Hebridean mythology and folklore

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Water Spirits

Kelpies

"Boy on white horse" by Theodor Kittelsen. make dollhouse furniture

Kelpies were said to occupy several lochs, including one at Leurbost. decorative wooden letters

Blue Men popsicle stick craft

The Blue Men of the Minch (also known as storm kelpies), who occupy the stretch of water between Lewis and mainland Scotland, looking for sailors to drown and stricken boats to sink.

Seonaidh (Shonny)

Seonaidh - a water-spirit who had to be offered ale.

Merpeople

A Mermaid by John William Waterhouse.

It has been claimed that there is a mermaid's grave in Benbecula, but the exact location is unknown. The mermaid was killed in the early nineteenth century after having been seen for a couple of days, before a teenage boy threw a rock at it, killing the entity. Accounts stated that the upper part of the creature was the size of an infant, while the bottom was like a salmon.

Water Monsters

Loch Monsters

Searrach Uisge - a monster who was said to occupy Loch Suainbhal. Resembling a capsized boat, this creature has been reported swimming around for one and a half centuries. Locals say lambs were once offered annually to the creature. Other such creatures have been reported in several other lochs, including Loch Urubhal.

At Loch Duvat in Eriskay, while out looking for a horse that escaped his farm in the mist, a farmer saw what he thought was his missing beast in the loch. As he approached, he realised he was looking at a strange creature which gave an unearthly yell, sending the farmer running home.

Sea Monsters

Various sea monsters have been reported off the shores of Lewis over the years, including a sighting reported in 1882 by a German ship off the Butt of Lewis. The ship, 15 kilometres off the coast, reported a sea serpent around 40 metres in length, several bumps protruding from the water, along its back. Sea serpents have also been reported at the southern side of the island.

Werewolves

A German woodcut from 1722

A family of werewolves were said to occupy an island on Loch Langavat. Although long deceased, they promised to rise if their graves were disturbed.

Will-o'-the-wisp

Wills-o'-the-wisp have been reported in the area of Sandwick. The lights that float around the area normally announce approaching death for a local. Some say the light belongs to an Irish merchant who was robbed and murdered on the island.

Fairies

At Luskentyre in Harris, a hound has been known to leave oversized paw prints on the damp sand which vanish suddenly half way across the beach. It is alleged that this is a fairy hound.. Then in South Uist, a woman walking with two friends in the pitch dark watched as a self-illuminating dog, the size of a collie but with a small head and no eyes, ran towards her. The creature vanished as it bounded past. On reaching home, she described what had happened to her aunt, the older woman told her it was a Cu Sth, a fairy dog. One of the heirlooms of the chiefs of Clan Macleod is the Fairy Flag. Numerous traditions state that the flag originated as a gift from the fairies.

See also

Scottish mythology

Celtic mythology

History of the Outer Hebrides

Hebrides

Rocabarraigh

References

^ a b c d e f Paranormal Database, Outer Hebrides Pages

Categories: Scottish folklore | Scottish mythology | Lewis | Celtic mythologyHidden categories: Articles to be expanded from June 2007 | All articles to be expanded