History Main / Nuckelavee

-> ''"Bloody hell. Bloody hell. They're nightmares. Been on watch two nights in a row, one just...appeared right there, right in front of me. 20 feet, had to be at least 20 feet away. Towered into the sky. Got my flare to go off in time to see it pick up a couple wounded Jerry's in the mud. They don't have bloody skin. There's just muscle, and fat. The thing on its back... wasn't human, no way could it be human. Had no skin either, no legs, just merged straight into the horse at the stomach. I took a couple shots at it with my rifle... did absolutely nothing, like I was shooting it with a sling shot. It stopped soon as my flare reached its highest point, and turned. Looked straight down at me, both the horse and the...thing on its back. It smiled."''
-->-- ''[[Website/SCPFoundation SCP-]][[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3456 3456 -- The Orcadian Horsemen]]" August 13 Journal Entry

The Nuckelavee (Knoggelvi or Mukkelevi in the Orcadian and Shetlander Scots dialects; "Nuckelavee" is the Anglicized spelling) is a demonic creature from Orcadian (that is, the Orkney Isles of northern Scotland) mythology that resembles the torso of a man merged to the middle of the back of a horse, where a rider would usually be sat. The "man" part has [[CreepilyLongArms arms so long that they reach the ground]] and an oversized head, while the "horse" part only has a single eye and fins on its legs. The entire creature lacks skin, with its muscles bared for all to see. Described as the nastiest of all Orcadian monsters, the Nuckelavee was said to have a breath that caused sickness and decay in animals, humans, and plant life alike. The Nuckelavee was feared by all islanders, but itself feared fresh water, and [[CannotCrossRunningWater would not cross running water]] or come ashore while it rained. Nuckelavees only appeared during winter, as during summer, they were kept imprisoned by the Mither o' the Sea.

* ''WebOriginal/{{Mortasheen}}'': [[SignificantAnagram Hestermoan]], one of the setting's "ultimate" monsters, is [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/hestermoan.htm based on the Nuckelavee]]. Its breath causes viral infections, its blood is corrosive, its feces spreads fungal blight, and its presence makes parasitic insects reproduce like crazy. It's also the size of a {{Kaiju}}, and may have wiped out an ''entire civilization.''
** The very name "Mortasheen" itself is also derived from the Nuckelavee-- this was supposedly the name of the disease the monster carried.
* [[Website/SCPFoundation SCP-]][[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3456 3456]] "The Orcadian Horsemen" can have multiple human torsos, but are otherwise standard Nuckelavee. They appear near sites of mass death and collect survivors, often torturing them in the process, but can't cross running water. It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler:they are made from the humans they capture]].

Mythology scholars have theorized that the Nuckelavee is related to similar water-borne malicious spirits in Northern European mythology, such as the Scottish [[OurKelpiesAreDifferent kelpie]] or the Norwegian nøkk.

* ''Literature/TheSecretOfPlatform13'' portrays all its magical creatures [[GoodIsNotNice more o]][[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad or less]] positively, including the nuckelavee. A shy creature, it lives in the river and only comes out when Cornelius summons it as part of the Midsummer show. Everyone in attendance is [[FreakyIsCool awestruck]] by its lack of skin, marveling at this firsthand look at a living body...[[SpoiledBrat except for Raymond]], who screams that it's gross and causes the poor creature to slink away for another century.

* ''Literature/TheSecretOfPlatformThirteen'' portrays all its magical creatures [[GoodIsNotNice more o]][[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad or less]] positively, including the nuckelavee. A shy creature, it lives in the river and only comes out when Cornelius summons it as part of the Midsummer show. Everyone in attendance is [[FreakyIsCool awestruck]] by its lack of skin, marveling at this firsthand look at a living body...[[SpoiledBrat except for Raymond]], who screams that it's gross and causes the poor creature to slink away for another century.

The Nuckelavee (or Knoggelvi or Mukkelevi) is a demonic creature from Orcadian (that is, the Orkney Isles of northern Scotland) mythology that resembles the torso of a man merged to the middle of the back of a horse, where a rider would usually be sat. The "man" part has [[CreepilyLongArms arms so long that they reach the ground]] and an oversized head, while the "horse" part only has a single eye and fins on its legs. The entire creature lacks skin, with its muscles bared for all to see. Described as the nastiest of all Orcadian monsters, the Nuckelavee was said to have a breath that caused sickness and decay in animals, humans, and plant life alike. The Nuckelavee was feared by all islanders, but itself feared fresh water, and [[CannotCrossRunningWater would not cross running water]] or come ashore while it rained. Nuckelavees only appeared during winter, as during summer, they were kept imprisoned by the Mither o' the Sea.

* ''VideoGame/TheBardsTale'': A Nuckelavee shows up in one segment as a boss, having originally been imprisoned beneath a stone circle until [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the Bard accidentally released it]]. Like in the folklore, it causes sickness and pestilence.

Mythology scholars have theorized that the Nuckelavee is related to similar water-borne malicious spirits in Northwestern European mythology, such as the Scottish [[OurKelpiesAreDifferent kelpie]] or the Norwegian nøkk.

The Nuckelavee (or Knoggelvi or Mukkelevi) is a demonic creature from Orcadian (that is, the Orkney Isles) mythology that resembles the torso of a man merged to the middle of the back of a horse, where a rider would usually be sat. The "man" part has [[CreepilyLongArms arms so long that they reach the ground]] and an oversized head, while the "horse" part only has a single eye and fins on its legs. The entire creature lacks skin, with its muscles bared for all to see. Described as the nastiest of all Orcadian monsters, the Nuckelavee was said to have a breath that caused sickness and decay in animals, humans, and plant life alike. The Nuckelavee was feared by all islanders, but itself feared fresh water, and [[CannotCrossRunningWater would not cross running water]] or come ashore while it rained. Nuckelavees only appeared during winter, as during summer, they were kept imprisoned by the Mither o' the Sea.

* [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-]][[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3456 3456]] "The Orcadian Horsemen" can have multiple human torsos, but are otherwise standard Nuckelavee. They appear near sites of mass death and collect survivors, often torturing them in the process, but can't cross running water. It's also strongly implied that [[spoiler:they are made from the humans they capture]].

-->-- ''[[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-]][[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3456 3456 -- The Orcadian Horsemen]]" August 13 Journal Entry