The Each-uisge (meaning water horse in Scottish Gaelic) is an evil and vicious water spirit from Scottish folklore with it being very similar to the kelpie myth, another type of water spirit from Scottish folklore but a lot less aggressive than the Each-uisge, another difference is that the kelpie is always either a horse-looking creature or comes in human form, while the Each-uisge is a much more varied shapeshifter that although can take the form of a horse, it may also disguise itself as many other types of animals such as a pony or huge bird and also can take human form, normally that of a handsome man. Another difference is that the kelpie prefers streams and lakes while the Each-uisge likes to inhabit the sea and both salt and fresh water lochs.
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The myth of the Each-uisge also often made inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands superstitious and wary of lone animals or humans hanging around near a water source, just in case they happened to be the terrifying Each-uisge. A way in some of the stories to tell if a human is an Each-uisge is if they have weeds and/or sand in their hair. The way the Each-uisge takes its victims is by attracting them to it by disguising itself as a friendly animal or nice, handsome looking man, normally though it would be in horse form, and if the victim mounts or touches the horse, then they would become stuck to its skin like adhesive, unable to escape and the Each-uisge will go into a source of water, drown, tear apart and devour the victim.
Some stories depicted victims managing to get away, either by sheer force of removing themselves from the adhesive by holding on to a nearby solid object or in another story, where a child is said to have cut off their finger to escape from the Each-uisge adhesive. Other stories also claimed that Each-uisge would hunt livestock rather than just humans. Some stories say that the Each-uisge can be tamed by man just as long as it is kept away from any source of water, as if it were to sense or see any lochs or the sea nearby it would instantly turn on its owner, leading to drowning and devouring. In some cases, it is said that an Each-uisge will turn on another if the scent of human on its back is particularly strong.
The well-known silver bullet trope is also part of the Each-uisge myth in some stories, depicting someone defending themselves from one by shooting it with a silver bullet, the only munition that seemed to bother it, with normal munitions being ineffective against it. Other stories also tell of humans getting revenge against the Each-uisge, baiting it out and killing them, as revenge for the Each-uisge taking and killing a family member or friend. It is said that the smell of meat being cooked can attract them out and so can be used as bait.
There also other stories that tell of the Each-uisge lusting after woman, attempting to get affection from them or to court them, within their handsome male form. Ways to tell can include looking for unusual body parts, such as hooves, or again their hair containing weeds and/or sand. Stories often include a woman’s family members defending her from an Each-uisge which had come to have her.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Next up will be F where we will look at the Fetch, a type of spirit from Irish folklore.
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