Who guards the pot of gold. Leprechauns are a symbol of Ireland

This article will tell you who the leprechaun is. This is a creature that has been the subject of many stories. Every nation has its own fairy tales and fairy tale characters- elves, fairies, gnomes, brownies. They can be good and evil, smart and stupid, cunning and simpletons.

Who is a leprechaun?

Leprechauns are magical creatures from Irish folklore. amazing country myths and legends. On March 17, Ireland celebrates a Christian holiday - the day of St. Patrick, the main saint of the Irish. He is believed to have brought Christianity to Ireland.

On this day everything around is decorated green and shamrock. Green is the color of Ireland, and the shamrock is its symbol, believed to bring good luck. Festive costume parades are organized in which participants brass bands with bagpipes.

Despite the fact that the holiday is called Christian, pagan traditions are also involved in it. Therefore, his obligatory character is the Irish leprechaun. It adds fun and jokes to the holiday. Parade participants wear green hats in his honor.

The image of the leprechaun is very controversial. It's a mixture of the ugly and the funny.

Distinctive features of leprechauns

They are depicted as little people of old age.

A leprechaun is a creature that has special external characteristics:

small in stature;
wrinkled face with white skin;
red nose.

Many people say that the leprechaun is ugly. It is impossible to find a photo of him, but there are numerous sketches and paintings.

How does a leprechaun dress?

This character is easily recognized by his clothing - it is predominantly green, like the colors of Ireland. Leprechaun wears:

a short frock coat with huge shiny buttons;
long blue stockings;
a cocked hat with a high crown to match the clothes;
mandatory leather apron;
high boots with a huge silver buckle.

The leather apron testifies to the leprechaun's craft - he is a shoemaker. This little man sews shoes for fairies. However, for some reason he is always seen working on one left shoe.

Where does the leprechaun live and what is his hobby?

Favorite entertainment of leprechauns:

music;
dancing;
fox hunting;
Irish whiskey "Potin";
smoking.

It is believed that this dwarf can drink an entire barrel of Irish whiskey. That's why he's always tipsy. The leprechaun smokes strong, smelly tobacco and walks around with a pipe in his mouth.

The habitats of these gnomes are:

dense forests;
deep caves;
tall emerald grass on the hills;
cellars and wine cellars.

Leprechauns can't be called good wizards, rather the opposite. But their character is very contradictory. They are distinguished by: cunning, stinginess, harmfulness and vindictiveness.

The older the gnomes, the more harmful they are. They love to play dirty tricks on people because they consider them evil and greedy. Frequent character modern films The leprechaun is the horror. Photos and film stills prove this.

The meaning of gold in the life of leprechauns

These gnomes are also depicted with a pot of gold in their hands. There is a belief that they are the guardians of ancient Viking treasures. A tipsy leprechaun instantly sobers up as soon as the topic of treasure comes up.

Leprechauns carry two wallets with them - one with a gold coin and the other with a silver coin. Both coins are magical. As soon as the dwarf pays with a silver coin, it immediately returns to his wallet. If he gives away a gold coin, it turns into a leaf. This is how they fool people.

These little people increase their wealth every night. They sneak into people's houses and break off small pieces of their gold coins. The legend of leprechauns is known to all seekers of wealth.

You can find the gnome at the end of the rainbow along which he runs. If you catch him, you can try to lure the treasure out of him. However, so far no one has been able to do this. Leprechauns come up with a thousand tricks to deceive a person and escape. They don't want to give gold to people because they consider them evil, stupid and greedy. In addition, if the leprechauns' treasures fall into the wrong hands, they will instantly disappear into thin air. Therefore, there is no point in trying to take possession of this gold.

If you don't offend him, the leprechaun is a cheerful and friendly creature. However, he does not forgive insults and will definitely take revenge on the offender. Usually they try to appease him and leave a saucer of milk on the doorstep. Leprechauns are also angry about damage to nature, be it a broken thorn tree or a killed robin. Therefore, it is better to be friends with him.

There is a leprechaun museum in Dublin. It contains many exhibits related to the myths and legends of Ireland. There is also a hall with giant furniture. In this room a person feels like a leprechaun. The museum attracts great amount tourists. There are also parks and alleys dedicated to funny little people. This is a real symbol of Ireland; not a single costume event is complete without a gnome.

I don't like leprechauns. Personally, they didn’t do anything bad to me, you just never know how to behave with them. Dwarves, orcs, elves and goblins - everything is clear with these races, each has its own characteristics that have already become familiar. And leprechauns have an abnormal, abnormal nature, which is why I almost always get nervous in their presence.

Ilya Novak, “The blades sparkle brightly”

Everyone knows that the little green men are indigenous aliens. But if you meet a little man dressed in green, who is he? Most likely a leprechaun. And they are not so strange - well, no more strange than the rest of the fairy folk of Ireland.

Appearance and occupation

Traditionally it is believed that leprechaun(or leprechaun) is a red-bearded man only two feet tall (just over 60 cm). There are no female leprechauns in Celtic mythology; they are always men, and not young ones - at least old enough to have a beard. Some say they live on average 300 years, other sources put the figure at 1000, but no one knows for sure. The older the leprechaun, the more harmful he is and the more prone to mischief he is.

They dress, as a rule, in green camisoles and the same trousers, wear a green hat with a high crown and shoes with buckles. Leprechauns wear green clothes to make it easier to hide in the grass of their native “green hills of Ireland.” They also keep a pipe with them and smoke strong, stinking tobacco.

There is one more characteristic detail, which will help you unmistakably distinguish them from aliens, is a leather shoemaker's apron. It is not for beauty, leprechauns are engaged in shoemaking - they make shoes for fairies. Fairies, as you know, love to dance and a careless person who comes to them can dance to death in their round dance. Of course they need shoemakers! No other artisans were noticed among the small people, but there were shoemakers.

This is interesting: No one has ever managed to catch a leprechaun working on a pair of shoes; he always has only one at work - according to rumors, the left one.

If you compare the folk sayings “drunk as a cobbler” and “drinks like an Irishman,” it becomes clear where the leprechaun’s red nose and strange nature come from. They love the Irish potin moonshine and, despite child height, they can drink a lot - but don’t expect to get the leprechaun drunk to find out its secrets. As soon as the conversation turns to treasures, they instantly sober up. Metabolism is like that, apparently.

There is no clarity on who they are cluracans (clurichaun or clobhair-ceann), - either these are the closest relatives of leprechauns, with a particularly bad character, or the leprechauns themselves are on vacation. Cluracans are always drunk as hell, make scandals, steal, jump on pets at night, live in wine cellars... in general, it looks like a drunken leprechaun becomes a Cluracan.

Origin of Leprechauns

There are several versions of where the word “leprechaun” came from. leprechaun, Irish leipreachan). The two most popular are derived from Irish Gaelic luprachan, dating back to Old Irish luchorpan, meaning "dwarf", or from Irish leith bhrogan- a shoemaker who makes only one shoe, half a pair.

Like most terms denoting fairy folk, the word “leprechaun” has had no luck with translations into Russian for a long time. Try, for example, ask this problem to Google Translator, and you will get two options to choose from: “elf” and “gnome”. Quite the same thing, right?

Leprechauns, like many other magical creatures of Irish folklore, appeared on the Emerald Isle long before the Celts, during the time of the Tribes of the goddess Danu. William Yeats wrote that when the Irish stopped worshiping the ancient gods with the advent of Christianity, they decreased in size. So perhaps the little men in green were once big.

This is interesting: By the way, leprechauns also recently dressed in green! Back in the nineteenth century, they all wore red clothes - and it varied among residents of different regions of Ireland.

-What about leprechauns? — the detective asked.

- Little People? - the bartender said contemptuously. “They may be Irish, but they’re hardly something to be proud of.” A vicious, unfaithful tribe, if you want my opinion.

- Do they ever come here?

- Yes, I wouldn’t let a single one come within range of a cannon shot! - the bartender barked.

-Are you talking about the British? — the old man perked up from the corner. - Killing them all is not enough!

“No,” the bartender snapped. — We are discussing the Little People.

“Ah, these,” said the old man. - Killing them twice is not enough!

Saint Patrick and the Leprechauns

On March 17, many countries celebrate St. Patrick's Day, which has become a celebration of everything Irish. This fun party, with beer (including green), with faces painted in the colors of the Irish flag - and with dancing, of course. However, until the 1970s, this holiday was considered exclusively religious in Ireland and did not involve much fun, and beer establishments were completely closed. But times have changed. For this St. Patrick's Day, the Christian saint himself turned out to be too serious; you can't make him into a cartoon character. But from the leprechaun - please!

So the cunning representative of the fairy people became a symbol of the Christian holiday. Interesting story this happened with a clover leaf. The shamrock on which Saint Patrick, according to legend, clearly explained the concept of the Holy Trinity ( “Just as three leaves can grow from one stem, so God can be one in three persons.”), over time it became a symbol of the country's independence, and then came to mean Ireland in general, and on this day people attach it to their clothes. But the leprechaun's clover, his good luck charm, is a four-leaf clover! Yes, it’s better not to let your guard down with fairies - they will lure you with gold, make you chase a rainbow, lead you around a clover leaf, and the person can no longer even really say what exactly he is celebrating.

- What, tricks with coins? - Sweeney asked, lifting his chin so that his unkempt beard bristled. - Well, since it comes to tricks with coins, look.

He took an empty glass from the table. Then he reached out his hand and took out of the air a large coin, gold and shiny. He threw a coin into the glass, and from the air he took another one, which he threw towards the first, so that they clinked against each other. He took a coin from the flame of a candle in a candlestick on the wall, and a second from his beard, a third from the Shadow's empty hand, and threw them all one after another into the glass. Then he clasped his fingers over the glass, blew hard into them, and several more gold coins poured out of his hand into the glass. He tipped the glass with sticky coins into his jacket pocket, and then patted it, indicating that it was definitely empty.

“Now,” he said, “this is what I call the coin trick.”

Neil Gaiman, American Gods

One but fiery passion

The leprechaun has an object that he loves more than a bottle. This is his pot of gold, buried in the ground. One end of the rainbow points to the leprechauns' treasure - but only the owner of the gold can lead to it. Therefore, people have always tried to catch leprechauns and lure their treasures out of them, and the little men dressed in green learned very well not to get caught, which is why they earned a reputation for being unsociable and secretive. You will become unsociable here when the giants, greedy for other people’s goods, try to shake money out of you, earned by back-breaking labor, and even so well hidden!

However, it is reasonable to ask - where does the firewood come from? Aren't fairies paying them full-fledged gold for their shoes? Of course not. Legend has it that the Vikings entrusted leprechauns with guarding the pots of gold. More precisely, the Vikings gave them the looted wealth for safekeeping, and the leprechauns scattered the coins into clay and metal vessels and buried them in different places.

It is also known about another source of wealth: when people kept their savings in specie, leprechauns sneaked into their houses at night and slowly sawed off pieces precious metal from the edge of each coin. Alas, in the era of paper and electronic money This number no longer works.

Although it is rumored that some leprechauns have mastered the concept virtual money and moved to different virtual worlds. True, their character did not improve because of this, rather the opposite.

But let's get back to the coins. To protect themselves from greedy big men - that is, us - leprechauns have come up with a lot of means. So, in addition to the pot of gold, the leprechaun has two leather wallets. One contains an irredeemable silver shilling; if you pay with it, it goes back into the wallet. In the other there is a gold coin, and also not an easy one. The leprechaun uses her to pay off the man who caught him. Once you believe him and let the sly man go, the leprechaun will disappear, and the coin he left behind will turn into a leaf or crumble into dust.

If you met a leprechaun

- Where can I find at least one?

“Well, that’s the problem,” the poet admitted. “They are masters at hiding: as soon as any of them turns sideways towards you, he will disappear - even on a clear afternoon in the middle of an empty street.” Finnegan paused. “I think it would be best to visit one of the usual places their gatherings and hang in there until you can grab one of them - and once you have it in your hands, don't let it go.

Michael Resnick, "On the Trail of the Unicorn"

If you are lucky enough to catch a leprechaun (it is unlikely that you will succeed, to be honest, but what if?..), do not settle for one single coin, even a gold and museum one. The little man values his freedom extremely highly. You can demand all his wealth in return - or even the fulfillment of three wishes! However, why should he, since he is not a wizard? Legends say that more powerful fairies gave him the power to make wishes come true. This is a last resort in the little shoemaker's magical arsenal, but he saves it in case all his other tricks don't work on you.

But in order to release the leprechaun, you first need to catch him. How to catch a creature that is almost impossible to even notice? It is difficult to say what leprechauns have, magic or NLP techniques, but they are masterful at hiding from view. Even if the leprechaun is right in front of you, if you look away or even blink, he’ll be gone. Certainly, a large number of Irish beer also contributes to “breaking the pattern,” but crafty little men perform their tricks in nature even more successfully than in the pub. And only the sound of a shoemaker’s hammer reveals the leprechaun, who is working nearby on an urgent order.

A four-leaf clover (shamrock) brings good luck to a leprechaun. Don’t consider it difficult to climb several hills: if you find such a leaf, you will be able to compete with the crafty little one. And a shamrock found on St. Patrick's Day brings double more luck!

There are cases where leprechauns selflessly helped people they liked. If you're a decent Irish player folk instruments, for example, on the bagpipes, and you are also a member of the Green Party, you have a chance. But, of course, help does not imply parting with treasures - if they suspect selfish intentions in you, they will harm with all their might. Still would! Every owner in their place would do the same.

Leprechauns in books and films

Mostly English-language fantasy authors write about leprechauns, which is understandable.

Leprechauns serve as the mascots of the Irish Quidditch team in J. Rowling's book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. They create a rainbow over the field, which turns into a sparkling four-leaf clover that rains gold coins onto the spectators. Those who are familiar with the habits of leprechauns, unlike the simple-minded Ron Weasley, will, of course, guess that the gold is fraudulent and will soon disappear. However, in M. Spivak’s translation, leprechauns have nothing to do with it... that is, they are “invincible.” Nice word, but what is it for? Leprechauns are, well, leprechauns.

But with Terry Pratchett's translations, the opposite story happened. There are no leprechauns in the original, but there are dwarfs (gnome) and gnomes (dwarf), which were traditionally translated into Russian as gnomes - both of them. Therefore, some Pratchett translators dubbed dwarfs leprechauns. And leprechauns have nothing to do with it... hmm... Suspicious symmetry! Could this be a leprechaun trick? There the translator's eyes were averted, here the reader's - it's in their style. And while we are looking at where the leprechaun seemed to be just now, he is already somewhere completely different.

In 1959, Walt Disney produced the film Darby O'Gill and little people", where leprechauns appear. The film featured excellent special effects for its time and had big success. This was young Sean Connery's first role in Hollywood, so his acquaintance with leprechauns turned out to be a happy one.

Film "Fairyland".

Film "Leprechaun".

The 1999 film Fairyland was originally titled Magical Legend of the Leprechauns. This good story for family viewing - a young leprechaun falls in love with an elf princess, a war breaks out between tribes, and then an American businessman wants to build an amusement park, destroying magical land. Whoopi Goldberg plays the Great Banshee, a sorceress, in the film.

And the movie "Leprechaun" - more precisely, the franchise, as many as six films released from 1993 to 2003, plus the comic books associated with them - is a comedy-horror. The scary but charming Leprechaun is played by Warwick Davis. People constantly encroach on his gold, and the leprechaun responds by taking revenge on them, doing all sorts of nasty things and even killing them. The leprechaun tries to get married a couple of times, he even flew into space to do this, but every time he was prevented. But in vain. What if he became kinder?

Leprechauns in computer games

AdventureQuest Worlds

Folklore tradition is adamant: leprechauns are only male. (Where did they come from, in this case? There is a version that from unsympathetic fairies who, out of grief, became involved with goblins - but most sources tactfully avoid this question in silence.)

However computer games went to meet the gender whims of the players. Artix Entertainment, creators of the online role-playing game AdventureQuest Worlds, a young... hmm... leprechaun was created as a pair for the young leprechaun? At least not the leprechaun, she's too glamorous for that.

Leprechauns in AdventureQuest Worlds- This is one of the free game (non-starter) classes. Characteristics of the leprechaun include "Irish blessing" and "Patrick's secret", among others. There is a lucky sword and a lucky leprechaun hat, and you can get his armor by finding a pot of gold and returning the lost vessel to the owner.

Surprisingly, everyone remembers the leprechaun from the second and third parts Heroes of Might & Magic, a little man in green clothes who lives under a magic mushroom. Although he is not even a game character, but simply a way to earn five hundred gold coins or five gems by robbery once a week. Perhaps the fact is that this is perhaps the only case known to mankind when cunning little men can be robbed regularly and with a guarantee! True, there was little self-interest in them, so if the player did not have an extra hero to collect “taxes”, he quickly stopped robbing the little men - much greater things awaited him!

Heroes of
Might & Magic

Therefore, in the fourth part of the game, the heroes were freed from the need to come for tribute in person. It was only necessary to stake out a point with resources, and then they automatically went to the treasury. At the same time, the leprechaun became a first-level combat unit in the Nature faction - from among the additional creatures that can be summoned using the Portal in the castle. True, he turned out to be a very weak fighter, except that he cast a good luck spell - and then only once during the battle. There is also a first-level Nature spell that summons leprechauns onto the battlefield, the number of which depends on the level of the magician.

IN Warlords Battlecry They are the fighting unit of the fairy people, with magical attack and defense. IN Age of Wonders leprechauns are among the halflings. They have good magical defense, they know how to tease, steal, swim and remove spells. TO Planescape: Torment In 2000, the developers released a funny patch for St. Patrick's Day that turned the game character Anna into a leprechaun.

There are also very short online flash games where this character is involved in one way or another, for example, Leprechaun's Gold, O'Conner's Coin Quest or Leprechaun Loot.

So leprechauns gradually master and virtual world. Where we talk about luck, rainbows, gold and tricks, be careful and try not to blink - you have a good chance of meeting a leprechaun.

Leprechaun (English: leprechaun) is a character from Irish folklore; creatures are cunning and treacherous. They enjoy deception. Everyone has a pot of gold. They love to drink and can drink a barrel of whiskey. Shoemakers by profession. Legend has it that if you catch a leprechaun, he must grant you three wishes or show him where his gold is kept.

When a leprechaun turns 1000 years old, he can choose a bride for himself. Leprechauns have telekinesis. They are masters of illusion, and they can also become invisible. Leprechauns and Fairies can be stopped by cast iron or wrought iron. Leprechauns usually wear a green suit and a green hat. In general, leprechauns live in Ireland. They say that they live in small caves or in forests. Leprechauns can only be killed by four-leaf clovers.

So, what is a leprechaun? Some argue that it is a type of goblin, others that it is a kind of brownie, and still others that it is a subspecies of brownie. However, it is known for certain that the birthplace of the leprechaun is the low hills of Ireland. These creatures have a rather exotic appearance - they are very short, stocky men with pale skin, a large red nose and a wrinkled face.

They prefer to dress in clothes exclusively green and brown shades; Thus, a typical “gentleman’s set” includes: green pants and a vest with very large iridescent buttons, an indispensable leather apron, long blue or green stockings, high boots with giant silver buckles. And especially aesthetic leprechauns also wear a green cocked hat, and less often, a cap with a tassel.
The famous wealth of leprechauns, which they store in well-hidden pots or jugs, has a rather prosaic origin - it is nothing more than the treasures left behind by the Danes when they plundered Ireland. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, not only gold coins are stored in these pots: the little cunning people also know a lot about precious stones, and in jewelry.
Only the leprechaun himself knows where this very pot is, and this secret can only be found out by catching it. In exchange for freedom, he will promise to tell where the pot is buried, but if only everything were so simple!... These creatures are known deceivers. One has only to turn away from the leprechaun for a moment, and he will turn away and disappear without a trace, despite all his oaths and assurances.
Leprechauns carry two leather wallets with them. One of them contains a silver shilling, a magical coin that always returns to the wallet if you pay with it. In another, they carry a gold coin, which they use for bribery honest people, finding yourself in a difficult situation. This coin usually turns to leaves or ash once the leprechaun partes with it. You can't take your eyes off leprechauns, because they can disappear in a second.
It is well known that leprechauns are always not averse to drinking, so they can often be found in wine cellars and in the basements of wine shops. They always carry a flask of intoxicating drink with them and drink it from time to time. However, all this does not prevent the leprechaun from remaining sober when it comes to his wealth.

"...But she was never fully revealed, there remained some kind of mystery in her that no one could solve, let alone share with her. She was the very pot of gold that lurks at the end of the rainbow ..."
(quote from the book “Audrey Hepburn” by S. Benoit).

A wonderful paperback book that gave me so many pleasant impressions. It’s probably impossible to write a bad book about such a nice person as Audrey Hepburn :)
S. Benoit managed to captivate me with a story in which she told about the difficult childhood of the heroine, and about her entire life and creative path. In his own authorial manner, Benoit builds a story about the actress through the close connection of her filmography and relationships with men, as was the case in the books about M. Monroe and G. Garbo.
It was interesting to read not only about Audrey herself, but also about the time in which she lived, especially about the state of Europe in the pre-war period, about fascist sentiments in society.
About her role in the development of the Givenchy brand in the fashion world, as well as the behind-the-scenes intrigues of fashion designers in the world of cinema.
In addition, the author managed to introduce a very Interesting Facts about Audrey Hepburn's companions and their destinies.
And, of course, S. Benoit tried to reflect as fully as possible inner world our heroine, to understand her craving for creative self-expression, as well as for charity.

Audrey could have been married to millionaire D. Henson. But... I chose a career.

I read about Gregory Peck with pleasure - how nice he was and a good man. They were just friends with Audrey. It's a pity:)

Audrey's husband is Mel Ferrer. But, unfortunately, the success of his actress wife and his own unfulfilled career as an actor served as a disservice...

Audrey, like someone possessed, dreamed of children, and for a very long time she could not bear a baby... Like fate, she had several very passionate novels - but the men admitted to her that they were infertile... Audrey ended these relationships.

There were also unsuccessful films in Audrey's career.

But we remember most of the films with her participation by heart!

And this is my favorite Audrey movie.

Honestly, I tried to cross my legs just as elegantly and gracefully. Well, no way, at least crack it! For this, apparently, you need a ballet education, like Audrey :)

This marriage was so possible... Albert was free, Audrey's marriage had also exhausted itself. Look what happy eyes they both have, what sincere smiles. But Audrey’s husband threatened her that if she filed for divorce, he would call the reason “marital infidelity,” and Audrey would be legally deprived of the opportunity to see her son. She broke things off with Albert Finney...

Surprisingly, such a seemingly closed and “strict” woman like Audrey lived a rather eventful life in relationships with men.
As they tell fortunes with cards, there is such a saying - “what will calm the heart.” Audrey's heart found happiness in a relationship with Robert Volders, who fully supported her charitable activities and accompanied on trips to third world countries. This reminded me very much of the story of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, review of the new bookI will publish it soon :) I also read the book with great pleasure!

PLEASANT DISCOVERIES!