What Is A Leprechaun?

So what is a leprechaun?  Simply put, a leprechaun is a member of the Fae (fairies) who primarily lives a solitary life away from humans making shoes and protecting his treasure.  All leprechauns are male (nobody's quite sure how they manage to procreate, but that is a different story), and they are all quite small in stature, reaching only two to three feet in height.  Leprechauns primarily wear green and gold colors.  Green hats and coats along with green pants are the main outfit of the leprechaun, though they also wear leather shoes and aprons (when working) and use a small portion of their gold collection to fashion buckles and cuffs.  Fashion is of surprising importance to these mythical creatures.  It is said that they make all of the shoes for the Fae, which is important because all creature in the world of Fairies love to dance and constantly need new shoes.

Leprechauns pot of gold

The first thing that most people mentally connect with leprechauns is the legendary pot of gold that appears at the end of a rainbow.  It is said that every leprechaun has a pot of gold hidden somewhere in the woods or hills of Ireland and that the only way to find a leprechauns pot of gold is to follow a rainbow to its end.  Of course, not every rainbow occurs in Ireland, so it’s a bit unclear if rainbows in other areas also hide a leprechauns pot of gold, but it is certainly possible.  The Irish countryside is a tricky place to find such a treasure as there are numerous tales of underground caverns (often known as “fairy mounds”) where fairies and the fae live, including leprechauns.  In addition, leprechauns are known to stash their treasure in hollow trees (unsurprisingly known as “fairy trees” or “fairy hollows”).  

Anyone hoping to find a leprechauns pot of gold has a tricky task ahead of them.  Even if one were to follow a rainbow to its end and find a leprechaun’s hideout, it is likely that the gold will be well hidden in an underground lair.  The only sure way to find the actual stash itself is to capture a leprechaun, which is easier said than done.  Although leprechauns are known for being sneaky and spry, it is possible to capture one if you know what you are doing.  Whether or not you actually want to do this is an entirely different question.

are leprechauns real?

Okay, seriously though, are leprechauns real?  As with most mythical creatures determining whether or not these beings exist in our reality is a bit tricky to determine.  While it may seem implausible for leprechauns to be real it is certainly not impossible.  After all you have to understand that all legends come from somewhere.  It is unlikely that a bunch of individuals would get together (at least before the internet existed) and make up a story of a creature that others would simply vouch for throughout the next several centuries.  Leprechaun sightings are a real thing, though exceedingly rare.  Also keep in mind that these creatures are technically members of the Fae, and therefore the realms they live in are only partially visible or accessible through our three dimensional world.  Therefore I would be very hesitant to make a determination one way or another without more personal investigating.  Although if I find a leprechauns pot of gold, I’ll probably keep that to myself.

Still curious about Leprechauns?  Check out this article on How to Catch a Leprechaun, including Making a Leprechaun Trap!