Kelpie, or
water kelpie, is the
Scots name given to a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the
lochs and pools of Scotland. It has usually been described as appearing as a
horse, but is able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelpie retains its hooves when appearing as a human, leading to its association with the Christian idea of
Satan as alluded to by
Robert Burns in his 1786 poem "
Address to the Deil".