by Jane Harris

Created on: March 17, 2009   Last Updated: March 18, 2009

Looking for Leprechauns

On St Patrick's Day

Leprechauns. Everyone knows what a leprechaun looks like. Right? They are tiny little men dressed all in green. They are approximately two feet tall, but I did read one account of a lucky hunter holding a tiny little man in the palm of his hand.

They wear a cobbler's apron and carry a hammer. Sound familiar? Topping off the look, a green pilgrim-like hat with a buckle. Or is it a red cap? They make shoes for the fairies of the wood. Somebody has to do it. Apparently this is the lot of the Leprechaun. In this economy it's good to have a job.

The word Leprechaun was first recorded as "lubrican" in 1604. The meaning was likened to a sort of spirit, not necessarily associated with Irish mythology, but widely accepted as the derivation of the Gaelic word leipreachan which refers to a pygmy or luchorpan, a small person. The stories about leprechauns were generally local lore rather than heroic and mythological.

Some say they are given to drunkenness and loud music-making gatherings, but the leprechauns may not be the party animals they are said to be. It's more likely that clurichauns are responsible. These close cousins of the leprechaun are given to wild raucous behavior and will harness your dogs or goats and run amok through the wood. In the Northeast we can assume that he might be riding a deer as a preferred mode of transportation. If you spot this duo grab your cell phone, capture the action and upload to You Tube.

On St. Patrick's Day between sunrise and sunset you have your best shot at a leprechaun encounter. These guys are not always friendly and often distrustful of mortals. Invisible most of the time, they may make an appearance if conditions are just right. This may mean having just the right garden, just the right oak hollow and just the right attitude. Yep, we have to believe.

We have to believe and then set up all sorts of devices to try and trap him. And why would we bother to do this? Because we want to talk about times gone by or because he has something we want. We want that Pot O' Gold located at the end of the rainbow. They are, as I said, distrustful of mortals and think that we are downright greedy. Maybe we can change their opinion.

Perhaps you might organize a walking tour. Gather your adventuresome friends and family. After scouting around for a location that has a patch of ragwort or a collection of rocks that might be a fairy fort, be patient and listen to the sounds of the wood. If you hear a tap, tap, tapping that would mean that one is nearby making shoes for a needy fairy. If you hear a soft whooshing sound as a tiny wing gently brushes your face he might be near. Where there are fairies, there are leprechauns.

This elusive little leprechaun could be a leftover, a transmutation of a deity with an eco-pagan past. So I would suggest behaving yourself; no stepping on bugs, shooting birds with pellet guns or complaining about deer poop.

Chasing down a rainbow just to find the pot of gold is futile; since a rainbow moves as we move. We have to consider if we would be better off just enjoying the phenomenon. We have mountains, the woods teeming with life, the cycle of changing seasons, good friends and family and if we're lucky, an occasional rainbow. It's all good. Good as gold.

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