"Near a misty stream in Ireland in the hollow of a tree
live mystical, magical leprechauns
who are clever as can be
with their pointed ears, and turned up toes and little coats of green
the leprechauns busily make their shoes and try hard not to be seen.
only those who really believe have seen these little elves
and if we are all believers
we can surely see for ourselves".
live mystical, magical leprechauns
who are clever as can be
with their pointed ears, and turned up toes and little coats of green
the leprechauns busily make their shoes and try hard not to be seen.
only those who really believe have seen these little elves
and if we are all believers
we can surely see for ourselves".
(Irish Blessing)
The earliest known reference to the leprechaun appears in the medieval tale known as the Echtra (Fergus mac Leti) - which translates in English to Adventure of Fergus son of Leti. Within
the text is a situation where Fergus mac Leti, King of Ulster, falls asleep on the beach and wakes to find himself being dragged into the sea by three lúchorpáin. He then captures his abductors, who then in turn grant him three wishes in exchange for their release.The leprechaun is said to be a solitary creature, whose principal occupation is making and mending shoes, and who enjoys practical jokes. They give their mischievious reputation of being not quite good and not quite evil, to supposedly being the sons of an "evil spirit" or "degerate fairy".
Leprechauns and other creatures of Irish mythology are often associated with "faerie forts" or "faerie rings" — often the sites of ancient (Celtic or pre-Celtic) earthworks or drumlins.
According to Leprechaun legend, if someone was cunning enough to capture one of these sly little fairies, and keeps an eye fixed upon him, he cannot escape, but the moment the gaze is withdrawn, he vanishes. If you ask him where his treasure is buried while he is captured, he must be truthful and honest and tell you the location of his treasure.
The name leprechaun may have derived from the Irish leath bhrogan (shoemaker), although its' origins may lie in luacharma'n (Irish for pygmy). These apparently aged, diminutive men are frequently to be found in an intoxicated state, caused by home-brew poteen. When they finish their daily tasks, leprechauns like to organize wild feast, during which time they are referred to as cluricauns. These (often drunk) cluricauns can then be seen riding in moonlight on the back of a dog or a sheep. However they never become so drunk that the hand which holds the hammer becomes unsteady and their shoemaker's work affected.
