Post by Quackzilla...;' on Aug 21, 2010 11:55:41 GMT -5
The Kelpie
Kelpies are half-horse, half-fish creatures, with a hind end like a fish's. But, some have all four legs, and can simply breath underwater. Kelpies are most often shades of greens and blues to blend in with their surroundings of water, but feel free to make it some sort of turqoise-striped-blue. But remember, when on land, your kelpie cannot touch others: their skin, on land, is adhesive. Eye colour can vary. Kelpies also often have a horn, like a unicorn, though it looks more worn and much less shiny or sparkley than their cousin's.
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The horse's appearance is strong, powerful, and breathtaking. Its hide was supposed to be black (though in some stories it was white), and will appear to be a lost horse, but can be identified by its constantly dripping mane. Its skin is like that of a seal, smooth but is as cold as death when touched.It is understood that the nostril of the horse is what creates the illusion of grandeur. The water horse creates illusions to keep itself hidden, keeping only its eye above water to scout the surface, much like the illusion of a fish's pupil. It is wise to keep away from them.
As the fable of the kelpie differs depending on the region where it is told. Other versions of the story say that the kelpie is "green as glass with a black mane and tail that curves over its back like a wheel." The water horse is a common form of the kelpie, said to lure humans, especially children, into the water to drown and eat them. It performs this act by encouraging children to ride on its back. Once its victims fall into its trap, the kelpie's skin becomes adhesive and it bears them into the river, dragging them to the bottom of the water and devouring them — except the heart or liver. Because of the adhesive skin, Kelpies cannot mate with any equines other than another kelpie, unless, perhaps, both the male and female are under water.
A common Scottish tale is the story of nine children lured onto a kelpie's back, while a tenth keeps his distance. The kelpie chases him and tries to catch him, but he escapes. A variation on this is that the tenth child simply strokes the kelpie's nose but, when his finger becomes stuck to it, he takes a knife from his pocket and cuts his own finger off. He saves himself but is unable to help his friends as they are pulled underwater with the kelpie. Commonly known as spirits of the dead, they are malevolent creatures.
An exception is an Irish tale in which, toward the end of the mystical period of Ireland, a water horse fails to travel to Tír na nÓg (Heaven) with its fellow mystic folk and instead rises above water, seeking a wife. However, after attempting to court a clever girl, who consults the wiseman about the situation, he is captured and forced to work to be taught compassion. After learning his lesson, he is given the choice of departing to Tír na nÓg or drinking a magic potion that will make him a real man. The water horse, now full of love, decides to drink the potion which erases the memories of his life as a water horse and gives him the chance to live with the clever girl with whom he has fallen in love.
(On xEquines, they are called kelpies because they have adhesive skin and they can travel on land as a horse. In the water, they hold more in common with hippocampi, which have a horse's body and a fish's tail.)
Kelpies are half-horse, half-fish creatures, with a hind end like a fish's. But, some have all four legs, and can simply breath underwater. Kelpies are most often shades of greens and blues to blend in with their surroundings of water, but feel free to make it some sort of turqoise-striped-blue. But remember, when on land, your kelpie cannot touch others: their skin, on land, is adhesive. Eye colour can vary. Kelpies also often have a horn, like a unicorn, though it looks more worn and much less shiny or sparkley than their cousin's.
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The horse's appearance is strong, powerful, and breathtaking. Its hide was supposed to be black (though in some stories it was white), and will appear to be a lost horse, but can be identified by its constantly dripping mane. Its skin is like that of a seal, smooth but is as cold as death when touched.It is understood that the nostril of the horse is what creates the illusion of grandeur. The water horse creates illusions to keep itself hidden, keeping only its eye above water to scout the surface, much like the illusion of a fish's pupil. It is wise to keep away from them.
As the fable of the kelpie differs depending on the region where it is told. Other versions of the story say that the kelpie is "green as glass with a black mane and tail that curves over its back like a wheel." The water horse is a common form of the kelpie, said to lure humans, especially children, into the water to drown and eat them. It performs this act by encouraging children to ride on its back. Once its victims fall into its trap, the kelpie's skin becomes adhesive and it bears them into the river, dragging them to the bottom of the water and devouring them — except the heart or liver. Because of the adhesive skin, Kelpies cannot mate with any equines other than another kelpie, unless, perhaps, both the male and female are under water.
A common Scottish tale is the story of nine children lured onto a kelpie's back, while a tenth keeps his distance. The kelpie chases him and tries to catch him, but he escapes. A variation on this is that the tenth child simply strokes the kelpie's nose but, when his finger becomes stuck to it, he takes a knife from his pocket and cuts his own finger off. He saves himself but is unable to help his friends as they are pulled underwater with the kelpie. Commonly known as spirits of the dead, they are malevolent creatures.
An exception is an Irish tale in which, toward the end of the mystical period of Ireland, a water horse fails to travel to Tír na nÓg (Heaven) with its fellow mystic folk and instead rises above water, seeking a wife. However, after attempting to court a clever girl, who consults the wiseman about the situation, he is captured and forced to work to be taught compassion. After learning his lesson, he is given the choice of departing to Tír na nÓg or drinking a magic potion that will make him a real man. The water horse, now full of love, decides to drink the potion which erases the memories of his life as a water horse and gives him the chance to live with the clever girl with whom he has fallen in love.
(On xEquines, they are called kelpies because they have adhesive skin and they can travel on land as a horse. In the water, they hold more in common with hippocampi, which have a horse's body and a fish's tail.)
