Rare Scottish Stories #5 The True Origin Of The Loch Ness Monster
This is the real origin story of the Loch Ness monster, dating back over 1500 years ago and is a rare story to hear indeed. This story starts with a Kelpie but in order to begin the story properly, you must disregard anything you have heard about what a Kelpie truly is. Regurgitated folklore from those claiming to be in the know have shown the Kelpie in a positive light. You must exercise the utmost caution with this. A Kelpie is an agent of Satan or Auld Nick as he was called back in days of old here in Scotland and the Kelpie was put on Earth for one reason only - to do the Devils work. At no stage in its being has the Kelpie ever been, or will ever be, a cute water horse.
You see, the Kelpie and the Devil had an arrangement - the Kelpie would lure its victims to a watery grave before they had a chance to say their final prayers, devour them as they were drowning and the Devil would then claim their soul. You see, Kelpies have a taste for human flesh and this has been so since the dawn of time. While in the water, the Kelpie would take on the form of a sea serpent and on land, it could adjust its form to what the person finding it would find the most alluring. Back 1500 years ago, most people seen the Kelpie as a beautiful black horse with attractive riding tack.
How the original and true Loch Ness monster may have looked back 1,500 years ago in the form of a Kelpie.
The Kelpie is bound by one rule: it cannot lead a human to his death unless the human touches him first or provokes with violence. In the form of a black horse, the Kelpie would wait near the side of a loch on public paths, grazing on the grass, appearing as innocent as a lamb. An unsuspecting victim would then approach, assuming that this stunning horse was lost and theirs for the taking. Bear in mind that livestock was most people's livelihood back in old days. The victim would then approach with caution, taking care not to spook the horse - using the Scottish term of endearment during the dark ages for wooing horses of "proogy proogy".
The Kelpie would kindly allow its victim to mount but as soon as this was so, the Kelpie would let out a blood curdling scream and dive head first into the loch, devouring its victim alive. While in the water, the Kelpie could take on the form of a water serpent or similar to the shape we believe Nessie is today. The reason for Nessie's perpetual serpent like form in modern times is explained at the end of this story. As a reminder - this is the earliest ever account of Nessie and this story has been glossed over and purposefully kept in the shadows - perhaps to encourage tourism to Loch Ness.
One such Kelpie was said to live by Loch Ness and lured many victims to their watery grave. Being a local resident of Loch Ness and having heard about the murders the Kelpie was committing, Mr James MacGrigor set out to find this beast and slay it once and for all. MacGrigor was a man known for his strength and courage and while passing between Strathspey and Inverness, he found the Kelpie he had developed a great loathing for. The Kelpie, in tune with the supernatural and having the gift of Second Sight, knew of Mr MacGrigor and payed him no heed, knowing that MacGrigor would mount him in due course.
Instead MacGrigor withdrew his claymore (which is a large Scottish sword), lifted it in the air and brought the blade down on the centre of the Kelpie's nose, slicing its jaw in half, severing the bridle and bit. Half of the bit remained inthe Kelpie's now misshapen mouth and the other half dropped onto the grass, where MacGrigor quickly picked it up and put it in his pocket.
The bridle and bit of a horse with the bit going inside the mouth and the bridle being on either side of the bit.
The Kelpie's feelings were quite hurt by MacGrigors seemingly random act of violence and he insisted that MacGrigor return the other half of the bit to him immediately or he would pay with his life. The conversation between the two is said to have gone as follows:
“What is your business with me MacGrigor? I have often heard of you as a man of great honour and humanity. Why, therefore, thus abuse a poor defenceless animal like me? Let me be a horse or let me be a Kelpie, so long as I do you no harm. In my humble opinion, Mr MacGrigor, you acted both cruelly and illegally and certainly your conduct would justify me, if I should return you twofold your assault upon me. However, I abominate quarrels of this sort and if you peacefully return me the bit of my bridle, we shall say no more on the subject!”
The Kelpie finished his speech, clearly weakened and pleading for an act of kindness. The Kelpie urged for the return of the other half of the bit and eventually MacGrigor agreed upon a deal.
"Well, Mr Kelpie, all your logic cannot change my opinion of the criminality of your profession (because the Kelpie had murdered dozens if not hundreds of people by this point), though I confess, it has somewhat disarmed me of my personal hostility to you as a member of it. I am therefore, disposed to deliver up to you the bit of your bridle, but it is on the express condition that you will favour me with an account of its uses and qualities, for I am naturally very curious, do you know?”
Here MacGrigor is saying that he knows the Kelpie has murdered a lot of people and has dealings with the Devil but he acknowledges that the half bit of the bridle does belong to the Kelpie so as long as it tells him what kind of powers it poses, MacGrigor will happily give it back.
The Kelpie responded to MacGrigors request with the following:
“My dear Sir, you must know that such agents as I are invested by our Royal Master with a particular commission consisting of some document delivered to us by his own hand. The commission delivered to a Kelpie consists of a bridle invested with all those powers of transformation, information and observation necessary for our calling and whenever we lose this commission, whether voluntarily or by accident, our power is at an end and certain annihilation within four and twenty four hours is the consequence. Had it not been that my bridle was broken by your matchless blow, I must be so candid as to declare I might have broken every bone in your body. But now you are stronger than myself and you can be half a Kelpie at your pleasure, only please to look through the holes of the bit and of the bridle and you will see myriads of invisible agents, fairies, witches and Devils, all flying around you, the same if you had been gifted with the Second Sight,” the Kelpie finished.
The gift of Second Sight is known amongst the Highlands of Scotland as a gift for seeing the other realm where fairies and the supernatural exist and also predicting the future. MacGrigor responded coldly:
“My dear Sir, I am much obliged to you for your information but I am sorry to inform you that your revelation has so endeared the bit of your bridle to myself that I have resolved to keep it for your sake. I could not persuade myself to part with it for any consideration whatsoever."
MacGrigor then turned on his heels and began to run back to his croft. Enraged by the deceit, the Kelpie galloped after him, screeching that the he and the bit would never be able to cross the threshold of his home together. These words formed a supernatural bond and MacGrigor knew he would not be able to pass the threshold of his home with the half bit on his person. To prove this, the Kelpie situated himself infront of MacGrigors front door, blocking his entry and laughed at him. Due to the rowan cross that was already placed over MacGrigors front door, the Kelpie or any supernatural entity could not enter his home anyway. Hanging rowan over doorways was common place in days of old in Scotland.
Loch Ness
MacGrigor promptly went around to the back of his cottage, and threw the half bit through an open window into his wife's hands who was sewing at the time and ran off, swearing and mocking the Kelpie. The Kelpie was too weak to follow now that his power been lost and within 4 to 24 hours, the Kelpie would be surely be dead on the shores of Loch Ness, or be forced to live in the water for eternity in his serpent form, should he make it that far.
If this story is true then any sightings of the Loch Ness monster in recent times must mean that the Kelpie made it back to the water. Or there is something else living in the waters of Loch Ness still undiscovered. Perhaps the Kelpie did survive and resorted back to its sea serpent form, forced to live the rest of its unnatural life in the cold waters of the loch, hiding from humans. After the treatment MacGrigor gave him 1500 years ago, maybe he had his reasons.
What happened to MacGrigors cottage and where is the Kelpie's half bit? Has it been lost to history or is it still there waiting to be discovered?
Copyright by Laura McParland taken from antique sources.
Not to be re-distributed in any form online or in publishing without written consent by the author.