Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! In the spirit of things, we will be learning about leprechauns- the Irish folklore fairy that has played many roles in films, advertisements, and prints. Today we will not be discussing the leprechaun on the box of cereal or the mascot to an NBA team (even though I am fond of both) but taking it back to its root. So hide your gold and let’s get to it!
First small fact: the name leprechaun originated from Old Irish luchorpan, “little body.”
In Celtic mythology leprechauns are the guardians of hidden treasure. They live solitary lives typically mending shoes. Dressed in green or red, leprechauns are usually old, ugly and not the best of company. Most stories about leprechauns follow a similar pattern of a human spying on them in order to get their gold. However these cunning creatures use techniques, such as playing on humans’ greed in order to distract them. In other stories if you catch a leprechaun you are granted three wishes, however you must be careful what you ask for because they usually get twisted into something bad.
How do you catch a leprechaun you may ask? Well, some say to lure them with a piece of gold or unmended shoes. Things a leprechaun may not be able to resist.
Since these tales, leprechauns more often than not have been described as cheerful little old men dressed in green with a red beard.
The leprechaun is said to only live in Ireland, so test your luck and see if you can get your hands on a pot of gold!
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
Here’s where I learned my leprechaun facts!
