Leprechauns: 7 Things You Probably Didn't Know

Although we love leprechauns in America and quite often feature them in commercials, cartoons, horror movies and breakfast cereals, the Irish find them to be brute, bastardized versions of a Celtic legend ruined (like a lot of old, amazing stories) by Walt Disney.

A film called Darby O'Gill and The Little People received great critical reception after Walt Disney did it following a trip to Ireland, and it was seen as a great fantasy of Gaelic tall stories (pun intended).

Unfortunately, it reinvented the leprechaun and actually changed its colors in popular culture forever (see item #5). This movie has been attributed to part of what has cemented the leprechaun to St. Patrick's Day, even though the creatures had absolutely nothing to do with the patron saint of Ireland or his esteemed day.

It's kind of like if they made Satan, or some random demon, part of Christmas just because they're part of Christian lore. Although fans of anagrams will say that it has happened.

01:55 Speed up to this part for a singing, Disney-fied, really young Sean Connery... you're welcome, ladies.

Much like the man in the video in item #3, very intelligently, said, leprechauns have flutes. They are also skilled in other musical instruments because of their lineage.

According to scholars (and a life321 article we read):

The Fenian Cycle, "a legendary Irish poem that depicts Ireland’s past, has a verse in which a harp-playing dwarf named Cnu Deireoil claimed that Lugh the Long-Armed Warrior [A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann] was his father."

This has made some people believe, since they are so small in stature, that leprechauns are direct descendants of the musical dwarf Cnu Deireoil. "Dancing Leprechauns" play mostly Irish instruments like the tin whistle and the Irish harp.

Now, watch this girl play the tin whistle (you're welcome, fellas).

The Tuatha Dé Danann are a race of Pre-Christian Gods who, in later Christian periods, were revered as mortal kings and heroes. They hailed from the 4 northern ancient cities of Falias, Finias, Gorias and Murias, which is where they got their awesome superpowers.

They could accomplish awesome feats, like replacing severed arms with working, silver-plated arms (take THAT Star Wars and X-Men) and poison people with their eyes.

But when they ran into the Milesians (read: peaceful enemies), they tried to drown them because the Milesians were closing in on their turf. This didn't work, and the awesome, superpowered Tuatha Dé Danann were finally defeated.

After their defeat, the Milesians were supposed to divide the land between themselves and the awesome former-superheroes. So what they did, cleverly, was keep the above-ground part of the land and gave the Tuatha Dé Danann the underground.

Over time, leprechauns were seen popping up from secret, magical entrances to the underground world all over Ireland, said to be remnant ancestors of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Leprechauns can, therefore, pop in and out of these magical entrances in the blink of an eye, and are said to be seen mostly at night... which might explain why the community in this classic viral video in Mobile, Alabama says that their local nocturnal leprechaun disappears when you shine a light on it.

They're just that quick.

Speaking of nocturnal...