The etymology of the Scots word kelpie is uncertain, but it may be derived from the Gaelic calpa or cailpeach, meaning "heifer" or "colt". The first recorded use of the term to describe a mythological creature, then spelled kaelpie, … See more

Description and common attributes
The kelpie is the most common water spirit in Scottish folklore, and the name is attributed to several different forms in narratives recorded … See more

According to Derek Gath Whitley (1911), the association with horses may have its roots in horse sacrifices performed in ancient Scandinavia. Stories of malevolent water spirits served … See more

• List of fictional horses
• Water horse
• Nuckelavee
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Almost every sizeable Scottish body of water has a kelpie story associated with it, but the most widely reported is the kelpie of Loch Ness. Several stories of mythical spirits and monsters are attached to the loch's vicinity, dating back to 6th-century reports of Saint See more

Pictish stones dating from the 6th to 9th centuries featuring what has been dubbed the Pictish Beast may be the earliest representations of a kelpie or kelpie-like creature. See more