10 Things You Should Know About Leprechauns
There’s more to the little green tricksters than meets the eye
Irish legends describe leprechauns as short, bearded men wearing green suits with a hat. It doesn’t sound like the typical description for faeries, but that’s precisely what a leprechaun is. Leprechauns are part of the Faerie Folk — royalty descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann, often referred to by the Irish as ‘wee folk’ or ‘little people.’
The Tuatha Dé Danann were god-like creatures with supernatural powers. Their origins were mysterious — they may have come from the North, or the West, from Greece, or perhaps Atlantis. Regardless of their mysterious background, the Tuatha Dé Danann came to represent Ancient Ireland, their race inhabiting Ireland for more than 4,000 years. Today, leprechauns are the most easily recognized faeries of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Folklore usually contains a moral or lesson, and in the case of a leprechaun, the warning is about greed and the follies of get-rich-quick schemes.
10. Origin
Scholars have traced oral leprechaun legends back to the 8th Century. But no one seems quite clear on how they came into being. With no female or baby leprechauns, their origin remains mysterious.
