kelpy
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9.9
- noun
- /ˈkɛlpi/
- Literature
- In Scottish folklore, a kelpy is said to lure unsuspecting riders into the water, where they meet their doom.
Examples
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The old tale describes how the kelpy disguises itself as a beautiful horse to attract people to the loch.
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I just came to see kelpy g.
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Fat chance I'd miss a kelpy g performance.
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It's a fun-filled family event, with opening act kelpy g.
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Ladies and gentlemen, with a moment of smooth jazz in memory of the soon-to-be-goners, I give you kelpy g.
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The sea beguiles him—its smell, its slow surge and seethe against the kelpy rocks.
Fiction book (1992) -
Many villagers warn their children about the kelpy, a water spirit known for drowning those who trust it.
Synonyms
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A magical being in stories that lives in rivers, lakes, or the sea
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A water spirit in German and Scandinavian stories that lives in rivers or lakes
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A Scottish water spirit that looks like a horse and tricks people into deep water to drown them
Surface Forms
Etymology
Kelpy comes from Scottish folktales about a dangerous water horse and may be linked to the word kelp meaning 'seaweed' or to the Gaelic word capall meaning 'horse'. So a kelpy is imagined as a 'water horse' that lures people onto its back and drowns them.