The Kelpie

A.K.A: Water Kelpie, kaelpie, kelpy.

Basic info

Kelpies are one of my favorite creatures, they are horses that can shapeshift into human form. Some say that they keep their hooves when they shapeshift, and so they are compared to Satan. In later stories it is also said that kelpies have been defeated/repelled by holy symbols, silver bullets, or heated iron spears

Apearance

Kelpies are shapeshifter, they're either a white, or more commonly black, horse with backwards hooves, or a person. Both described as beautifull. In one part of Scotland the folklore says that kelpies have a mane made of snakes, but its more often said to be made of regular hair or seaweed/algea. They can also transform into a larger horse to carry more victims, or a human that looks different than the last one they transformed into. Foals of two kelpies will become regular kelpies, however if its a kelpie and a regular horse the ofspring will be a horse with short ears.

Personality

Kelpies are not friendly. They don't seem as inteligent as humans, but they know how to lure in a prey. Kelpies eat humans, some stories even say they let the corpse rot underwater before eating it. To lure their victims in they either appear as a dark and beautifull horse, or a beautifull person. When someone climbs on the back of the horse, it would run into nearest source of water (which is usually right besides them) and drag them under. It's much the same in human forme, except they only have to get near.

Time & Place

Kelpies live in lochs, which are bodies of water, like Loch Ness and the kelpie living in it. A loch is a word for a body of water similar to a lake. It's mostly used in Scotland and Ireland. In 2013 there were two statues of kelpies made, they resemble horse heads rising from the ground (and I'm pretty sure they're the most recent piece of media containing kelpies as of now). Stories of kelpies were first written down around 1759, but there's rumor that an artpiece from the 6th century contains a kelpie, or atleast something similar.