Leprechaun
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searchThis article is about the creature in
Irish mythology. For manifestations in popular culture, see
Leprechauns in popular culture.
A modern
stereotypical depiction of a Leprechaun of the type
popularised in the
20th Century.
In
Irish mythology, a leprechaun (
Modern Irish: leipreachán) is a type of male
faerie said to inhabit the island of
Ireland. They are a class of "
faerie folk" associated in Irish mythology and folklore, as with all faeries, with the
Tuatha Dé Danann and other quasi-historical peoples said to have inhabited Ireland before the arrival of the
Celts.
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.
They usually take the form of old men who enjoy partaking in mischief. Their trade is that of a
cobbler or
shoemaker. They are said to be very rich, having many treasure crocks buried during war-time.
[1] According to legend, if anyone keeps an eye fixed upon one, he cannot escape, but the moment the eye is withdrawn he vanishes.
Contents[
hide]
1 Etymology2 Mythology2.1 Examples of tales involving leprechauns3 Appearance4 Related creatures5 In politics6 Popular culture7 See also8 Notes9 Further reading10 External links//
[
edit] Etymology
There are a number of possible
etymologies of the name "leprechaun". One of the most widely accepted theories is that the name comes from the
Irish Gaelic word leipreachán, defined by Dinneen as "a pigmy, a sprite, a leprechaun; for luchorpán"; the latter word Dinneen defines as "a pigmy, a leprechaun; 'a kind of aqueous sprite'";
[2] this word has also been identified as meaning "half-bodied", or "small-bodied". This is the etymology given in the Collins English Dictionary.
[3]The word which is widely believed to be the root and one of the ones quoted by the
Oxford English Dictionary is luchorpán. An alternative derivation for the name and another one quoted by the
Oxford English Dictionary, is leath bhrógan, meaning shoe-maker — the leprechaun is known as the fairy shoemaker of Ireland and is often portrayed working on a single shoe.
[4]A leprechaun counts his
gold, in this engraving circa
1900.
Another derivation has the word "leprechaun" deriving from luch-chromain, meaning "little stooping Lugh",
Lugh being the name of a leader of the
Tuatha Dé Danann.
[5]The word leprechaun was first recorded used in the
English language in
1604 in
Middleton and
Dekker's
The Honest Whore as lubrican. The original meaning was of some kind of
spirit and not specifically associated with the Irish mythological character:
[6]"As for your Irish Lubrican, that spirit
Whom by preposterous charms thy lust has raised."
[7]Some alternative spellings of the word leprechaun that have been used throughout the ages are; leprechawn, lepracaun and lubberkin. The word leprehaun has also been used.
[
edit] Mythology
Leprechauns rarely appear in what would be classed as a
folk tale; in almost all cases the interest of these stories centres round a human
hero. Stories about leprechauns are generally very brief and generally have local names and scenery attached to them. The tales are usually told conversationally as any other occurrence might be told, whereas there is a certain solemnity about the repetition of a folk-tale proper.
In most tales and stories leprechauns are depicted as generally harmless creatures who enjoy solitude and live in remote locations, although opinion is divided as to if they ever enjoy the company of other spirits. Although rarely seen in social situations, leprechauns are supposedly very well spoken and, if ever spoken to, could make good conversation.
A leprechaun is shown crafting
shoes in this
Engraving made in
1858. In previous years leprechauns had a less
homogenised appearance.
Among the most popular of beliefs about leprechauns is that they are extremely wealthy and like to hide their
gold in secret locations, which can only be revealed if a person were to actually capture and interrogate a leprechaun for its money.
By nature, leprechauns are said to be ill-natured and mischievous, with a mind for cunning. Many tales present the leprechaun as outwitting a human, as in the following examples.
[
edit] Examples of tales involving leprechauns
A farmer or young lad captures a leprechaun and forces him to reveal the location of his buried treasure. The leprechaun assures him that the treasure is buried in an open field beneath a particular
ragwort plant. The farmer ties a red ribbon to the plant, first extracting a promise from the leprechaun not to remove the ribbon. Releasing the leprechaun, he leaves to get a shovel. Upon his return he finds that every weed in the field has been tied with an identical red ribbon, thus making it impossible to find the treasure.
[8][9]In another story, a young girl finds a leprechaun and bids him show her the location of his buried money. She takes him up in her hand and sets out to find the treasure, but all of a sudden she hears a loud buzzing behind her. The leprechaun shouts at her that she is being chased by a swarm of bees, but when she looks around there are no bees and the leprechaun has vanished.
[10]In other stories they are told of riding shepherds' dogs through the night, leaving the dogs exhausted and dirty in the morning. It is said that at the end of a rainbow, you may find a leprechaun and his treasured pot of gold.
[
edit] Appearance
The leprechaun originally had a different appearance depending on where in Ireland he was found.
[11] Prior to the
20th century, it was generally agreed that the leprechaun wore red and not green.
Samuel Lover, writing in the 1831 describes the leprechaun as,
... quite a beau in his dress, notwithstanding, for he wears a red square-cut coat, richly laced with gold, waistcoat and inexpressible of the same, cocked hat, shoes and buckles.
[12]Yeats, in his 1888 book entitled Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry describes the leprechaun as follows:
He is something of a dandy, and dresses in a red coat with seven rows of buttons, seven buttons on each row, and wears a cocked-hat, upon whose pointed end he is wont in the north-eastern counties, according to McAnally, to spin like a top when the fit seizes him.
[13]In a poem entitled The Lepracaun; or, Fairy Shoemaker, the
18th century Irish poet
William Allingham describes the appearance of the leprechaun as:
A
cluricaun with a jug of wine. The cluricaun is often confused with the leprechaun.
...A wrinkled, wizen'd, and bearded Elf,
Spectacles stuck on his pointed nose,
Silver buckles to his hose,
Leather apron - shoe in his lap...
[14]Some commentators accuse Allingham of leaving the legacy of the modern image of the leprechaun described below.
[15]The modern image of the leprechaun is almost invariant: he is depicted wearing an
emerald green
frock coat, and bestowed with the knowledge of the location of buried
treasure, often in a
crock of
gold.
[
edit] Related creatures
The leprechaun is related to the
clurichaun and the
far darrig in that he is a solitary creature. Some writers even go as far as to substitute these second two less well-known spirits for the leprechaun in stories or tales to reach a wider audience. The cluricaun is considered by some to be merely a leprechaun on a spree
[16].
[
edit] In politics
In the
politics of the Republic of Ireland, leprechauns have been used to refer to the
twee aspects of the tourist industry in Ireland
[17] [18]. This can be seen from this example of
John A. Costello addressing the
Oireachtas in 1963:
For many years, we were afflicted with the miserable trivialities of our tourist advertising. Sometimes it descended to the lowest depths, to the
caubeen and the
shillelagh, not to speak of the leprechaun.
[19]Leprechauns have also been used in jokes regarding fiscal irresponsibility, the idea being that the politician or political party being attacked has found a pot of gold, or is going to ask a leprechaun for the location of such a pot, accommodating their spending.
The term leprechaun language, has been used by some
Unionists in
Northern Ireland, and is a
pejorative for the
Irish language.
[20][21][
edit] Popular culture
Main article:
Leprechauns in popular cultureMovies, television cartoons and advertising have popularized a specific image of leprechauns which bears scant resemblance to anything found in the cycles of Irish mythology. Many Irish people find the popularised image of a leprechaun to be little more than a series of offensive Irish
stereotypes and a trivialisation of Ireland's rich and ancient
culture.
The stereotypical image of a leprechaun bedecked in green is particularly strong in the
United States, where it is widely used for a variety of purposes, both commercial and non-commercial.
[
edit] See also
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
LeprechaunWikimedia Commons has media related to:
LeprechaunClurichaun ("cousin" of the Leprechaun)
Far darrigKallikantzarosMenehuneSprite (creature)Cultural appropriation[
edit] Notes
↑ From Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.
↑ Dinneen, Patrick, Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, 1927
↑ Hanks, Patrick, ed. Collins Dictionary of the English Language, London: William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, 1979
↑ Oxford English Dictionary (full ed.) (1989).
↑ Ireland Now - The Leprechauns.
↑ Oxford English Dictionary (full ed.) (1989).
↑ The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Keightley - Ireland↑ The Field of Boliauns - A typical tale involving a leprechaun printed in the 1800s.
↑ Clever Tom and the Leprechaun↑ The Leprechaun in the Garden↑ Little Guy Style↑ From Legends and Stories of Ireland
↑ From Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.
↑ William Allingham - The Leprechaun↑ Criticism of William Allingham's The Fairies↑ From Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.
↑ Dáil Éireann - Volume 495 - 20 October, 1998 - Tourist Traffic Bill, 1998: Second Stage.↑ Dáil Éireann - Volume 206 - 11 December, 1963 Committee on Finance. - Vote 13—An Chomhairle Ealaoín.↑ Dáil Éireann - Volume 206 - 11 December, 1963 Committee on Finance. - Vote 13—An Chomhairle Ealaoín.↑ Republican Sinn Féin - AN GHAEILGE Why it is so important↑ Celtic League - Press Release - PSNI Not 'On Message' over Language Rights[
edit] Further reading
Croker, T. C. (1862) Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland
Yeats, W. B. (1888) Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry — available online
hereMcAnally, D. R. (1900) The Leprechawn
Lover, S. (1831) Legends and Stories of Ireland — available online
hereHyde, D. (1910) Beside The Fire — available online
hereKeightley, T. (1870) The Fairy Mythology: Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries — available online
hereWilde, F. S. (1887) Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland — available online
hereCategory:Irish mythology
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