MITHER OF THE SEA

The Orkney Islands is an archipelago off Scotland’s northernmost coast that’s more akin to Scandinavia than it is to the rest of British Isles with its own rich tapestry of history and mythology, and for thousands of years its shores has been terrorized by a monster like none other. According to Orcandian mythology, during the spring and summer months the seas surrounding the islands were controlled by a spirit known as the Mither of the Sea, who kept the waters calm and sealife abundant. But with the onset of autumn the Mither of the Sea’s strength waneed, and the control over the ocean was seized by another spirit called Teran who brought squalls and turbulent waters. Worst of all, it released the nuckelavee from its prison beneath the waves.The nuckelavee, whose name means “devil of the sea,” is a demonic entity that scholars have unanimously described as the nastiest and most malevolent creature of Orcandian folklore. There is nothing whimsical about it, has no redeeming qualities, and until recent times the islanders wouldn’t dare speak its name out of fear of attracting its attention. There are no surviving accounts of what the nuckelavee looks like when it’s in the water, but when it comes on land it’s the thing nightmares are made of. The nuckelavee resembles a giant horse flayed of all its skin, leaving only raw flesh with black blood pumped through yellow veins and lashed together with white sinews, and a single cyclopean eye in the middle of its head. If that image wasn’t horrific enough, growing from its back is a human torso with a grossly enlarged head that lolls on a too-thin neck. The torso has no legs, but its arms are so long they reach down to the ground. Its breath is a noxious black miasma that can wilt crops and sicken livestock, and is blamed for droughts and epidemics that ravage the islands.
Beginning in 1722 the islanders started the practice of burning seaweed to create kelp, a highly sought-after byproduct used in soap and glass production. It was believed that the smell of the smoke sent the nuckelavee into a violent rage and it punished the human offenders by infecting the island’s horses with a disease called mortasheen. Like all sea monsters, the nuckelavee can’t stand fresh water and is confined to the ocean on rainy days. The only way to escape the nuckelavee if one finds themselves chased by it is to cross a lake or river, as it is unable to follow.