The nuckelavee is a creature from Scottish folklore connected to the ocean, which is rather unexpected given its notable appearance. According to lore, the nuckelavee lives in the rough waves surrounding the Orkney Islands of Scotland and terrorizes local residents. It's name is a rough translation of the Orcadian word knoggelvi, meaning "Sea Devil". Originating in the 19th century, the nuckelavee is a horrifying beast to encounter on land.
Appearance
The nuckelavee is unique in its features, representing a half-man half-horse. However, rather than sharing similarities with the more popular centaur beings from Greek mythology, the nuckelavee’s human part sprouts from the midsection of the horse’s back, almost like that of a rider with no legs. The nuckelavee is said to have no skin—instead, muscles and tendons stretch across the demon in full view. The nuckelavee has one single eye, which burns like fire. It has a head ten times bigger than that of a man, with a pig snout as opposed to a normal nose. In addition, the nuckelavee’s arms are long and thin, enough so that the knuckles of the creature drag across the ground.
Lore
The first recorded story of the nuckelavee traces back to Walter Traill Dennison, a folklorist from Sanday, Scotland. Written in 1891 in his Scottish Antiquary, Dennison describes the demon in full grotesque detail and explains some of its deeds. “The nuckelavee was a monster of unmixed malignity, never willingly resting from doing evil to mankind”.
The nuckelavee is a being of both land and sea. It is capable of sporting fins in the ocean, allowing it to swim quickly and fight the rough current. Oftentimes, the nuckelavee was particularly harsh on farmers. Residents of Orkney report that the nuckelavee has breath so poisonous that it could cause crops and livestock to die. Additionally, the nuckelavee could bring drought and disease.
One thing that the nuckelavee despises more than humanity in general is the burning of seaweed in order to produce kelp for ingredients. The smell of the smoke sets the nuckelavee into a fit of rage, causing it to want to attack the local horse population with disease. Very little is needed to set off the nuckelavee, as it is said to desperately want to bring pain and suffering to humans.
Weaknesses
The nuckelavee is a being of salt water, which means that it does not dare step in freshwater. Farmers have claimed to get out of harm's way of the creature by locating the nearest loch or river. While it may be a safe option, there are other creatures that lurk in the fresh waters of Scotland. Nonetheless, it is a viable option to escape the nuckelavee.
Also due to their lack of being in contact with fresh water, the nuckelavee is afraid of rain, enough so that it tends to steer clear of the land while it is raining. This is very beneficial to the Orkney farmers, as Orkney tends to get a fair amount of rain each season.
Lastly, the nuckelavee is contained in the depths of the sea with the help of the Mither of the Sea, a being that possesses great power capable of keeping it at bay. During the summer months, the Sea Mither rises to the land. However, her powers weaken in the winter time, thus allowing the nuckelavee to escape and wreak havoc on the residents of Orkney.
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