What is a selkie in Scotland?

What is a selkie in Scotland?

The selkie – also called the seal people, the sea people or the mermaid – is a marine legend that tells of people who are half fish, and half human. In the water, they are seals, but on land, they shed their skin and take on human form. Selkies are often sighted by those living in remote coastal areas.

Are there any mythical creatures in Scotland?

The most well-known of Scotland’s creatures, Nessie otherwise known as the Loch Ness monster. After the reported sighting and photographic evidence (though later revealed as hoax) of the monster in 1934 people have done their best to catch a glimpse of the creature.

What is a Scottish waterhorse?

A kelpie is a shape-changing aquatic spirit of Scottish legend. Its name may derive from the Scottish Gaelic words ‘cailpeach’ or ‘colpach’, meaning heifer or colt. Kelpies are said to haunt rivers and streams, usually in the shape of a horse. These water horses can also appear in human form.

Is there a Scottish banshee?

The caoineag (Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈkʰɯːɲak]) is a female spirit in Scottish folklore and a type of Highland banshee, her name meaning “weeper”. She is normally invisible and foretells death in her clan by lamenting in the night at a waterfall, stream or Loch, or in a glen or on a mountainside.

What is a Kelpie in Scotland?

Kelpies are malevolent aquatic spirits and nearly every loch, pool or body of water in Scotland has a story about water spirits associated with it.

What are Scottish mermaids called?

The ceasg [kʲʰɛsk] is a mermaid in Scottish folklore with the upper body of a beautiful woman merging with the tail of a grilse (a young salmon). The ceasg lives not only in the sea but also in rivers and streams, and can be made to grant three wishes to anyone who captures her.

What are Scottish fairies?

Fairies. According to Scottish folklore, these “faeries” or “little people” come in different forms and have different temperaments. They can be friendly to you or unleash their wrath if you do not respect their wishes. You could be blessed with good luck if you are kind to the Sidhe fairies.

Does Scotland have dragons?

Every land has its tales of dragons, but Scotland is an island country, bound to the sea. Then from the murky depths of Loch Ness comes the most famous of Scotland’s mythical creatures. Yes, Nessie is classified as a dragon although she may be a member of that legendary species, the each-uisge or water horse.

What is a kelpie in Scotland?

Can kelpies turn into humans?

[*] Kelpies commonly appear looking like a powerful black horse, but they can also take on the form of a human. Sometimes those forms combine to create a human with hooves for feet, which is why people have compared Kelpies to the devil.

What is a Bean Sidhe?

banshee, Irish Bean Sidhe, Scots Gaelic Ban Sith, (“woman of the fairies”) supernatural being in Irish and other Celtic folklore whose mournful “keening,” or wailing screaming or lamentation, at night was believed to foretell the death of a member of the family of the person who heard the spirit.

What happens if you see a banshee?

When several banshees appear at once, it indicates the death of someone great or holy. The tales sometimes recounted that the woman, though called a fairy, was a ghost, often of a specific murdered woman, or a mother who died in childbirth.