LEP-ruh-kawn
A solitary fairy shoemaker famed for guarding hidden gold.
Unlike the sociable "trooping fairies," the leprechaun is a solitary figure, traditionally a cobbler for the other sídhe folk, and the keeper of a hidden crock of gold. A human who catches one can supposedly force him to reveal its location — though he is notorious for trickery, and rarely honors the bargain. The name likely derives from Old Irish "luchorpán," a "small body."