The Nuckelavee
Orkney's most feared sea demon was a skinless horse and rider joined as one, and it couldn't cross fresh water.
What was reported
In the folklore of Orkney, the Nuckelavee was a demon from the sea, the worst of them all. It was said to look like a horse with a man's body growing from its back, with no skin, a huge head and a single fiery eye.
Its breath was said to wither crops and sicken livestock, and islanders blamed it for droughts and epidemics. The only escape was to cross running fresh water, which it couldn't bear.
Explanations offered
The fullest account comes from the folklorist Walter Traill Dennison, who collected Orkney tales in the 1800s. Historians see the Nuckelavee as a way of explaining disasters such as crop failures and outbreaks of disease, which were a real threat to island communities.
- When
- Told in Orkney folklore
- Where
- Orkney, Scotland
- Witnesses
- Orkney islanders
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.