• A Leprechaun is a creature in Irish folklore. They were first mentioned in the medieval tale known as the ‘Eachtra Fergus mac Léti’.
• Much like other Irish fairies, Leprechauns were derived from the Tuatha de Danann. The Tuatha de Danann was a magical race of god-like creatures that possess supernatural powers. In Celtic mythology, the Tuatha de Danann was a magical race that inhabited Ireland before the arrival of the Milesians. The fate of the Tuatha de Danann, after their defeat at the hands of the Milesians, was divided into 2 contrasting opinions: Some claim that the Goddess Danu sent them to live in the Land of the Young. Another theory claims that the Tuatha de Danann came to terms with the Milesians and settled with living underground in Ireland.
• Legend says that if you’re lucky enough to catch a Leprechaun, the Leprechaun must grant you 3 wishes in exchange for his freedom. You have to be very careful with what you wish though, since Leprechauns are known to be tricksters and might take your wish literally.
• All Leprechauns are male. In the book “ A History of Irish Fairies”, there’s no single record of a female Leprechaun and how they even reproduce. It was said that Leprechauns are the offspring of fairies who were deemed “defective”.
• Leprechauns have a knack for shoemaking. Some researchers speculate that the word Leprechaun was derived from the Irish “leath bhrogan” which meant “shoemaker”.
• The most common of all Leprechaun myths is that Leprechauns tend to hide their pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. Some experts suggest that the pot of gold is used as a means of tricking humans and using their greed against them.
• Leprechauns were originally said to sport red clothes. An excerpt from the “Book of Legends and Stories of Ireland” published in 1831 said that the wee creatures originally dressed in red and wore a cocked hat, shoes, and buckles. Leprechauns were originally called “Lobaircin” which meant “Small-bodied fellow”. Leprechauns are said to be related to the ‘clurichaun’ and the ‘far darrig’ which are both solitary creatures. The Cluricauns are as mean and disgruntled as much as the leprechauns were affable.
• Legend says that Leprechauns do so much dancing, they constantly wear out their shoes. The ‘Irish jig’ is a Celtic dance, coincidentally the name of the music you dance the ‘jig’ to, is also called “Jig”.
• Several stories portray Leprechauns as mischievous creatures, however other tales say they are shy creatures that keep to themselves. The leprechaun is said to be a solitary creature who has a knack for making and mending shoes and enjoys practical jokes.
• It’s believed that a Leprechaun carries a single gold coin for every year that he’s been alive for. Although nobody really has any idea how old the oldest leprechaun is. There are those who say they live forever.
• Some people claim to have had ‘an actual’ encounter with a Leprechaun and say that these wee creatures are real. It is incredibly hard to prove or disprove these claims.
• Lucky Charms cereal has a Leprechaun named “ Lucky the Leprechaun” as its mascot. The cereal brand’s mascot was created in 1963 and was formerly known as L.C Leprechaun.
• Leprechauns are members of the fairy folk. According to Irish mythology, a Leprechaun is a type of male fairy who inhabits the island of Ireland.
• There’s an official leprechaun colony in Portland, Oregon. The colony is located at Mill Ends Park and was recognized in the Guinness World Records as the world’s smallest park, measuring just two square feet. Mill Ends Park was created by the journalist, Dick Fagan in 1946. The leader of the said Leprechaun community is Patrick O’Toole.
• Leprechauns are often considered as the ‘bankers’ and ‘cobblers’ of the fairy world. Leprechauns are known for their money, and apparently, they make a fair amount of it in the shoemaking business. So, the little green men pour all their energy into crafting shoes.
• Those little green men can be quite sneaky. If you’re after a leprechaun’s pot of gold, the rule is, if you’re lucky enough to catch a leprechaun, you must never take your eyes off the little fellow or he’ll disappear. A local businessman once claimed to have found actual remains of a real leprechaun, on Carlingford Mountain in Ireland. After hearing a scream near the wishing well, the man found bones, a tiny suit, and gold coins near scorched earth.
• The Leprechauns of Carlington Mountain are protected under European law. It is said that 236 leprechauns live in the caverns of Carlington Mountain and were granted heritage status by the EU, and now they have their own protected sanctuary nestled in the mountain.
• Some stories suggested that Leprechauns were tiny sea-dwellers. In the earliest known folktale to feature a leprechaun, Fergus mac Léti, the King of Ulster was almost dragged to sea by 3 tiny leprechauns before the King managed to catch the leprechauns and was granted 3 wishes.
• Leprechauns might have a divine heritage. Some sources say leprechauns are derivatives of the Irish deity Lugh, who was the god of the sun and of arts and crafts.
• The term Leprechaun literally means “small body.” In John and Caitlin Matthews’ book “The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures,” the leprechaun legend can be traced back to 18th-century tales of water spirits called “Luchorpain” whose name translates to “small body”.
• In March, there are marathons all over Ireland that encourage the participants to dress like leprechauns to help raise money for charity, while getting into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit!
• You can catch yourself a Leprechaun using a DIY Leprechaun trap. To lure the little green men, all you really need is a shoebox and something shiny to put inside.
• According to Irish folklore, Leprechauns can only grow up to 3 feet in height. J.R.R. Tolkien’s hobbits are even taller.
• Much like their winged fairy cousins, Leprechauns have a distinctive sound associated with them. They say you’ll know that a Leprechaun is near when you hear the tapping of a tiny cobbler hammer, as if they’re driving nails into shoes.
• W.B Yeats’ collection of Irish fairy and folk tales features William Allingham’s poem, “The Leprechaun; Or Fairy Shoemaker”. The poem describes the tapping sound of the sprite: “Lay your ear close to the hill. Do you not catch the tiny clamour, Busy click of an elfin hammer, Voice of the Leprechaun singing shrill, As he merrily plies his trade?”
• Leprechauns give us a lesson on morality. Their numerous tales warn us against the dangers of greed and the folly of trying to get rich fast.
• Leprechauns have long been regarded as a symbol for St. Patrick’s day, but its origins go way back in Irish history. The tradition is tied to folklore that says to avoid getting pinched by Leprechauns, a person should wear green to make himself invisible to the wee creatures.
• According to David Russell McAnally, the leprechaun is the son of a malevolent spirit. He also claimed that a leprechaun’s mother is a degenerate fairy but is not wholly good nor wholly evil.
• The Leprechaun’s Dutch counterpart is the Kabouter. A Kabouter is a small gnome-like creature. Interestingly, another version of the Leprechaun is the Fenodyree which are found in the Isle of Man.
• The University of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish athletics department has a Leprechaun for a mascot.
• Fact 36: The horror/comedy film “Leprechaun” features a homicidal version of the little green men called Lubdan. Lubdan is played by the actor Warwick Davis.
• Inhabitants of the Emerald Isle gave high regard to Leprechauns and other fairies. Emerald Isle is a town nestled on the Bogue Banks Island, which is part of North Carolina’s Crystal Coast.
• Leprechaunism, also known as Donohue syndrome, is an extremely rare genetic disorder characterized by abnormal resistance to insulin. Affected people are somewhat likened to Leprechauns due to the disease causing them to have elfin features and a small stature. The Donohue syndrome is so rare that only 50 cases have ever been reported in medical literature. It was first identified in 1948 by Dr. W.L. Donohue, a Canadian pathologist who wrote about it in the Journal of Pediatrics in 1954.
• Numerous tales say Leprechauns make their homes in forests or woodlands. In fact, there have been accounts of people spotting the tiny creatures near fairy mounds.
• Leprechauns may be small creatures, but they’re actually very agile and can move very fast. So if you want to catch one, you really need to move quietly and look hard to spot one.
• Leprechauns tend to be grumpy. These tiny green men can be quite unfriendly. It’s probably because humans are always on their tails trying to catch them and claim their gold.
• Each Leprechaun has his very own pot of ancient gold that he guards. They guard their pot of gold dearly and will always find cunning ways to outsmart greedy humans who are after their gold.
• It is said that wherever Irish people exist, Leprechauns can be found in that place as well. Since a lot of Irish people are scattered all over the globe, Leprechauns can be found almost anywhere in the world, at any given time as well.
• Since Leprechauns tend to wear green clothes, it’s easy for them to camouflage and blend into their surroundings. A Leprechaun is often described as ‘a bearded old man dressed in green, who wore buckled shoes, often with a leather apron’.
• In 1989, a pub owner in the township of Carlingford claimed to have found clothes that belonged to a Leprechaun. The clothes were later put on display inside the pub.
• Legend says that a Viking once fooled a kind and trusting Leprechaun into revealing the location of his secret treasure, which is exactly why Leprechauns tend to avoid humans. According to the tale, the shipwrecked Viking pretended to be ill and was taken in by a kind leprechaun to allow the human to recover. However, the Viking repaid the leprechaun’s kindness by tricking it into revealing the location of its hidden treasure which was at a beautiful garden that was protected by a magic spell.
• A leprechaun’s pot of gold has to be as big as a Tardis to fit all of his gold inside. To make sure that no one will ever steal their treasure from them again, Leprechauns hid their pot of gold right at the end of the rainbow.
• According to Irish myth, the females are always fairies and the males appear as either a leprechaun or a wood sprite. Like the typical fairies, leprechauns can also cast all sorts of small enchantments, but they choose to use most of their magic in an endless game of hide-and-go-seek which they play with humans.
• You can find an entire museum in Dublin, Ireland, that’s solely dedicated to Leprechauns. The museum opened on March 10th, 2010, and is located on Jervis Street in Dublin, Ireland. It also claims to be the first leprechaun museum in the world.
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