A Terrifying Encounter With The Nuckelavee

It was late at night and Tammas was walking home by the light of the moon. When he reached a section of path with the sea on one side and a little freshwater loch on the other, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Something was moving towards him up ahead.

It looked like somebody on horseback but as it got closer, Tammas started to realise it was far too big. With water on both sides, the panicking man had nowhere to go but backwards, but the last thing he wanted to do was turn his back to a monster.

He stood his ground as the horrible figure of the Nuckelavee loomed before him. This creature unique to Orkney was a terrifying hybrid of man and horse fused together. The man’s head was enormous, with a protruding mouth like the snout of a pig and its arms so long, it could reach the ground without bending over.

The wide horse’s mouth sneered at him, belching out steam while a single, red eye stared right through him. The Nuckelavee was completely skinless and Tammas watched the red-raw flesh writhe and black blood pump through its veins. Understandably, he was shaking like a leaf.

All he knew was that the Nuckelavee couldn’t stand fresh water, so he forced his legs towards the loch. As those huge arms swung down to grab its victim, Tammas instinctively stepped back, splashing water on one of the monster’s legs.

It screamed in agony, barely missing Tammas with its outstretched claws. He saw his chance and sprinted along the edge of the loch. There was a little river ahead and if he could make it that far, the Nuckelavee wouldn’t dare follow.

The galloping creature was hot on his heels and Tammas sensed the swinging arms coming for him, so dived straight into the water. Wading to the other side, he looked back to see the furious Nuckelavee screeching, with his bonnet hanging from its hand. Tammas was lucky to be able to tell his tale.