Mystic Britain: Nuckelavee — Devil of the Sea
“Nuckelavee Was a Monster of Unmixed Malignity, Never Willingly Resting From Doing Evil to Mankind.”
Once described as the nastiest demon in Scottish folklore, the Nuckelavee is a horse demon shrouded in the mists of Orkney legend. Blamed for everything from blighted livestock to drought and epidemics, the creature is said to rise from the unforgiving seas around the island to bring havoc to all those who would cross its path. Such was the fearsome reputation of the beast that those in Orkney once refused to say its name, recanting a prayer every time it was spoken.
With its origins in Celtic and Norse myth, some of the earliest accounts of the Nuckelavee are attributed to the mysterious Jo Ben, writing the Descriptions of Orkney in the 16th century. The manuscript gives a sequential recording of the Orkney Islands, including details on their traditions and history. Nobody quite knows who Ben was, yet his description of the islands would linger. On Stronsay, for example, he wrote that the locals maintained some of their pagan ways, saying that only “some here worship God purely, others not.” Ben meanwhile…
