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Leprechaun
A leprechaun ( Irish:
leipreachán
) is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually
taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who
enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures,
leprechauns have been linked to the
Tuatha Dé Danann
of Irish mythology. Popular depiction shows them as being
no taller than a small child.
The earliest
known reference to the leprechaun appears in the medieval tale
known as the
Echtra Fergus mac Léti
( English: Adventure of Fergus
son of Léti ). The text contains an episode in which
Fergus mac Léti, King of Ulster, falls asleep on the beach and
wakes to find himself being dragged into the sea by three
lúchorpáin. He captures his abductors, who grant him three
wishes in exchange for release.
The
leprechaun is said to be a solitary creature, whose principal
occupation is making and mending shoes, and who enjoys practical
jokes. According to
William Butler Yeats,
the great wealth of these fairies comes from the
"treasure-crocks, buried of old in war-time", which they have
uncovered and appropriated. According to McAnally the
leprechaun is the son of an "evil spirit" and a "degenerate
fairy" and is "not wholly good nor wholly evil".
The
leprechaun originally had a different appearance depending on
where in Ireland he was found. Prior to the 20th century, it was
generally held that the leprechaun wore red, not green.
Samuel Lover,
writing in 1831, describes the leprechaun as,
- ...
quite a beau in his dress, notwithstanding, for he wears a
red square-cut coat, richly laced with gold, and
inexpressible of the same, cocked hat, shoes and buckles.
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