PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateStoried
↓ More info below ↓

Don’t miss future episodes of Monstrum, subscribe! http://bit.ly/pbsstoried_sub

This horse-like horror of Scottish folklore emerges from the sea bringing death and disease. On land this gruesome creature takes the form of a fleshless horse with a single glowing red eye and an equally fleshless human torso fused to its back.

With origins in Orcadian folklore this demonic creature was blamed for plagues, drought, and death in equal measure. This episode explores how the history of the Orkney Islands, the influence of Norse mythology, a real equine disease, and the kelp trade crafted a terrifying, skinless monster. #nuckelavee #scotland #MonstrumPBS

Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Stephanie Noone
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Editor: Sara Roma
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

The world is full of monsters, myths, and legends and Monstrum isn’t afraid to take a closer look. The show, hosted by Emily Zarka, Ph.D., takes us on a journey to discover a new monster in each new episode. Monstrum looks at humans' unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film and digs deep into the history of those mythologies.

Follow us on Instagram:
  / monstrumpbs  

-----------
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of the Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology. McFarland & Company, Inc., 2013.

Briggs, Katharine. “Nuckelavee.” An Encyclopedia of Fairies, 1976.

Dennison, W. Traill.“Nuckelavee. ” The Scottish antiquary, or, Northern notes and queries. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, 1891, vol. V, pp. 131-33.

Dictionary of the Scots Language. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. https://dsl.ac.uk/.

Douglas, Sir George. “Tales of the Scottish Peasantry.” From ‘Weekly Evening Meeting January 29, 1892’ in Proceedings. London: Royal Institution of Great Britain, pp. 489-497.
Encyclopaedia, Britannica, Inc.. Encyclopedia of World Religions, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Incorporated, 2006.

Harris, Jason Marc. “Perilous Shores: The Unfathomable Supernaturalism of Water in 19th-century Scottish Folklore.” Mythlore, Vol. 28, Iss. 107/108, 2009, pp. 5-25.

Hothersall, Sue. “The Scottish kelp industry and its archaeology.” Historic Argyll, 2012, pp. 32-36.

“Kelp Burning in the Hebrides.” Scientific American, Vol. 83, No. 12, 1900, p. 184.

Kenicer, Gregory, et al. “The Ebb and Flow of Scottish Seaweed Use.” Botanical Journal of Scotland, vol. 52, no. 2, Sept. 2000, p. 119-148.

Landolt, Gabriele A., and Thomas M. Chambers. “The clinical features, pathobiology, and epidemiology of influenza infections in horses.” Animal Influenza, edited by David E. Swayne, John Wiley & Sons, 2016, pp. 505-523.

Lindow, John. Norse Mythology : A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs, Oxford University Press USA - OSO, 2002.

Mackinlay, James M. Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs, Glasglow: William Hodge & Co., 1893.

Marwick, Ernest W. The Folklore of Orkney and Shetland, 1975.

Raeburn, Gordon D. “Death, superstition, and common society following the Scottish Reformation.” Mortality, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 36-51.

The Lore of Scotland A Guide to Scottish Legends. Jennifer Beatrice Westwood, Sophia Kingshill, The Estate of Jennifer Westwood ·

Theodoratus, Robert. “Orcadians.” Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Vol. 4, 1996.

Thorpe, Benjamin. Northern Mythology, Comprising the Principal Popular Traditions and Superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany and the Netherlands: Compiled from Original and Other Sources. In Three Volumes. Scandinavian Popular Traditions and Superstitions, Volume 2. Lumley, 1851.