, thanks for sharing.

I think J.K. Rowling describes the Loch Ness Monster as a kelpie that has become addicted to publicity.

Violet Jacob produced a fantastic poem called The Kelpie... providing it's legal and everything if you all so wish I may post it.




Be warned... It's in Eastern Scottish!

Post if possible Urisk

Will do, if Ian decides it's OK to do so.

I don't see why not, as long as we credit the author .

Great!

Here we go, a truly fantastic poem.

The Kelpie

I'm feared o' the road ayont the glen,
I'm sweir to pass the place
Whaur the water's rinnin', for a' fowk ken,
There's a kelpie sits at the fit o' the den,
And there's them that's seen his face.

But while he watches an' while he hides
And whiles, gin na wind manes,
Ye can hear him roarin' frae whaur he bides
An' the soond o' him splashin' agin the sides
O' the rocks an' muckle stanes.

When the mune gaes doon at the arn-tree's back
In a wee, wee weary licht,
My bed-claes up to my lugs I tak',
For I mind the swirl o' the water black
An' the cry i' the fearsome nicht.

And lang an' fell is yon road to me
As I come frae the schule;
I daurna think that I'm like to see
When the dark fa's airly on buss an' tree
At Martinmas and Yule.

Aside the crusie my mither reads,
"My bairn," says she, "ye've heard
The Lord is mindfu' o' a' oor needs
An' His shield an' buckler's abune the heids
O' them that keeps His word."

But I'm a laddie that's no that douce,
An' fechtin's a bonnie game;
The dominie's pawmies are little use,
An' mony's the Sawbath I'm rinnin' loose
When a'body thinks I'm hame!

Dod, noo we're nearin' the shorter days,
It's cannie I'll hae to gang,
An' keep frae fecthin' an' sic-like ways,
And no be tearin' my Sawbath claes
Afore that the nichts grow lang.

Richt guid an' couthie I'll need to be,
(But it's leein' to say I'm glad),
I kent there's troubles that fowk maun dree,
An' the kelpie's no like to shift for me,
Sae, gine thae warlocks are fear'd o' Thee,
Lord, mak' me a better lad!



Violet Jacob (originally compiled in Bonnie Joan and other poems, 1921).

This poem can be found in "Voices From Their Ain Countrie- the poems of Marion Angus and Violet Jacob". It's only a tenner and contains pretty much every poem they did (including Jacob's fantastic "The Rowan"!!) so is well worth picking up!

I hope you can agree with me that the structure is beautiful, and Jacob really manages to conjure up quite vivid impressions of foreboding and the fear that the long winter nights bring. Truly a poem to recite on Hallowe'en; especially when out guising (if kids still do that now... it's that pitiful Trick or Treating now isn't it?). It's also very relevant to this time of year!

Good poem, you might have translate a bit of the scots dialect for those south of the border, and overseas.

Oh aye, good point. I will try and get around to that when I can. Because it's quite old now a lot of the words have been lost in language and even I don't know some of them, but I'll do my best.


Here's some:


muckle= basically "big" (see "Muckle Black Tyke", the black dog).

stane= stone

feared= afraid (quite easy)

ayont= beyond

sweir= to be sweir to do something is to be reluctant (basically pronounced "swear")

frae whaur he bides= (from where he stays)

My bed-claes up to my lugs I tak'= basically saying "I take my bed-clothes up to my ears (lugs)"

yon (or thon)= is that/those etc

Sawbath= dialect for Sabbath.

It's cannie I'll hae to gang An' keep frae fecthin' an' sic-like ways= cannie I suppose is like wise or kosher or something. gang is go (so "it's best/wise that I have to go and stop fighting, and such-like ways)

Gine I'm not sure, but gin (and prounounced like that, not like the beverage) means when.

maun is must. Dree? not sure. Possibly endure or dread or something.