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The Nucklavee (alternate spelling: Nuckelavee), or "Devil of the Sea," is a sea monster that owes its origins to the Isle of Orkney, located off the northeastern tip of Scotland, between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Description
The Nucklavee is described as a centaur, a creature that is half man, half horse. The Nucklavee's lower body is that of a great horse, but with fleshy fins that dangle just above the creature's front legs. The horse's head features a single, red eye at its middle, and a mouth that is reportedly as large as a whale's and is capable of breathing steam.
The man portion of the creature extends from the Nucklavee's back-in some legends, the man rests atop the creature's head-and is that of an enlargened torso with arms long enough to reach the ground. This too has a head, which is up to three feet wide, and is so heavy that the neck does not fully support it, causing the head to loll from side to side.
What separates the Nucklavee from other centaur-like creatures is that the lower half of the Nucklavee is comprised of a fully formed horse with the torso of a man on its back; other centaurs appear as a blend between horse an man, in which the horse portion terminates where the horse's neck would be, and continues from that point into the torso of a man.
Perhaps the Nucklavee's most striking feature is that the entire creature has no skin; its black blood can clearly be seen coursing through its yellow veins.
Behavior
The Nucklavee is said to despise mankind and hates all things human. The Nucklavee is a maneater and will attack any person it comes in contact with, regardless of age or sex.
The Nucklavee is also balmed for numerous disasters that were known to afflict the hardworking people of Orkney:
"If crops were blighted by sea-gust or mildew, if livestock fell over high rocks that skirt the shores, or if an epidemic raged among men, or among the lower animals, Nuckelavee was the cause of all. His breath was venom, falling like blight on vegetable, and with deadly disease on animal life."
The practice of gathering seaweed and burning it to create kelp, useful to glassblowers as potash and to farmers as fertilizer, was said to cause terrible offense to the Nucklavee. The creature could not stand the smell of the smoke created by the practice and would descend into an extreme and diabolical rage. Angered to this extent, the Nucklavee would vent his frustration on the plant and animal life on whatever island was engaged in the burning. The worst of the attacked unleashed by the Nucklavee was a disease known as "Mortasheen" which felled all of the horses on the island of Stronsay, and eventually spread throughout the northern coast of Scotland.
Weaknesses
During the summer months, the Nucklavee is kept under control by the Mother of the Sea, the spirit who rules the water-world during the warm season.
The Nucklavee is capable of coming onto dry land, but is particularly allergic to fresh, flowing water. It is said that if the target of a Nucklavee puts a body of fresh water between the creature and themselves, the Nucklavee will not be able to cross and will eventually lose interest and leave.
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