Kelpie Greek Mythology

Mythology and Folklore have fascinated people and left them in awe for thousands of years. While sharing other similar qualities, a constant one is animals. Animals have not just been used in stories, but are used in real life to sometimes also represent a deity. When compared to Propp Theory, the animal usually is identified as a donor or helper, and often is the key to aiding the hero in their quest. Occasionally, the animal can also embody the villain and the hero as well. They are found in every mythology and folklore from Greek, Scottish, Norse, and even Japanese.
The Hippocampi is a horse-like marine creature who appears in many mythologies including Phoenician, Greek, and even a variation in Scottish mythology. It is usually depicted as being half horse, half fish, and is also called a Kelpie in Scottish mythology. …show more content…
Unlike the Hippocampus, who is good and just, a kelpie is completely the opposite and is a bad omen of death. A kelpie will usually wander around in the form of a black horse with webbed feet, although kelpies are also noted to appear in the shape of an attractive woman or an unruly man. Kelpies are said to also have an unusually sticky hide, and when a rider mounts them, they are stuck, and then the kelpie plunges into the river or stream, then eats the rider. When the kelpie would submerge, it is said a sound of loud thunder, and this was a warning of approaching storms. This animal may be very fierce, however, it is also said that anyone “who can get hold of a kelpie’s bridle will have command over it and any other kelpie” (Johnson Web). A kelpie was very valuable, because a kelpie has the strength and endurance of up to ten horses. The McGregor clan is rumored to have in possession a bridle that has been passed down through the generations through cunning and trickery. In present day, there is a breed of cattle dog called the Australian Kelpie, and resembles a German