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Leprechaun
A leprechaun ((アイルランド語:leipreachán)) is a type of fairy in Irish folklore. It is usually depicted as a little bearded man, wearing a coat and hat, who partakes in mischief. They are solitary creatures who spend their time making and mending shoes and have a hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If captured by a human, the leprechaun has the magical power to grant three wishes in exchange for their freedom. Like other Irish fairies, leprechauns may be derived from the Tuatha Dé Danann. Leprechaun-like creatures rarely appear in Irish mythology and only became prominent in later folklore.
Modern depictions of leprechauns are largely based on derogatory 19th century caricatures and stereotypes of the Irish.
==Etymology==
The name ''leprechaun'' is derived from the Irish word , defined by Patrick Dinneen as "a pigmy, a sprite, or leprechaun". The further derivation is less certain; according to most sources, the word is thought to be a corruption of Middle Irish ''luchrupán'',〔Gloss by ''Windisch's (W. O. E.) Compendium of Irish grammar'' tr. by J. P. M'Swiney 1883 in "(leprechaun )" ''The Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd ed., 1989, ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, (subscription needed) 16 July 2009.〕 from the Old Irish , a compound of the roots lú (small) and corp (body).〔"(leprechaun )" ''The Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd ed., 1989, ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, (subscription needed) 16 July 2009〕〔Patrick S. Dinneen, ''Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla'' (Dublin: Irish Texts Society, 1927); see also ''Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language'', s.v. ("luchorp", "luchorpán" ) (accessed 12 May 2009).〕 The root ''corp'', which was borrowed from the Latin ''corpus'', attests to the early influence of Ecclesiastical Latin on the Irish language.〔"(leprechaun )" ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'', 4th ed., 2004, ''Dictionary.com'', Houghton Mifflin Company, 16 July 2009.〕 The alternative spelling ''leithbrágan'' stems from a folk etymology deriving the word from ''leith'' (half) and ''bróg'' (brogue), because of the frequent portrayal of the leprechaun as working on a single shoe.〔(O'Donovan in O'Reilly ''Irish Dict''. Suppl. 1817) in "(leprechaun )" ''The Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd ed, 1989, ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, (subscription needed) 16 July 2009.〕
Alternative spellings in English have included ''lubrican'', ''leprehaun'', and ''lepreehawn''. Some modern Irish books use the spelling ''lioprachán''.〔 The first recorded instance of the word in the English language was in Dekker's comedy ''The Honest Whore, Part 2'' (1604): "As for your Irish lubrican, that spirit / Whom by preposterous charms thy lust hath rais'd / In a wrong circle."〔
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