A Leprechaun, as he appears in the 1990's movie The Leprechaun.

Aliases: leipreachan, luchorpan, leithbragan, lubrican, leprehaun, lepreehawn, lioprachan

Origins

The leprechaun is from Irish folklore and is considered a fairy or a sprite. The word comes from the Irish word leipreachan which means “a pigymy, a sprite, or leprechaun.” It was also thought to be from the Old Irish word luchorpan, lu meaning “small” and corp meaning “body.” Leprechauns, like other Irish mythological creatures, have been linked to the Tuatha De Danann, which were the fifth generation to settle in Ireland and the first race of people in Irish mythology.

Leprechaun Appearances

The leprechaun’s appearance differs depending on which part of Ireland he was found. They are described as taking the form of a short old man in a red coat that is outlined in gold. Very rarely he wore green, if he did it was usually accompanied by red. He wore a hat cocked to the side and had black shoes with big buckles. Some describe the leprechaun wearing a red jacket that contains seven rows of buttons with seven more buttons in each row. He is often the same size as a small child and loves getting into mischief.

On the west coast of Ireland, the leprechaun wears a red jacket with another jacket over top. When he gets into mischief, he often jumps around onto a wall where he will spin around and balance on his hat while waving his feet in the air. Another man describes the leprechaun as having an old wrinkly, rosy face and is about three feet tall. He has an Elizabethan ruffle around his neck and lace at the sleeves of his red jacket. He also carried around a sword, which he used as a magic wand. In some legends he is described as being a jolly fellow, most often he is described as unfriendly. But many say they are actually friendly, they just dislike humans who are after their gold and wishes.

Leprechaun Lifestyle

Leprechauns are often described as living by themselves. They spend most of their time as shoemakers who makes shoes for fairies. It is believed that he possesses a pot of gold where he hides at the end of a rainbow. Catching a leprechaun isn’t very easy. First one must listen closely to the leprechaun’s hammer as he makes shoes. This will help know where he is. When found, one must keep an eye on him at all times or he will disappear into thin air. If he is caught, the lucky person will be granted three wishes or will try to bribe his freedom with gold. But be careful, leprechauns are smarter than humans and things can go terribly wrong if one doesn’t take precautions. Many times a human would go insane trying to think of something they wanted to wish for or something would go completely wrong. Remember leprechauns are tricksters.

Story of the “man”

In one particular instance, a man that came into contact with a leprechaun, caught him, and was granted three wishes. He wished to be the richest man in the world and live on a tropical island. He soon found out that he was on a deserted island with no stores, people, anything,and his money was useless there. After a few hours he had to waste his last wish to come back to Ireland.

The modern day view of the Leprechaun.

Modern Day Leprechaun Interpretations

The modern day leprechaun varies more than the original. We often see pictures of him with a green suit, red hair, and most often has a red beard. Many Irish people are offended with the popularized modern leprechaun found on television and cartoons. They don’t resemble the “leprechaun” at all and instead invoke offensive Irish stereotypes.