Lesson Six

A very poor representation of a Leprechaun. Why? Read on!

This lesson discussed Leprechauns, or Clauricons. Native to Ireland, Leprechauns do not look like the little fairy man in a hat and green suit that Muggles always visualize. They are about six inches tall with green skin and clothing made of leaves and are capable of human speech. Despite this, they are classified as Beasts, and have never asked for reclassification. They are very mischievous and like attention, which is why they are in so many Muggle stories. They do this by making fake items like gold. This gold disappears after a few hours and is very convincing for two possible reasons. First, it is amusing to the Leprechauns. The second is from Welsh folklore, stating that money will disappear if you tell someone where you got it.

Leprechauns prefer to live in forests and wooded areas in in hollowed out trees or in the tops of trees using sticks, bark, and leaves. Leprechauns are herbivores and prefer Beech and Birch leaves and dislike the leaves of fruit trees. Leprechauns live in families and associate with other families in the area. They mate like fairies and have live young, like imps. Gestation is 18-21 days with 2-5 Lepracorns born. Lepracorns become Leprechauns at 64-68 days of age. At this time, their skin turns from light, spring green to dark, forest green. Females tend to stay in the homes, which is why Muggle lore often has only male Leprechauns in their stories.

The wrong appearance shown in Muggle stories comes from the ability of Leprechauns to change their appearance. They can tell the difference between magic folk and Muggles and will alter their appearance for their audience. Photographs of Leprechauns show up blank and drawings of them are weird because they change their appearance when someone starts. The other magic Leprechauns do is turning smooth stones into gold. They can change the shape and size of the stones, then they are painted to look like gold. This takes 3-5 weeks per stone and is a very timely process. Females do all this work, then bespell the stone to disappear after a set amount of time once it leaves Leprechaun hands.

I find it fascinating the long process Leprechauns go through in order to trick people and get amusement. Three to five weeks for a single piece of false gold is a long time, especially since it just disappears. My first experience with leprechaun gold was on a family vacation. We were on a sort of a creature excursion where a guide took us around the country to different creature habitats and showed us the creatures in their natural habitats. Ignoring the guides endless droning, I turned and saw a twinkling in the bushes. After a few seconds of sightless scrambling, my hands touched something cool and smooth. I quickly dug all the coins out from underneath the bush, making a small pile on the side of the little shrub. Peeking around, I scooped all the coins into my pocket, standing and rubbing my hands together to get the dirt off of them. I was smart enough to know that it was leprechaun gold and would disappear in a few hours or days. However I did know my sister, who had skipped this excursion to lay around in bed and Owl her friends, did not know that. A few hours later, we were back at the little Inn where we were staying. My family and I were playing cards. Eventually, it was down to just me, my sister, and my older brother who was in on my plan and also had a pocket full of leprechaun gold. With a wink of his eye, we started. It began with my brother proposing we play for money, then with him and I starting to lose on purpose. Eventually, the pile of fools gold in front of my sister started to grow and grow, as did her glee. My brother and I went upstairs a bit later with emptier pockets and false sadness on our faces, but a smug grin reserved for each other before we parted ways. The next morning, we were both greeted by a screech of anger. It seemed our sister had discovered the gold she had thought she had won had disappeared! It was not the most sophisticated plan in the world, but it was a fun trick to play on an aloof sister while on vacation!