Scottish Folk Tales & Legends- Eilidh & The Kelpie

This is an original story written by Rachael Corral and based on the Scottish folk tale of The Water Horse of Barra. Many of the stories involving these water horses known as Kelpies are quite dark tales- as the Kelpies try to lure people into the sea and their eventual demise. In this more gentle version, the Kelpie is enchanted by a girl called Eilidh and decides to grant her freedom.

This story is accompanied by Celtic music from Chris Collins.

Transcript

Hello,

My name is Rachel and my country is Scotland.

A country rich in legends and folklore.

Long ago Scots folk told stories to entertain one another around the hearth and bring families and communities together.

Scotland has a rugged and mysterious landscape which acts as a wonderful backdrop to tales involving magical creatures such as dragons,

Fairies,

Water horses known as kelpies and selkie seal women.

In my stories I will draw in elements of these traditional yarns told for hundreds of years but also add my own twist.

So please get comfy and coorie in,

Close your eyes and come with me to Scotland.

Now this is my own version of the tale of the water horse of Barra.

Barra is a wee island off the coast of Scotland where it is said there lives a shape-shifting water horse known as a kelpie.

The Scots people of Barra were very scared of the kelpies.

As it was said that they roamed around the water's edge where they would try and trap unwary folk and drag them to their watery demise.

On the island lived a beautiful girl 14 years old called Ailey.

A name meaning from the island,

Ailey had fiery red hair which stood out against her pale white skin,

Dappled with freckles across the bridge of her nose.

She had rare and captivating green eyes reminiscent of lush green forests.

Everyone was captivated when Ailey would play the fiddle and sing.

She would do so during island festivities such as the Hebridean Celtic Festival and during the Highland Games where people would toss a great big wooden log known as the caber.

When Ailey would play her fingers would move deftly across the strings creating a melody that filled the air with heartfelt music.

As she played for the islanders her body would sway to the music.

Her intense green eyes would close in concentration.

She was fully immersed in the music she was making and whilst playing her fiddle she would also sing.

Her voice blending with the fiddle's tune was soulful and expressive and carried the emotions of the song's lyrics to anyone who was listening.

The combination of her fiddle playing and singing was enchanting.

But unfortunately for Ailey it wasn't just the humans of Barra that were drawn to her music.

It also captivated mythical creatures such as the Kelpie.

He would shift from a silky black horse bigger than any stallion you've ever seen to a young man with slick black hair and stormy grey blue eyes like the wild sea and he would slip into the halls and taverns where Ailey would play and over time he decided he wanted to take her for his wife.

One fine summer's day in early July Ailey had her fiddle in her hand and was on the way to play a set at the Barra Games.

She sat down on the grass beside the beach,

The wildflowers blown in the wind and she was enjoying the salty breeze from the Atlantic swell.

She had her fiddle case at her feet and she was carefully rubbing wax onto the horse hairs of her bow.

Ailey was so intent on this slow motion of adding the wax that she didn't notice a fine black horse had emerged from the sea and without a sound had moved across the beach towards her.

It wasn't until it reached all but a couple of metres away that she looked up and saw those stormy grey eyes fixed on her,

Its black coat still wet with water reflected the light in such a way that she knew instantly it was a shapeshifter.

She had been warned of the kelpie since she was a tiny bairn and she shuddered with horror that it was now standing there in front of her.

Ailey thought of running but she knew she would not have a chance against this mythical beast.

She took a breath and raised her chin higher to show that she would not be cowed and she said aloud I know you are not an ordinary horse,

I won't let you take me into the water.

The horse let out an eerie whinny,

A sound that made her think that it was laughing at her in the most unpleasant way and then she heard its words in her mind.

Almost like it had blocked her conscious stream of thought and replaced it with an internal voice of its own.

I am indeed the kelpie it replied.

I have the strength of a thousand men.

I have watched you play and sing.

I admire your red hair but we do not have flames where I live in the deep water.

I am here to take you down there to be my wife.

Ailey wanted to scream.

She could not live at the bottom of the sea with this creature.

What was she to do?

Ailey decided that only her wits could save her now and she must somehow charm the kelpie into changing its mind.

Oh strong and magical kelpie,

I'm very flattered that you would like to take a humble human such as me for a bride.

However if I live down there with you I'm afraid that I will no longer have a voice to sing or be able to play a soaking wet fiddle and bow.

As you like my music so much why don't I play for you?

If you let me play one last time then I will go with you into the sea.

Then before her eyes the horse seemed to melt into a black oily liquid and then materialize into its human form.

It was an awkwardness in the way he stood and looked at her.

The hook was through the same gray blue eyes of the horse.

He didn't look quite the same.

She patted the grass beside her and said sit down here and then I'll play.

The shape shifting man did as she had asked and then she lifted her bow and the fiddle to her chin and she began to play.

She played the most sorrowful folk music she knew.

Feeling her own deep emotions and sense of melancholy the haunting melodies perfectly captured the sadness,

The longing and the introspection that she felt at losing her family and friends to this watery fate.

The mournful tones transported the kelpie man to a place of empathy he didn't know he had and he was able to connect with the emotion of the music whilst on and on Ailey played.

Until salty tears welled up in his eyes.

Ailey noticed this and she almost wanted to stop and she thought about extending her hand to touch him.

But she had been warned that anyone who tried to touch a kelpie becomes bonded to it and cannot get free.

So on and on she played with each note.

The music seemed to carry with it a weight of emotion that wound a tapestry between her human emotion and the bargaining emotion from the kelpie.

Eventually the grief-stricken kelpie man stood and stared at her sorrowfully and in a second he then transformed back into his sleek and powerful horse form.

Ailey's heart began to quicken.

Had he had enough of her music now?

Did he still intend to take her down to the sea?

But the kelpie just nodded his beautiful equine head in acknowledgement.

Before slowly turning away and charging back toward the Atlantic sea.

As soon as its hooves hit the water it seemed to disappear becoming one with the waves.

Ailey sat there all day watching the waves breaking forcefully against the shoreline.

She too had tears in her eyes like the kelpie man had.

Eventually her mother found her sitting there and she had been full of worry about why Ailey hadn't shown up at the games.

But for some reason Ailey couldn't find the words to speak of her encounter with the water horse.

She felt an indescribable sadness for him.

An understanding of his solitary life down in the deep dark water.

And she decided to turn their experience into a song.

And when she played it she often caught a glimpse of that tall dark haired man at the back of the crowd.

Watching her intently with tears forming again in those grey blue eyes.

And she would look back at him and tilt her head.

Acknowledging her gratitude for him deciding not to take her that day.

Now I hope you've enjoyed this story and can imagine sitting in the long swaying grass on the island of Barra looking out to sea and listening to the sounds of the rhythmic crashing waves.

Goodbye and sweet dreams from Scotland.

Reviews

Lovely story, beautifully told.

Beautiful story, and very peaceful narration - thank you 😊

Thank you Rachael. What a wonderful story! Your voice is so lovely. 🙏💖🕊

Touching and powerful. Well written and impeccably narrated. Thank you!

Beautiful story and a charming voice. The soft music running in the background added a touch of magic. Just perfect. Thank you 🙏

Oh Rachael thank you so much for this lovely story. I so enjoyed it. I eagerly look forward to hearing some more 🙏