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Nuckelavee
The nuckelavee, or nuckalavee, is a horse-like demon from Orcadian mythology that combines equine and human elements. Originating in Norse mythology and the most horrible of all the demons of the Scottish islands, its name may be a progenitor of that by which the Devil is sometimes known, Old Nick. The nuckelavee's breath can wilt crops and sicken livestock, and the creature was held responsible for droughts and epidemics on land despite its being predominantly a sea-dweller.
A graphic first-hand description of the nuckelavee as it appears on land was given by an islander who claimed to have had a confrontation with it, but accounts describing the details of the creature's appearance are inconsistent. In common with many other sea monsters it is unable to tolerate fresh water, therefore those it is pursuing have only to cross a river or stream to be rid of it. The nuckelavee is kept in confinement during the summer months by the Mither o' the Sea, an ancient Orcadian divine and the only one able to control it.
Orcadian folklore had a strong Scandinavian influence, and it may be that the nuckelavee is a composite of a water horse from Celtic mythology and a creature imported by the Norsemen. As with similar malevolent entities such as the kelpie, it offered an explanation for incidents that simple islanders could not otherwise understand.
==Etymology==
The late 19th century saw an upsurge of interest in transcribing folklore, but the recorders used inconsistent spelling and frequently anglicised words, thus the same entity could be given different names. The term ''nuckelavee'' is a corruption of the Orcadian ''knoggelvi'', but the same demon is called a ''mukkelevi'' in Shetland, where it was considered a nasty sea trow or sea devil. Derivatives may have been the progenitors of the name ''Old Nick'' given to the Devil. According to Walter Traill Dennison, an Orcadian resident and folklorist, ''nuckelavee'' means "Devil of the Sea".
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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