(Original headline: A Scot's tale of Spook! )
Many supernatural creatures dot the Scottish highlands. Some are downright scary while others are absolutely evil. Though we have not heard about many of them but few we have encountered in books. There are said to be similarities between Scottish and Irish supernatural creatures, it could be because they have the same Celtic root.
The Red Caps are one of the most dangerous supernatural creatures who haunt the castles and watchtowers of the border regions. Trust me they make you want to run for cover. Red Caps are murderous and kill by rolling boulders or tearing at people with their sharp claws. They then proceed to drink the blood of their victims and dip their hats in the blood which is responsible for their name Red Caps. Ghastly isn’t it?!. In appearance Red Caps are short and wiry, have ragged pointed teeth and sharp claws like steel. They are generally bearded with wrinkled faces, wearing a red bonnet on their heads.
Dunters are also said to haunt castles. They make the constant sound of beating flax. It has been said that these spirits are the memories of foundation sacrifices -a custom that was practiced within written history. Powries are absolutely indistinguishable from the Red Caps.
Another set of popular Scottish creatures are the Silkies, which are shape-shifting sea-fairies usually in the form of bright eyed seals. They are said to come on land in human form where they would dance, especially on full moon nights.
One of the most fearsome and gruesomely described supernatural creature is The Nuckelavee. Do I see you all breaking out into a sweat?? The Nuckelavee inhabited parts of Northern Scotland. It’s home was in the sea, but it frequently ventured on land to feast upon humans. It rode a horse on land, and sometimes it’s horse was indistinguishable from it’s own body and sometimes the horse was seen as a part of the creature’s own body.
The Nuckelavee’s head was ten times larger than that of a man’s. It had a mouth thrust out like a pig’s with a wide gaping maw. This gruesome creature had no skin and it’s yellow veins, muscle structure and sinews could clearly be seen covered in a red slimy film. It’s breath was venomous and it’s strength enormous. It’s one weakness was an aversion to fresh water. The horse the Nuckelavee rode had one red eye, a mouth matching the size of a whale’s and flappers like fins around it’s forelegs.
The Bean Nighe. She was a type of the ominious ‘Washer woman of the Ford’ in the highland region. Appearing in the Irish stories, she is sometimes identified as the crone aspect of the triple Goddess. The Bean Nighe as a legend says can be seen at the side of desolate streams and pools washing the blood stained clothing of those who are about to meet their maker. Dressed in green, she was a small statured woman with webbed feet. Though she was seen as an evil portent in the Scottish tradition, she was not always a portent of one’s own death as in the Irish version. If she was approached in the correct way she would grant wishes. All one had to do was get between her and the water. Then one would be given the opportunity to ask three wishes and three questions. But there was a catch, the three questions would have to be given truthfully in return in the form of traditional exchange between humans and supernatural creatures.
Another gruesome Scottish creature was the Cu Sith which literally meant fairy dog. The dog was green with long shaggy hair. It was roughly the size of a large calf. A very dangerous creature to encounter it was capable of hunting in silence. It would let out three barks which could be heard from miles around. It was usually black or white with red ears.
Cait Sith was the fairy cat who haunted the highland region. As big as a dog, the Cait Sith was completely black apart from one white spot on it’s breast. Just like a real cat the Cait Sith could be dangerous when seen face to face.
Solitary supernatural beings of the Scottish Highlands were The Glaistigs. They had the upper half of a woman and the lower half of a goat. They could appear in human as well as animal form. Their skin was grey and hair golden and long. They wore green coloured clothes which were in the form of long robes which camouflaged their lower goat half. The Glaistig frequented lonely lochs and rivers in the highlands of Scotland. Sometimes The Glaistig was described as half-earth, and half water sprite, although in the Gaelic language her name literally meant a ‘water imp’.
The Boabhan Sith (would make you want to dash away as far as was possible) was a particularly evil and dangerous female vampire from the highlands of Scotland who preyed on unwary travelers in the glens and mountains.
The Cailleach Bheur was a blue hag of the Scottish highlands and she was quite harmless. Associated with winter she was reborn on every All Hallow’s Eve and she brought along winter and winter snows. She carried a magical staff which froze the ground with every tap. She also guarded animals in winter.
Each Uisge was a highland supernatural water horse very dangerous and a threat to the Scottish water dwelling creatures. It inhabited the sea, sea lochs, and fresh water lochs. They were shape shifters who sometimes came in the guise of a fine horse or a pony. To lure unsuspecting people into the water they would stand by the water’s edge in any (pony, horse) forms and wait for somebody to approach. If a man were to mount the horse, it would set off into the deepest part of the lochsea. The poor rider would be unable to free himself because of the adhesive quality of the creature’s skin. There the unfortunate victim would be drowned and devoured completely apart from the liver, which would float ashore, a sure sign that the evil water horse had claimed another victim. Another disguise the Each Uisge used was that of a handsome man. Perhaps that was why people were wary of animals and strangers standing by the water’s edge in those days in places said to be haunted by the Each Uisge who also devoured cattle and sheep. To lure an Each Uisge from the water the smell of roasted meat was sufficient.
Will O’the Wisp were malevolent spirits either of the dead or non human intelligence. They were famed for luring unwary travelers into dangerous situations. They were also the mysterious lights that were said to lead travelers from the well-trodden paths into dangerous and treacherous waters.
Solitary Scottish Elves were called Urisks. They lived in remote pools and rivers. A friendly lot they liked the company of humans. But they had an disadvantage, their strange and curious appearance usually scared those who approached them.
