The most horrifying fairy from Scottish folklore

Illustration of the Nuckelavee by James Torrance, public domain

As I gear up to finish The Bone Faerie (Children of the Death Gods, #1) so that it's ready for a 2025 release, I've been doubling down on my research of the monsters from European mythologies - specifically, the monsters that are related to fairy folklore.

I'm sure this comes as no surprise if you've read my War on the Gods series, but I love legendary creatures. I plan to include plenty of them in Children of the Death Gods.

During my research, I stumbled upon this awful creature, and I immediately knew that I had to find a way to include it in the books.

The Nuckelavee

According to the folklore of the Orkney islands, the Sea Mither (ancient Orcadian spirit) has control of the weather, sea waters, and sea creatures during the summer. She keeps the dark forces of Teran (another ancient Orcadian spirit) and the Nuckelavee at bay.

But in the autumn, the Sea Mither's strength wanes. Teran fights her once more for control of the seas, and he rises victorious for the winter. At this time, the Sea Mither retreats. She bides her time, gains back her strength, and battles Teran again in the spring. She wins for the summer, and the cycle repeats itself.

Now, I mentioned earlier that the Sea Mither keeps the Nuckelavee at bay during the summer - but what exactly is the Nuckelavee?

What is the Nuckelavee?

The Nuckelavee is a demonic fairy, quite possibly the most terrifying one I've read about thus far.

Why is the Nuckelavee so horrifying, you might ask? Well, for starters, it looks disgusting.

According to an islander who encountered the Nuckelavee, the creature's appearance is that of a man riding a horse - that is, if the "man" had no legs, if his torso were attached to the back of the horse, and if his arms were so long they reached all the way to the ground.

But AP, that sounds kind of similar to a centaur, and centaurs aren't so bad, you might say. To that, I would implore you to hold on, because it gets worse.

The "man" portion of the creature has a massive head that lolls to and fro, and the "horse" portion of the creature has fins attached to its limbs + one glowing red eye + a mouth that breathes out toxic gases.

AP, you're being dramatic. That still doesn't sound like the worst monster from fairy folklore. Again, I implore you to hold on. It gets even grosser.

For one, the Nuckelavee has no skin. Yup, you read that right. It doesn't have skin. For two, it has black blood and yellow veins, all of which you'd be able to see if you were to encounter it because, again, it doesn't have skin.

Basically, this thing is a gargantuan hunk of raw black-and-yellow meat shaped like a dude on a horse.

When is the Nuckelavee out and about?

Okay, so we've established that the Nuckelavee is nasty. I also told you that it's confined by the Sea Mither in the summer. But what about the rest of the year? What's it up to while the Sea Mither and Teran fight during autumn and spring? How about while Teran is in charge during winter?

From what I've read, it appears that the Nuckelavee can start coming to land in the autumn, as the Sea Mither's strength is dwindling. I imagine it probably begins retreating in the spring because the Sea Mither has her strength back, ready to bind it again for the summer. And as for the winter? When Teran is in charge, the monster runs wild, terrorizing anyone who crosses its path, bringing sickness and death wherever it goes.

Can the Nuckelavee be defeated?

If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering how to overcome this malevolent fairy should you ever cross paths with it. Sadly, however, there seems to be no way to overcome it. According to the lore, the only being who can do so is the Sea Mither.

So what are you supposed to do if you meet it?

Well, since the Nuckelavee is a creature of the sea, it can't tolerate fresh water. If you ever find yourself in its presence, find a stream or a lake or some other body of fresh water and hurry across. The Nuckelavee won't be able to follow you. Splashing fresh water on the monster is also said to deter it, and apparently rain does too.

I hope you enjoyed September 2024's favorite folktale!