Kelpie
/ˈkɛl.pi/noun
A kelpie is a shape-shifting water spirit in Scottish folklore, often appearing as a horse and luring people into the water.
Did you know?The kelpie’s name is usually traced to Scottish Gaelic *cailpeach* or related forms, and some scholars connect it to a word for a colt or horse—showing how a simple animal term could harden into a monster legend.
Etymological Timeline
Scottish Gaelic (pre-modern)
Gaelic
cailpeach
“A colt or young horse; possibly the source of the folkloric name”
18th Century
Scots
kelpie
“A water spirit or goblin, especially one haunting rivers and lochs”
19th Century
English
kelpie
“A Scottish water-demon or shape-shifting horse-spirit”
Modern English
English
kelpie
“A mythological water horse or malicious water spirit in Scottish folklore”