N I G H T B R I N G E R . S E
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LEPRECHAUNS
Fairy cobblers who make shoes for fairies. The name may derive either from the Gaelic luacharma'n, meaning 'pigmy', or leith brogan, meaning 'maker of any shoe'. The latter interpretation seems the most likely because a leprechaun is never seen with more than one shoe in his possession. He hides the other one in case he has to escape quickly when a mortal sights him.
Leprechauns usually hibernate underground during the winter and emerge in summer, when the distant rhythmic tapping of their hammers may be heard floating over moors and meadows in a dreamy afternoon. Unlike other fairies a leprechaun may be seen quite easily by mortals. Those who have seen one describe him a merry little fellow dressed in green, with a red cap, leather apron, and buckled shoes.
Leprechauns know the location of hidden treasure and are eagerly sought after for that reason. A leprechaun may, however, be caught, but never held. As soon as a human tries to interrogate a trapped leprechaun he flings the contents of his snuffbox in the questioner's face, and when the human recovers from a bout of sneezing he find that the leprechaun has disappeared.
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