The leprechaun, being a character in Irish folklore, is traditionally depicted as a small stocky man, dressed in a green suit, a leather apron and a hat. The word "leprechaun" itself is most likely derived from a phrase that means "dwarf shoemaker." By the way, like most of the terms denoting the fairy people, this word is not very lucky with translations into Russian. If, for example, we ask the Google translator this task, we will get a choice of two options: "elf" and "gnome". It may well be that the leprechaun really is in a distant relationship with these folklore heroes.
Leprechauns, along with many other magical creatures in Ireland, appeared on the Emerald Isle long before the Celts. Prominent Irish poet and playwright William Yates wrote that when, with the advent of Christianity, the Old Gods were no longer worshiped by the Irish, they decreased in size. Therefore, it is quite possible that the little men in green were once of normal height.
Leprechauns look like old men, only 2 feet tall (a little over 60 cm). If you remember the popular sayings "drunk like a shoemaker" and "drinks like an Irishman", it becomes clear why the leprechaun has a red nose and what explains the strangeness of his nature. These creatures do get drunk a lot, but their craze for potine (homemade Irish whiskey) doesn't hurt their shoemaking craft. They make shoes for other representatives of otherworldly forces, for example, fairies, who, as you know, are very fond of dancing and a person who has inadvertently got to them can dance in their round dance to death. Nevertheless, no one has yet had a chance to catch a leprechaun at work, and for some reason he is always seen in only one, left, shoe.
In addition to sewing boots, the duties of leprechauns include finding and storing ancient treasures. It is reasonable to ask: how did these creatures get gold? The legend says that the Vikings were instructed to guard the pots of gold to the leprechauns. More precisely, these ancient tribes gave them the stolen riches for preservation, and leprechauns scattered coins on clay and metal vessels and buried them in different places. It is also known about another source of wealth: when people began to keep their savings in hard currency, leprechauns got into the habit of visiting their houses at night and there quietly sawing off a piece of precious metal from the edge of each coin.
To protect their wealth from people, leprechauns have invented many effective techniques. So, in addition to the pot of gold, the leprechaun has two leather wallets. One of them contains an irredeemable silver shilling: if paid, it goes back into the wallet. In another - a gold coin, and also difficult. The leprechaun uses her to buy off the person who caught him. It is worth believing him and letting go of the sly man, the leprechaun will disappear, and the coin left by him will turn into a green leaf or crumble to dust.
Each leprechaun or his family owns a pot of gold coins buried in a secluded place. A rainbow points to the treasures of leprechauns with one end - but it can give out the exact place only to the owner of gold. Therefore, people have always tried to catch leprechauns and lure the jewels from them. However, the men dressed in green have learned to hide very well, which is why they have earned a reputation for unsociable and secretive creatures. In principle, leprechauns are quite friendly and cute creatures, although if offended, they immediately become real monsters. They may be offended if, for example, a saucer of milk was not left for them near the house. The broken thorns, the murdered robin, and, of course, the attempt on their treasures lead them to anger. After such violations, they will immediately demonstrate their vindictive nature and witchcraft abilities. And you certainly shouldn't try to get the leprechaun drunk in the hope that he will immediately reveal his secrets. As soon as it comes to treasures, they instantly sober up.
There are no female leprechauns in Celtic mythology, they are always men, and not young - at least old enough to acquire a beard. They say that they live for an average of 300 years, but according to some sources - a thousand, or even more. Every year on March 17, many countries celebrate St. Patrick's Day, which has turned into a holiday for everything connected with Ireland. This is a fun carnival with beer (including green), with faces painted in the colors of the Irish flag, and, of course, noisy dances. However, until the 1970s, this holiday was considered exclusively religious in Ireland and did not imply much fun, and beer houses were completely closed. But times have changed. For modern St. Patrick's Day, the main character of the holiday turned out to be too serious, which is what the leprechaun needs.
So the cunning representative of the fairy people became the symbol of the Christian holiday. An interesting story happened with the clover leaf (shamrock), which brings good luck to the leprechaun. The shamrock, on which, according to legend, Saint Patrick clearly explained the concept of the Holy Trinity (“Just as three leaves can grow from one stem, so God can be one in three persons”), over time has become a symbol of the country's independence, and then came to mean Ireland in general. Traditionally, it is on this day that people attach a sheet to their clothes. However, the leprechaun's clover, his lucky charm, is four-leafed. This once again suggests that you should not lose your vigilance with a leprechaun - he will beckon with gold, make you chase a rainbow, circle a clover leaf, and a person can no longer even really say what exactly he is celebrating.
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By the way, if someone is lucky enough to catch a leprechaun, in no case should you ask him for a gold coin. The little man values his treasure, like his freedom, extremely highly. True, you still need to catch him first! But how to catch a creature that is almost impossible to even notice? It is difficult to say what leprechauns possess, magic or technique, but they are very skillful in hiding from sight. Even if he is right in front of you, you should look away or at least blink - and he is gone. Of course, a large amount of Irish beer is very conducive to unusual hunting, but the crafty creatures perform their tricks in nature very successfully. And only the knock of a shoe hammer betrays the little master who is working nearby on an urgent order.
There are cases when leprechauns disinterestedly helped people they liked. And if someone plays Irish folk instruments well, for example the bagpipes, and even is in the party of the Greens, then he has a very great chance of helping the leprechaun. Of course, if we are not talking about how to lure out a small fraction of the treasure. If a leprechaun suspects a person of selfish intentions, he will harm with all his might. Which is understandable: any owner in his place would have done the same.