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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Closeeyoureyes on 2023-06-27 20:41:19+00:00.
As the title says, does the word Nykur ring a bell?
Well, if you aren’t from Scandinavia, it’s no surprise if you haven’t.
Like all creatures in folklore, it goes under many names. Nuggle, Wihwin and Nuckelavee are just a few of the names this creature goes under, although I believe that Kelpie might be the most famous term.
But to me, it has always been known as Bäckahästen, or the River Horse. For simplicity’s sake though, I’ll just call them Nykur. And yes, I say them because I recently found out that there can be more than one. Or at least, I think so.
Perhaps, you’ve heard one of its many names, but never bothered to look up what kind of creature it might be.
Just like all folklore and myths, the specifics vary depending on where in the world you are, but since I am from Sweden, I’ll stick to the River Horse’s lore mostly.
It is said that the Nykur is a water spirit, or in some cases, a water demon, that takes the form of a horse. As it’s connected to water, it holds its home in nearby lakes or rivers.
Its raw beauty is supposed to lure children to it, and once the child touches the horse, their hand is stuck to its fur. It is now that the spirit returns to its home, dragging the child with it back into the water.
Another version is that the horse bows down to allow the children to ride it, and its back grows longer and longer before it returns home.
The children all meet a watery grave, whether it be via horseback or by getting dragged underneath the surface.
Now that I’ve covered the basics of what Nykur is, I think a bit of background about myself is necessary. As I said before, I am born and raised in Sweden, so I’ve grown up with the stories about the River Horse.
I live in the far north, where the forests are so massive that they can swallow you whole and the lakes run so deep that no one would ever find your body if you drowned.
Now, I’ve always been interested in folklore and the supernatural ever since I was young, so naturally, I believed the stories I was told about Nykur. But as I grew up, I started to see the story about the Nykur as a precautionary tale.
A simple way to keep the curious children away from the dangerous edges of the lakes and rivers.
Now, I’m not a “trouble child” per se, although I had a tendency to sneak out of my room at night to take a midnight stroll and return before anyone realized I was gone. And that worked fantastically. Until my dad decided to install security cameras…
And while he scolded me for my reckless behavior, I never stopped doing it. Because what was the harm? So I simply found a way to avoid detection, even by the cameras.
One day, I was out on one of these midnight walks, following the usual trail. This path is made out of gravel, and it wraps around one of the biggest lakes Sweden has, although I would just turn back around once my excess energy has melted off me.
It was a pretty chilly summer’s night, and a thick fog coated the surface of the lake that was just a couple of feet away.
Just like always, I had my eyes on my phone since my feet moved on autopilot, having been brought up on this very path, with just one AirPod in my ear. Yes, even if the forest feels like home, I’m still a bit paranoid and want to be able to hear my surroundings.
Everything felt normal, until I suddenly felt as if I was being watched. Now, you might say, “Oh but of course, you’re in a forest. You’re probably just feeling the wildlife around you.” And while I understand your thinking, it’s wrong.
I know how it feels to be watched by a deer, a rabbit, a fox, or even a moose. This wasn’t like that.
This, this was something else.
And as my brain tried to scramble for a logical explanation, my eyes jumped to the clock on my phone. Twenty three minutes over one. Who the hell would be out in the middle of a forest at this hour? Well, except me.
To not give my onlooker any hint that I was aware of them, I just kept walking, although I pulled my hoodie a little tighter around myself as my eyes started to scan my surroundings.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as my eyes landed on the edge of the lake, and at the same time, my AirPod started to freak out. You know that disturbing sound that a radio makes when it’s going haywire and can’t get a signal? The static? Well, it sounded like that and only got louder and louder until I was forced to pull the AirPod out if I didn’t want to lose my hearing completely on that ear.
But if I had expected to be greeted with the calming sounds of the forests, I was wrong. Faintly, very faintly, I could hear a quiet melody of a flute being played.
Okay, was I losing my mind?
I was starting to freak out, so I quickened my pace, damn if my onlooker knew that I knew about them, and convulsively clutched my keys in my pocket.
The feeling of being watched only intensified, and I wanted nothing more than to be back home, safe in my room. Something was definitely off, and I could feel how the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
And as I lifted my head, that’s when I saw him.
My feet stopped abruptly, and the gravel crunched underneath my shoes as the horse slowly rose from the water.
He lifted his head from the surface of the water, and a few water drops dripped from his muzzle as he watched me, his hooves still in the shallow water. His long mane reached to his knees, just as white as the rest of him.
I couldn’t deny it, he was an eye catcher, but there was something… off. His pale fur almost seemed translucent, as if I would be able to catch a glimpse of his internal organs if I strained my eyes hard enough.
His eyes, unlike his body, was as black as the night, but they held none of the kindness that I knew horses held. No, these had a never ending darkness in them, like a black hole, they drew me in and I knew, in that moment, that there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I blinked hard, and to my horror, I saw that my feet had moved me closer to the stallion without me even realizing it. He was so close now that if I just stretched out my hand, I would be able to touch him.
It seemed as if the forest held its breath, the trees leaning in closer to watch us and block out the light from the skies above. But the moonlight still shone through, thank the gods for that.
And it was in this light, that I discovered another thing that made me feel uneasy about the stallion. His fur seemed to have a slightly green undertone. As if algae had started to grow on him for being underwater too long.
As I took a shaking breath, a foul odor invaded my nostrils. It was a mixture between wet wood, washed-up seaweed and something old. Something very old.
But even with the warning bells going off like crazy in the back of my head, I wanted nothing more than to touch him. Despite the warning signs I could so clearly see, they didn’t seem to matter.
I wanted nothing more than to let him drag me down into another realm. One where I didn’t have to be myself.
My hand was just inches away from his muscular neck by now. It was as if he had me in a trance, because I wasn’t even aware of my body moving. I think this is what scared me the most. The fact that I was nothing more than a passenger in my own body.
His dark eyes dragged me down even deeper, and I knew, I just knew I would be dead as soon as my skin touched his.
But just as it was about to happen, the moment before my fingertips would feel his fur, something caused me to turn around and face the forest.
Call it fate, instinct, or destiny. Whatever you wish to call it, I’ll call it a miracle, because I still couldn’t hear anything else but the faint music of the flute.
So, call me surprised when my eyes saw another horse.
This one was the complete opposite of the stallion, and she seemed to stand taller somehow. Her fur was as black as the midnight sky, but unlike the stallion’s emotionless eyes, her fur was scattered with silver dapples that seemed to shine like stars in the darkness.
She was the complete opposite to the stallion that stood beside me.
Her eyes were ice blue, as clear as a summer sky and they seemed to hold all the answers to the mysteries of the universe. She seemed… wise. All-knowing.
But there was a hidden fire burning in her eyes as she looked at the white stallion.
Thanks to Yin and Yang, I’ve always associated light with good. Stupid, I know, but I think it’s because of the whole “Light and Darkness”-thing. Neither can exist without the other. An eternal battle always going on between them. A balance, if you may.
Unfortunately, she was too late to be my savior. The stallion seemed to have lost his patience with me and took matters into his own hooves by closing the distance between us.
As soon as I felt his fur underneath my fingertips, a huge wave of regret washed over me. Just like the slightly green hue suggested, his fur wasn’t smooth. It felt slimy, and it was cold, ice cold. Like he had dwelled too long in the depths of the lake.
Those dark eyes seemed to suddenly shine with a sort of malice I’ve never seen the likes of to this day.
And to my great horror, he started to turn around. He did so slowly, without hurry, but there was a certain way about his walk that made it seem as if he held himself back from getting too excited.
Because he knew. He knew I couldn’t get away.
I tried to yank my hand away, but just as the legend told, I was stuck. Stuck to him like a fly in a glue trap. There was nothing I could do. I would be forced to follow him dow…
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