Imagine you’re on a scenic drive through the Scottish Highlands: on your left, a great highland coo (cow) grazes in the glen. On your right, a massive red deer stands like a monarch in the mountains. Behind the misty rolling hills, your thoughts wander with what other wonders the Highlands could hold.
Scots have been wondering the same thing for hundreds of generations. Scottish folklore speculates that dozens of creatures roam the bonnie lochs and glens of the highlands—it feels like the land is keeping a hoard of Celtic secrets. Here are several creatures that you may glimpse along your journey, if you keep your eyes wide open.
Nessie
Your journey through the Highlands may take you north of Glen Coe but just south of a city called Inverness, where one of the most famous cryptids of all time is said to live: the Loch Ness Monster. Sightings go back thousands and thousands of years, to ancient Celtic people who carved images of sea creatures with long snouts into the stones around Loch Ness. The long-necked creature became a modern legend with a photographic spotting in 1934. The photograph was later proved fake, but maybe you’ll find cryptid hunters to join, stalking the shores for a sighting and even exploring the loch with sonar. Be sure to pack several waterproof cameras if you decide to spy on Nessie and watch for the iconic long neck and tail protruding from the murky depths.
Kelpies
If you travel beyond Inverness into the rivers and lochs of the Highlands, you may spot a kelpie: a shape-shifting water spirit that frequently takes the form of a tame horse with a wet mane. The name “kelpie” may derive from cailpeach or colpach, Scottish Gaelic for heifer or colt. In popular culture, kelpies are often depicted as friendly creatures who love to help, but Scottish folklore paints kelpies as much darker. Be wary of the horses you choose to mount as you travel through Scotland, because true Scottish kelpies are evil—they will see that you’re weary and trick you into riding on their backs before pulling you down into a watery grave.
Brownies
When you stop to rest along your Scottish journey, look out for brownies, or broonies, lurking in the corners of your guest house. These household spirits love to find hidden corners to sneak around, and their presence is said to bring good luck. If you leave out bread and milk at night by the hearth, you may find your shoes shined, your clothes cleaned, or your breakfast cooked in the morning. Small, shabby, and a wee bit scruffy, brownies will remain loyal to you for years if you treat them with the respect they work for secretly in the night.
The Blue Men of the Minch
If you’ve made it to the very north of the Scottish mainland and haven’t seen a beastie yet, don‘t give up hope. A strait called the Minch separates you from several islands to the north, and it’s home to the Blue Men of the Minch. Occasionally referred to as storm kelpies, the Blue Men have one goal: to create chaos. They may appear human at first, but if you look closer, you’ll notice blue skin, flowing white beards, and clever eyes. If you attempt to cross their strait, be prepared to engage in a battle of wits—and poetry. The Blue Men will yell out rhyming couplets, and you will be expected to respond immediately with your own rhyming riddle. If you can counter the Blue Men, you’ll be safe to pass. If not, they will summon a storm on the Minch and capsize your ship.
You’ll likely finish your trip with plentiful pictures of coos and deer, of misty mountains and looming lochs. Perhaps you’ll never snap that elusive picture of Nessie, ride a kelpie, befriend a brownie, or rap battle a Blue Man.
But perhaps you will. And then you’ll have some Celtic secrets of your own to keep.