Kelpie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A creature of folklore believed to inhabit water bodies, described as a horse-like spirit known for luring individuals into aquatic environments through its transformation abilities
2. A legendary shape-shifting equine spirit said to dwell in lakes and rivers ; a Scottish herding dog breed known for agility and intelligence
3. A supernatural horse-like being associated with water and capable of taking human form ; a breed of dog bred for herding livestock in Scotland

Etymology: The kelpie is a shape-shifting water spirit of Scottish folklore, usually imagined as a horse that lures travellers onto its back and then plunges into deep water. The name most likely comes from Scottish Gaelic "cailpeach" or "colpach", meaning "colt", and its earliest surviving record is not a story at all but a place: "Kelpie hoall", a hollow in Kirkcudbrightshire recorded in the 17th century, which suggests the name was attached to a local landscape feature before it became a creature of legend. The word has a second life far from Scotland. The dog breed of the same name dates from 1889 and takes its name from the first two breeding bitches, a dam and her pup, in Victoria, Australia. Those dogs were named after the mythological spirit, so a creature from Highland lochs ended up as the name of a working sheepdog on the other side of the world.