Irish mythology says that the island of Ireland was inhabited by Leprechauns prior to the arrival of the Celts. Leprechauns are said to be small male faeries, oddly there are no female Leprechauns, descended from the Tuatha D Danann. There are many different origins for the word Leprechaun, but it could be from the Euro-Celtic word luch-chromain, which means “little stooping Lugh,” a leader of the Tuatha D Danann.

Although modern culture depicts Leprechauns as wearing green, this was not the original couture of these wee folk. Leprechauns were dashing in their red coats with seven rows of buttons, seven buttons on each row, wearing a cocked-hat and having silver buckles on his shoes. They were shoemakers by trade making shoes for the faerie folk who danced holes in their shoes in the faerie ring during the night. But if you offer him a saucer of milk a bit of cheese and biscuit before you go to bed at night, you may find a new pair of shoes on your porch the next morning.

The most common myth about Leprechauns is that they are very frugal and have a pot of gold or treasures beyond belief hidden somewhere and if you capture one, you will receive his riches in exchange for releasing him. Capturing the Leprechaun may be the easy part since if you take your eyes off of him for only a moment, he will vanish. Leprechauns have magical powers to outwit humans so that humans cannot steal their treasures.

Leprechauns are greedy and do not share their gold willingly. One tale of a young lad tells of his capture of a Leprechaun. After forcing the Leprechaun to reveal where the treasure was hidden, he tied a red ribbon around a plant at the location of the treasure and tells the Leprechaun that he will be released if he makes a promise not to remove the ribbon. The Leprechaun gives the lad his word and is released while the young man goes to get a shovel. Upon his return to the field, he finds that every plant in the field has a red ribbon tied on it and the Leprechaun’s treasure was never found.

A common misconception about Leprechauns is that they are mischievous and play tricks upon humans, but that is not true. They actually are solitary creatures and avoid humans. Their cousins the Clurichauns are inebriated tricksters that delight in playing tricks on mankind.

If you should visit the isle of Ireland, keep your eyes open for a Leprechaun and you may become wealthy beyond your wildest dreams is you capture one. But be careful or you may be turned into a frog.