What Are Leprechauns?

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - As St. Patrick's Day approaches people start thinking of the Leprechaun and his pot of gold. But what exactly are these figures?

According to AngelicInspirations.com , they are make-believe fairies from Ireland. Their origin comes from a Euro-Celtic god named Lugh (pronounced "Luck"), the Sun God of the Irish and Euro-Celts and patron of arts and crafts.

Legend has it that leprechauns are mischievous creatures who drink, dance and play music when they aren't making shoes. They also have a hidden pot of gold that can be found by tracking down the sound of the leprechaun's shoe-making hammer.

Keeping an eye on the leprechaun can fetch a captor three wishes. But looking away even for a second gives the fairy a chance to vanish.

AskMen.com gives some more insight into these tricksters of lore. While they are popularly adorned in green that may not have always been the case. Writer Samuel Lover had written in the 1830s that the folklore figure had worn a red frock coat.

Leprechauns are considered derogatory symbols in Ireland, according to AskMen.com. The Web site partly blames the 1959 Disney film "Darby O'Gill & The Little People," which the History Channel states is a movie about an Irish storyteller and a leprechaun king that reinvented how people view the leprechaun. It took him away from his Celtic roots into a mischievous character more infused in American myth.

The site also claims they may not be the world's best shoemakers. The cobblers may make shoes for elves, but it appears as though they only make one shoe per customer.

According to Irelandseye.com , the name leprechaun may have come from the Irish term leath bhrogan (shoemaker) or luacharma'n (Irish for pygmy).

They watch the treasures left behind by the Danes when they marauded through Ireland and buried it along their way.

The site claims there is another member of the leprechaun family, the cluricaun, who steals or borrows almost anything and creates havoc in homes during the night.

Today millions around the world celebrate St. Patrick with oodles of parades, music, green beer and shamrocks.