Crossword clues for kelpie
kelpie
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Kelpie \Kel"pie\, Kelpy \Kel"py\, n.; pl. Kelpies. [Cf. Gael.
cailpeach, calpach, colpach, a heifer, steer, colt, colpa a
cow or horse.] (Scotch Myth.)
An imaginary spirit of the waters, horselike in form,
vulgarly believed to warn, by preternatural noises and
lights, those who are to be drowned.
--Jamieson.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1747, Scottish, of unknown origin, perhaps related to Gaelic colpach "heifer, steer, colt;" colpa "cow, horse." The Lowland name of a demon in the shape of a horse that was reputed to haunt lakes and rivers and to delight in causing drownings. But unlike its equivalents in Danish (nøkken) and Icelandic (nykur), it occasionally was benevolent, especially to millers by keeping their streams running.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context Celtic folklore English) A malevolent shapeshifter spirit, most often in the form of a horse, believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland. 2 An Australian breed of sheepdog.
WordNet
n. (Scottish folklore) water spirit in the form of a horse that likes to drown its riders [syn: kelpy]
an Australian sheepdog with pointed ears
Wikipedia
Kelpie, or water kelpie, is the Scots name given to a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs and pools of Scotland. It has usually been described as appearing as a horse, but is able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelpie retains its hooves when appearing as a human, leading to its association with the Christian idea of Satan as alluded to by Robert Burns in his 1786 poem " Address to the Deil".
Almost every sizeable body of water in Scotland has an associated kelpie story, but the most extensively reported is that of Loch Ness. Parallels to the general Germanic neck and the Scandinavian bäckahäst have been observed. More widely, the wihwin of Central America and the Australian bunyip have been seen as counterparts. The origin of the belief in malevolent water horses has been proposed as originating in human sacrifices once made to appease gods associated with water, but narratives about the kelpie also served a practical purpose in keeping children away from dangerous stretches of water, and warning young women to be wary of handsome strangers.
Kelpies have been portrayed in their various forms in art and literature, most recently in two high steel sculptures in Falkirk, The Kelpies, completed in October 2013.
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the kelpie is a type of plant creature.
Usage examples of "kelpie".
I do your errand, for you are like two kelpies from the river, and will have ague in your bones in another hour.
She had, I suppose, the largest collection in the country of tales and songs, concerning devils, ghosts, fairies, brownies, witches, warlocks, spunkies, kelpies, elf-candles, dead-lights, wraiths, apparitions, cantraips, giants, enchanted towers, dragons, and other trumpery.
When I desired any detail of savage custom, or of superstitious belief, I cast back in the story of my fathers, and fished for what I wanted with some trait of equal barbarism: Michael Scott, Lord Derwentwater's head, the second-sight, the Water Kelpie, - each of these I have found to be a killing bait.