DASG Blog

An t-Each-Uisge (Pàirt 1)

We have an abundance of folklore in Cryptozoology and supernatural animanes and one such supernatural creature has caught my attention that is common in Irish folklore: "The Water-Horse".

It's customary for the each-uisge to live in rivers and lochs throughout the country, although there are accounts of it living in the ocean. It is very similar to the "Fairy-horse" but it is said that it is more dangerous.

This creature is called a Kelpie in English, althoug it isn't similar to any other word in Scottish Gaelic. It is much more likely that the word came from tha Brythonic languages, such as Welsh or Brythonic, giving us “ceffyl-pol” (‘river-horse’), “celpow” then, and kelpie in Scottish english. There are other names for the creature as well in Scotland: Njuggle, Nuggle, Neugle, Shoepultie or Shoopiltee in Shetland; Nuckelavee in Orkney. It is very similar to a Glashtyn or Cappyl-ushtey in the Isle of Man as well.

There is a beautiful account in the book "The Gaelic Otherworld", by John Gregorson Campbell, looking at supernatural animals we have in the Gaels' folklore and witchcraft: “Witchcraft introduces us to a class of popular superstitions entirely different from those connected with Fairies. Fairies, water-horses and kindred supernatural beings were distinct from the evil spirits that gave to witches their unhallowed powers. They could not be compelled or conjured by mortals to appear when wanted, or enter into contracts of service. The powers of darkness, on the other hand, were always at the service of their votaries, and, by means of charms and incantations known to the initiated, were made to lend their aid in any scheme of malevolence.” (p.172).

It can change its appearance and adopt a "bachelor's guise", or the form of a white horse, for enticing people to their deaths by drowning them in water. In the form of a horse it will try and entice people to mount him and travel but they will be quickly deceived, only to find that they have no way of getting off the water-horse's back, and they are shortly drowned afterwards. Sometimes in the guise of a bachelor he will try and entice a woman or a young lass in order to deceive them and to drown them shortly after. Although he would be trying to entice them he had to be careful that she wouldn't spot sand or seaweed in his hair or that she wouldn't spot his hooves fool of lìrean, that grows at the bottom of lochs.

There is a notable story about an "each-uisge" of Raasay in “More West Highland Tales, Volume 2,” le J.F. Caimbeul:
“Bha siod ann uair gobha ann an Ratharsaidh. [...] Agus bha a nighean oidhche ag iarraidh nan caorach, agus cha tànaig i dhachaigh. [...] Agus bha loch ann am mullach Rarsair air an robh an t-each-uisge a’ fuireach. Agus thànaig iad a dh’ionnsaigh an loch, agus fhuair iad an cridhe ’s an sgamhan aig an nighinn ann an cladach an loch”. 
["It was that there was a blacksmith in Raasay. [...] An his daughter one night was retrieving the sheep, and she never came home. [...] And there was a loch at the top of Raasay in which the water-horse resided. And they came towards the loch, and they retrieved the heart and the lungs of the girl on the beach of the loch."]
It is said that she was drowned in Loch na Mnà [The Loch of the Woman], close to Dùn Càn, Raasay.

There are stories about people who enticed the water-horse and it made into an ordinary horse. It is said that if you put a collar, cap or bind on it then it wouldn't flee and it would be with you forever.

Here is a list of sound-recordings and their locations where there was a story or news about water-horses in Scotland and Ireland on Tobar an Dualchais:

Innse Ghall

• Pabbay, Barra
• Camusunary, Isle of Skye
• Luid an Lochain, somewhere in the Isle of Skye
• Soay, Isle of Skye
• Torran, Isle of Skye
• Loch na Mnà, Raasay
• Heisker, North Uist and Tarbh na Leòid

 
Tìr-Mòr

• Balmacara, Kintail
• Loch a’ Bhealaich, Kintail
• Eilean Ighe, The Rough Grounds
• The Garry River, Invergarry
• Invermallie, Loch Arkaig
• Assynt, Wester Ross
• Lochan na Goibhre, Achnahaird, Wester Ross
• Gamrie, Banffshire
• Loch Ness, Inverness-shire
• Lochan Taigh Brin, Strathnairn, Inverness-shire
• River Dee at Park, near Nether Sunnyside, Aberdeen-shire (Sgeul 1 agus Sgeul 2)
• River Dee at Drum Castle, Aberdeen-shire
• Fortingall, Perthshire
• Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey

 
Earra-Ghàidheal

• An Loch Fada, Colonsay
• Àird na h-Obha, Islay
• Loch Sguabain, Mull
• Loch Gàrradh nan Capall, Tiree

 
Sealtainn

• Eadar Aith agus Northdale, Fetlar
• Lunna, Lunnasting
• Tangwick, Eshaness
• Tingwall

 
 
Èirinn

• Port Wemyss, Islay, and Derry, Northern Ireland

 
Measgaichte

• Duncan Robertson's account

The influence of the "each-uisge" is unshaken and impressed into the folklore and songs of the Gaels as well. This is clear in the following songs:

“Till a Mhòr is taobh ri d’ mhacan” (Òran an Eich-Uisge)
The kelpie is lamenting his wife with his child leaving him, he implores her to return:
Till rid mhacan, till rid mhacan, till rid mhacan,
A mhor, a mhòr, till rid mhacan,
Gheobh thu ’n bradan bhreac a-nochd.
 
Mo sheanair cha bli iad ri iad bheul beag maoth
Rid bheul beag maoth, rid bheul beag maoth, rid bheal beag maoth
Mo sheanair cha bli iad rid bheul
Rid bheul beag maoth ‘s mi seinn port thu...”
[Version 2; Version 3; Version 4]
 
“A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh gum mhàthair mi” (Còmhradh eadar Nighean Òg agus Each-uisge)
“A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh gum mhàthair mi;
A ghràidh, leig dhachaigh gum mhàthair mi;
A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh gum mhàthair mi -
An tòir chrodh-laoigh a thàinig mi.

Gur ann a-raoir a chuala mi
Mo ghaol a bhith ri buachailleachd,
’S ged fhuair thu ’n iomall na buaile mi,
A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh mar fhuair thu mi.

’S mi dìreadh ris na gàrraidhean,
’S a’ teàrnadh ris na fàirichean,
Gun d’ thachair fleasgach bàigheil rium,
’S cha d’ dh’ fheuch e bonn ga chàirdeis rium...”
[Tionndadh a dhà]
 
Dh’èirich Mi Moch (Òran Tàlaidh an Eich-Uisge), Loch na h-Ighinn, Leòdhas
“Dh’ èirich mi moch,
Dh’ èirich mi moch,
B’fheàrr nach d’ dh’èirich
Mo chreach lèir na chuir a-mach mi.
Hill ò bha hò
Hill ò bha hò.

Bha ceò sa bheinn,
Bha ceò sa bheinn,
Is uisge frasach
’S thachair orms’ a’ ghruagach thlachdmhor.
Hill ò bha hò
Hill ò bha hò.

Bheir mi dhut fìon,
Bheir mi dhut fìon
’S gach nì a b’ait leat,
Ach nach èirinn leat sa mhadainn.
Hill ò bha hò
Hill ò bha hò...”
 
A map was made of the places where a water-horse can be seen with “The Kelpie Map of Scotland” that is incredibly interesting, and more can be found on the website “Terre Celtiche Blog” about songs of the kelpies.

We will continue with more folklore in the next blog. Do you recognise any of the stories above? What folklore do you know about the water-horse? Let us know on facebook, twitter and our website.