This creature, whose name is variously spelt, is the Shetland Kelpie. It appears like a beautiful little grey horse, about the size of a Shetland pony, bridled and saddled. It is less malicious than the Kelpie and much less dangerous than the Each Uisge, but it has two mischievous tricks. Its peculiarity is that it is much attracted by water-mills, and if the mill was running at night it would seize the wheel and stop it. It could be driven off by thrusting a burning brand or a long steel knife through the vent-hole of the mill. Its other trick was to loiter along the mill-stream and allure pedestrians to mount it. It would then dash away into the sea and give its rider a severe and even dangerous ducking; but it did not, like Each Uisge, tear its victim to pieces, it merely rose through the water and vanished in a blue flame.

Before mounting a stray horse it was wise to look well at its tail. The Noggle looked like an ordinary horse, but it had a tail like a half-wheel, curled up over its back.

Some people called the Noggle a Shoopiltee, but it seems to have shared this name with the merpeople (see Mermaids; Mermen).

Anecdotes and descriptions of the Noggle have been brought together from various sources by A.C.Black in County Folk-Lore (Vol.III, p.189-193).

[Motifs: F234.1.8; F420.1.3.3]