Tuesday, September 27, 2011

leprechaun oh leprechaun!

I used to hear leprechaun stories when I was a kid. About how naughty and nasty they are, who enjoys doing practical jokes. And what my mom always told me, "be a good girl or a leprechaun will appear and get you!".

And leprechauns are famous for their pot of coin golds. A pot of gold that they hid at the end of the rainbow. So am always wondering whenever I see a rainbow, is there really a pot of gold on the end of that rainbow? Or does anyone ever been to the end of the rainbow? Freakin' dunno...

Since am getting addicted to Harry Potter again, I suddenly got interested in them. And since Wikipedia was so nice in giving information to me (cough.. actually copying info from the sight... cough), thought of sharing it. So let's talk about the myth of leprechauns and their coins.

A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. They spend all their time busily making shoes, and store away all their coins in a hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If ever captured by a human, the Leprechaun has the magical power to grant three wishes in exchange for their release. Popular depiction shows the Leprechaun as being no taller than a small child, with a beard and hat, although they may originally have been perceived as the tallest of the mound-dwellers. The said a leprechaun is the son of an "evil spirit" and a "degenerate fairy" and is "not wholly good nor wholly evil". (???) Infamous hoarders, they are loathe to spend a single penny, which probably explains their poor appearance in spite of their great wealth.



Music, dancing, fox hunting, and drinking Irish whiskey are said to be the Leprechauns' favorite pastimes. Once a leprachaun begins dancing to a human's song, it is said that he cannot stop until the tune ceases. His exhausted state may cause him to make outlandish offers, including his crock of gold, if you will please only allow him to stop dancing. Other means of finding his gold includes looking at the end of a rainbow, which may lead him offer 3 wishes in exchange for his treasure. His promises of gold always proves hollow, as the Leprechaun always employs clever tricks in his granting of wishes, often resulting in the embarrassment or injury to the one who expected a bounteous reward. According to legend, if caught by a mortal, he will promise great wealth if allowed to go free. He carries two leather pouches. In one there is a silver shilling, a magical coin that returns to the purse each time it is paid out. In the other one he carries a gold coin which he uses to try and bribe his way out of difficult situations. This coin usually turns to leaves or ashes once the leprechaun has parted with it. However, you must never take your eye off him, for he can vanish in an instant.
According again to the legend, if anyone keeps an eye fixed upon one, he cannot escape, but the moment the eye is withdrawn he vanishes.


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 So getting back to the leprechauns which appeared in Harry Potter, leprechauns have the ability to produce gold coins that look and feel authentic as regular coins. And they are called leprechaun coins, the fake type gold that vanishes over time. Although the coins seem identical to ordinary ones, goblin experts can differentiate them from ordinary coins, as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley overheard when they visited Gringotts Wizarding Bank in search of one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes in the Lestrange vault.

Also in the story, known uses of leprechaun golds where as follows: when Ludo Bagman paid off bets to Fred and George Weasley, as well as many other winners, including goblins, at the Quidditch World Cup using Leprechaun gold. Rubeus Hagrid used Leprechaun gold coins in a Care of Magical Creatures class where he was introducing the students to Nifflers, and Gregory Goyle's attempt to pocket them secretly was thwarted when he heard they would disappear eventually. Ron Weasley paid back Harry Potter in Leprechaun gold for the Omnioculars in the Quidditch World Cup, not knowing that Leprechaun gold would disappear until Hagrid told him later in Care of Magical Creatures class. Ron felt bad about this, but Harry told him it was no problem.

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So that's a few info about leprechauns and the leprechaun coins in Harry Potter. Can't get enough of them. Just hoping that I will not have dreams 'bout them tonight...

'Til next time!

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