~*~ FAERY REALM ~*~ EaRtH GuArDiAnS & EleMenTaLs
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Leprechauns
Name: Leprechaun/ Leprecaun/ Leipreachán/ Luchorpán/ Luprachán/ Lochramán/ Loimreachán/ Loragádán/ Lubrican/ Luchragán/ Luchramán/ Luprecan/ Lúracán/ Lurgadán/ Lurikeen.
Leprechauns are the famed fairy creatures who own a crock of gold which they usually bury beneath the end of a rainbow, or some equally ephemeral and difficult to find spot. They are shoe-makers by trade and are usually found out of doors in rural areas. They are described as being no more than two feet tall. It is said that if you can keep your gaze fixed on them long enough that they are compelled to lead you to their crock of gold. Although they always manage to wrangle out of such compromising positions. Even if you do succeed in gaining the crock of gold it usually turns to nothing more than dried up old leaves the following day.
Original Drawing by John D. Batten, colourised by Hilary Tully.
They are noted for their fondness for alcohol which is usually made from heather or gorse or other unusual herbs or cereals, the making of which is a lost art, to ordinary mortals. They also have a great capacity to consume large amounts of ale and other intoxicating beverages.
The following is the account given by Lady Morgan of the Cluricaune or Leprechaun, in her novel of O'Dommell (Vol.11. p. 246.)
"It would he extremely difficult," says her lady ship; "to class this supernatural agent, who holds a distinguished place in the Irish fairies."
His appearance, however, is supposed to be that of a shrivelled little old man, whose presence marks a spot where hidden treasures lie concealed, which were buried there in 'the troubles.'
He is therefore generally seen in lone and dismal places, out of the common haunts of man and though the night wanderer may endeavour to mark the place where he beheld the guardian of the treasures perched, yet when he returns in the morning with proper
implements to turn up the earth, the thistle, stone, or branch he had placed as a mark is so
multiplied, that it is no longer a distinction and the disappointments occasioned by the malignity of the little Leprechaun render him a very unpopular fairy: his name is never applied but as a term of contempt."
The Gaelic word Préachán which forms part of the word Leprechaun means a Crow or a Rook; a noisy, chattering bird that caused distress to farmers. Préachán when used to describe a person signified an idle chatterer up to no good. The earliest reference to leprechauns is in the tale 'The Death of Fergus Mac Leite' composed about 1100 ad. which refers to diminutive sea-beings, and this tale it was supposed gave Swift his inspiration for his novel 'Gulliver's Travels'.
In the Irish tales of the Leprechaun he is unanimously perceived as sly and malicious and definitely not to be trusted by a mortal. The 'Hollywood' notion of the good-tempered innocuous 'wee-man' as portrayed in films such as 'Darby O' Gill and the Little People' is NOT how the Leprechaun is perceived traditionally.
Other related solitary fairies are the Cluricaune and the Fir Darrig who have similarities to the Leprechaun.
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Cluricaunes
Cluricaunes are a type of otherworldly creature similar to the Leprechaun, they have usually been seen sitting by the hearth of a fire and are always described as wearing a red jacket and a green high cap with a feather sticking in it. They are small in stature and usually appear as wizened old men. They can do mischief, grant wishes and poke fun at humankind. Often confused with the other solitary fairies known as Lepracauns or the Fear Dearg they prefer to be indoors and do not like to do any physical labour. They like any kind of alcoholic beverage and can be found in the cellar's of rich men, helping themselves to whatever they fancy of wine and whiskey.
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Goblins
The word goblin is derived from the Greek "kobalos" meaning rogue. Appropriately, goblins are known as the thieves and villians of the fae realm. The term goblin can apply either to the ugliest members of the fae, or to certain sub-races.
Some reside in mines where they search for the earth's treasures (though not all goblins are adept at this pratice, Kobolds and Wichtlein mime the act by stricking pickaxes and hammers against the stones). Human miners take the resulting sounds as a sign of good luck, believing the present ore to be of high value. Other goblins choose human residences where their mischief includes the banging of pots and pans, rearranging furnitrue, removing the clothes from sleeping humans and knocking on doors and walls. Still others of the family prefer grottos, often residing in the same one for their entire life.
Those fae numbered among the goblin subraces, include: Scottish Trows, Scandinavian Trolls, English Spriggans, Welsh Knockers, Cornish Knockers, German Kobolds, the Irish Phooka and even Shakespeare's infamous Puck are all considered goblins. -
Selkies are seals who could shed their skins and take human form.
"The seas around Orkney and Shetland harbor the shy Selkies or
Seal-Faeries (known as the Roane in Ireland).
A female Selkie is able to discard her seal skin and come ashore as a beautiful maiden.
If a human can capture His skin,
the selkie can be forced to become a fine, if wistful, wife.
However, should she ever find her skin she immediately returns to the sea,
leaving the husband to pine and die.
The males raise storms and upturn
boats to avenge the indicriminate slaughter of the seals."
-- Brian Froud and Alan Lee, "Faeries"
The shapeshifting selkies, who are also known as silkies or roane (Gaelic for seal), occupy the seas surrounding the Orkney and Shetland isles. The exact nature of their undersea world is uncertain, though some believe it to be encased in giant air bubbles. Their true forms are those of faeries or humans, though they take the form of large seals when traveling the through the oceans. In particular: great seals and grey seals are said to take human forms. Older tales tell that selkies are only able to take on human forms on certain nights of the year, such as Midsummer's Eve or All Hallows.
Occasionally they encounter humankind, sometimes becoming their mates. A human male may take a selkie female as his wife if he finds her seal skin on the beach and hides it from her. In the end she always recovers the skin and returns to the sea, though she may return occasionally to watch over her human family from the safety of the waves.
A human woman may bear the child of a selkie male if she weeps seven tears or seven drops of blood in the nighttime sea. Such relationships are rarely lasting. Seven years hence, the selkie would return for his child, offering the mother a fee for nursing her own babe. -
Mermaids
Bane of seamen, these half-fish half-women lured countless sailors to their deaths. Breathtakingly beautiful humans from their torso-upwards, their lower bodies where those of fish, complete with scales. Men find their songs irresistible and follow them willingly into the sea. Mermaids can be caught and held in exchange for the wishes they grant. The males of the species, Mermen, are regarded as vicious creatures who raised storms for the purpose of sinking men's ships.
Occasionally they are successfully courted by human men. The offspring of such pairings are often granted great powers in healing by their mothers. -
Undines
These are the elemental spirits of water. Their magic centers upon this element, whose course and function they can control. Undines exist within the water itself and cannot be seen with normal human vision. Their homes are typically within the coral caves in lakes or upon the banks of rivers, though smaller undines may choose to live under lily pads. Their appearance is similar to human beings in most cases, with the exception of those living in smaller streams or ponds. Undine clothing is shimmery, reflecting all the colors of water though green is typically the predominant color.
Every body of water is home to undines, from ocean waves, to rocky pools, to marshlands, to rivers, to lakes and ponds. Even waterfalls and fountains have an undine living in their midst. -
oh... so this is how u spell it...
Leprechauns....
reminds me of those irish pubs...
and also saw them in charmed...
and they used rainbow as their way of transport... and at the end of every rainbow, there's a pot of gold...
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Leprechauns are bestower of Wealth & Luck...Irish Lore...one of the few more well known Earth Elementals of the Faery Realm...Originally posted by coolger03:oh... so this is how u spell it...
Leprechauns....
reminds me of those irish pubs...
and also saw them in charmed...
and they used rainbow as their way of transport... and at the end of every rainbow, there's a pot of gold... -
Hi Oceanos,
Thanks for this wonderful ~*~Faery Realm~*~, look forward to more postings from you..
I love Faeries...Maybe i am one...hehehe
Fossegrim