Leprechaun: The Solitary Faerie
The Shoemaker of the Sidhe
Forget the cereal box. The Leprechaun of Irish folklore is not cute. He is a partially malevolent aesthetic—a solitary faerie (Aos Sí) who serves as the cobbler for the faerie courts. Because faeries dance constantly, they wear out their shoes rapidly, making the Leprechaun the wealthiest of spirits. He is typically depicted as an old man in a red (later green) coat, leather apron, and buckled shoes. He is often drunk, grumpy, and armed with a shillelagh.
The Pot of Gold
He hoards his wealth in crock pots buried in the earth. The legend of the "End of the Rainbow" is likely one of his many distractions. If captured by a human, he is bound by faerie law to grant three wishes or reveal the location of his gold in exchange for release. But this transaction is a trap.
The Eye Contact Protocol
Capturing a Leprechaun relies on a single rule: Unbroken Attention. If you seize him, you must never look away.
- The Tactic: He will use audio-visual hallucinations to break your gaze. He will scream that there is a wolf behind you, or mimic the voice of your loved ones.
- The Result: If you blink or look away for a microsecond, he vanishes instantly, taking his gold with him.
Malicious Compliance
Like the Djinn, the Leprechaun grants wishes literally.
- The Wish: "I wish to be the richest man in Ireland."
- The Twist: You are transported to a time when everyone else is dead.
The Final Warning
He delights in the irony of human greed. If you hear the tap-tap-tap of a tiny hammer in the hedgerow. Do not think of how to spend the gold. Think of how fast you can run. He is older than your religion. And he is smarter than you, so let him work.
