Most-Wanted Monsters is thrilled to be one of more than 1500 blogs taking part in the 2012 A -Z Blogging Challenge - 26 opportunities to help you survive a paranormal apocalypse. Don't let our epic monster limericks fool you - the lore we share about the beasties featured in each daily post could literally save your life. Know them before they GET you!
Kelpie
Mystic water horse from ancient loreRises to the surface, spots prey from the shoreTraps them in seaweedDrags'em under for a feedAnd they're seen again nevermore
Sure they look friendly, but Kelpies aren't exactly the type of creature you want to actually become friends with.
Kelpies are shape shifters, most commonly taking the form of a pure white or black horse, luring unsuspecting prey with the promise of a ride on its back.
Oh, you'll go for a ride, alright - but it won't be into the sunset.
The creature's skin is adhesive, so once you've hopped on, there's no way to get off. You'll head straight to the water where the beastie first drowns you, and then eats you - well, everything except your heart and liver. Not a pretty way to go.
Kelpies prefer young, fresh meat, so keep a special eye on your kids if you're traveling near lochs and lakes in northern European countries.
SURVIVAL TIP: There's something to be said for being wary of strangers - and that means strange animals as well. Shape shifters can take many forms - keep your wits about you, and pay attention to anything that seems...shifty.
Kelpies are a pretty freaky "K" - but if you've got a scarier beast in mind, let us know. Tell us in the comments below and you could win an e-copy of SPIRITED, an anthology of 13 haunting stories.
But they're so cool looking! They can't really be murderous...can they? Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of a Kelpie before. I'm not a fan of liver myself, but why does the Kelpie avoid eating the heart & liver?
ReplyDeleteOOO!!
ReplyDeleteSecond Kelpie today. Very cool.
I am trying to read all the A to Z blogs, but coming back to the ones I really like.
Looking forward to seeing what you do all month!
Tim
The Other Side
The Freedom of Nonbelief
That looks more like a hippocampus to me, which is a 'water horse' from Greek mythology, which is usually pictured with the fish-like hindquarters. Kelpies are usually pictured as 'normal' horses, but a little more ....dead-looking. They need legs to lure you onto their backs, after all.
ReplyDeleteHippocampus are another name for Kelpies, along with Phookas and Capall Uisce. :)
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