OUT OF STATE | The Nuckelavee: Scotland's Skinless Demon of Plague and Famine

In the windswept Orkney Islands of Scotland, ancient fears still echo. The locals spoke of a monster — half horse, half man, and completely skinless — known as the Nuckelavee. A creature said to rise from the sea, spreading sickness, death, and despair wherever it walked.

In this episode of Out of State, join host Robert Barber as we unravel the chilling legend of the Nuckelavee — a cryptid of Scottish folklore with roots in Norse mythology and centuries of survival stories. Discover how this gruesome figure became a symbol of nature’s wrath, why freshwater streams were feared as its only weakness, and what the story reveals about life on the edge of the known world.

Perfect for fans of cryptid encounters, paranormal stories, and haunted history — this is a tale that drips with dread.

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State of the Unknown is a documentary-style podcast tracing the haunted highways, forgotten folklore, and unexplained phenomena across America’s 50 states.

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