A tangie (or ''tongie'') is a shape-shifting sea spirit in the

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

of the Orkney and Shetland Islands in the British Isles. A sea horse or

merman Mermen, the male counterparts of the mythical female mermaids, are legendary creatures, which are male human from the waist up and fish-like from the waist down, but may assume normal human shape. Sometimes they are described as hideous and other ...

, it takes on the appearance of either a horse or an aged man. Usually described as being covered with seaweed, its name derives from "tang" or seaweed of the genus ''

Fucus ''Fucus'' is a genus of brown algae found in the intertidal zones of rocky seashores almost throughout the world. Description and life cycle The thallus is perennial with an irregular or disc-shaped holdfast or with haptera. The erect portion o ...

''. It is known for terrorizing lonely travellers, especially young women on roads at night near the lochs, whom it will abduct and devour under the water. Similar yet distinctive from the smaller, less harmful

Nuggle A nuggle, njuggle, or , is a mythical water horse of primarily Shetland folklore where it is also referred to as a shoepultie or shoopiltee on some parts of the islands. A nocturnal creature that is always of a male gender, there are occasional f ...

, a tangie is able to cause derangement in humans and animals. The tangie plays a major role in the Shetland legend of Black Eric, a sheep rustler. The tangie he rode gave him supernatural assistance when he raided and harassed surrounding

croft Croft may refer to: Occupations * Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling * Crofting, small-scale food production * Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft Locations In the Uni ...

s. In his final battle with crofter Sandy Breamer, Black Eric fell to his death in the sea. The tangie then continued to terrorize the area, particularly the young women he was hoping to abduct.

Explanatory notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * 　 Scottish folklore Water spirits Horses in mythology Scottish legendary creatures Shetland culture Mermen {{Shetland-stub