For this fairy facts we will be taking a look at the water horse, an Otherworldly horse with a taste for human flesh, among other prey. This being is found across a range of folklore but here we will focus on Irish and Scottish specifically. If you are interested in other versions you'll need to research those cultures as well, but I'm trying to keep this relatively short and concise.
Name: Water Horse, Each Uisge, Each Uisce, Aghisky
Description: a white or dark horse, sometimes more like a pony, of exceptional quality and appearance
Found: in various folklore including Irish (each uisce) and Scottish (each uisge), associated with lakes and similar bodies of water
Folklore: The each uisce in stories is usually seen wandering alone and tempts humans to ride on it. If kept away from water it is safe to ride or even hitch to a plow and seems to have a docile temperament, but if it gets the scent of a lake or other body of water it will bolt, taking the human with it. In some stories it is said that the rider cannot dismount once the each uisge is headed towards water and when it gets into a lake, etc., it drowns the helpless human and eats them. In other stories it will also prey on cattle, sheep, and other horses. One Irish account describes an each uisce in a lake crying out and causing a horse to run into the water where it was summarily devoured.
Usually seen alone there are Irish tales of groups of these beings living together in lakes. On land they are also known to interact with or join mortal horses safely.
Usually seen alone there are Irish tales of groups of these beings living together in lakes. On land they are also known to interact with or join mortal horses safely.
Like many fairy-type beings the each uisce is effected by iron; shoeing one with iron horseshoes will bind it from harming you and it can be killed with iron. In other stories they may be tamed with a bridle that has silver on it, if the bridle can be fastened onto their heads. Otherwise they have few weaknesses.
Where It Gets Muddy: There is some overlap and confusion between each uisge and kelpies. In some Scottish folklore the two terms are used interchangeably or kelpie is used to translated each uisge, but there are also differences in their folklore. It is unclear whether they should be understood as different types of beings or as the same thing under different terms. Kelpies, unlike each uisge, are known to shapechange into a human form, in which they will seduce humans. Usually the human will realize the true nature of their lover when they notice water plants in the kelpies hair or see that their hair never completely dries. In some stories they are known to wed a human although it usually ends badly.
What They Aren't: Despite some artwork that depicts them this way there are no stories of Each Uisge as half horse half fish beings or as sea monsters. Similarly they are not monstrous in appearance, skeletal, or decaying. Like the cait sidhe they are better understood as a fairy in the form of a horse than as a horse, as they are intelligent and may be able to shape shift into a human form.
