Spirits of the Earth
The ancient Celts were animists, finding all of nature to be inhabited by the divine. In Irish folklore, fairies and supernatural creatures inhabit nearly every corner of the natural world, and then some. There are the true fairies, the Sidhe, the fair immortals of the Tuatha Dé Danann who live in large tribes under the earth. There are all manner of household spirits, as well as spirits who inhabit lakes and streams, trees and flowers, mountains and mines. Some were helpful, or at least benevolent with regard to mortals, but some were quite malevolent. Fairies were never referred to by name, but were called instead the “good people.”
Leprechauns
One of the best-known characters of Irish folklore is the leprechaun, a fairy creature of short stature and shorter temper. Eternally, the leprechaun evades the treasure seekers who covet his horde of gold, which tradition states he keeps at the “end of the rainbow.”
The leprechaun is often depicted as a miniature cobbler, a tricky elf who can be made to divulge where his treasures are buried if he is caught. However, if his captor can be fooled into taking his eyes off the leprechaun for even an instant, he can vanish without a trace. In most tales, the leprechaun is victorious, outwitting his erstwhile human captors.
While the stereotypical leprechaun in the Americas is a coarse mischief maker, the Irish have traditionally viewed the leprechaun as a well-spoken, intelligent, and hard-working creature who likes nothing better than to be left to his work in solitude.
The legend of the leprechaun probably sprang up to explain the hoards of treasure and grave goods buried and dropped into lakes and streams by the pagan Celts. A thieving fairy probably seemed the best explanation for the mysterious caches.
There is some linguistic evidence that a possible root of the word, luchchromain, means something like “little stooping Lugh,” referring to the clever god of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Another possibility is leath brogan, or “little shoemaker.” The latter seems less likely, as shoemaking is a later addition to the leprechaun's mythology.
The Lurikeen
The lurikeen of Kildare is nearly identical to the modern concept of the leprechaun. He is a tiny goblin shoemaker, as most tales recount, who is so industrious that he is caught unaware and forced to reveal the location of his hoarded treasure. In order to do so, however, one must keep an eye on him every moment, lest he escape, a feat that is notoriously difficult, as the lurikeen is an exceedingly clever creature.
The Clurichaun
A creature who is closely related to the leprechaun is the clurichaun. Unlike the industrious leprechaun, the clurichaun is a surly, sneering drunk who ruins livestock by riding on them in the night. Clurichauns are also known to torment habitual drunks and raid wine cellars.
The clurichauns aren't completely useless, however. Being a possessive lot, they will protect their favorite wine cellars from thieves and dishonest servants.
The Brownie
The brownie was a creature particular to Scotland, a tiny, wizened brown goblin with large eyes and oversized, pointed ears. A usually benevolent household elf, the brownie was a nocturnal spirit who would venture out at night to tidy up and do household chores. The brownies did, however, expect payment for their services, usually in the form of milk or food left for them. If they weren't rewarded, they would retaliate by souring milk, breaking things, or letting the livestock loose to roam. A particularly unhappy brownie might desert the household altogether. A gift of clothes would rid a house of a brownie forever, being perceived as a great insult.
A version of this legend may be seen in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about the elves and the shoemaker. An impoverished shoemaker gains himself a pair of tiny helpers, who spend their nights laboring without compensation. When the shoemaker attempts to reward his small benefactors by creating shoes and clothes for them, they promptly vanish.
The character of Dobby the House Elf in the Harry Potter series is undoubtedly based on the Scottish brownie, one of a number of supernatural creatures from the books based on Celtic mythology. Curiously, although both are freed by gifts of clothing, J. K. Rowling portrays this as a positive event in her books.
Pixies
Pixies are a creature particular to the area near Devon and Cornwall, in England. They are usually described as small, wizened creatures, with wrinkled brown skin, bald heads, and pointed ears. They are sometimes described as ancient druids who refused to convert to Christianity and were doomed to roam the earth, rejected by both heaven and hell.
Pixies are largely viewed as harmless pranksters who like to play jokes on unsuspecting mortals, but sometimes they are more malevolent. It is often said that if a curious traveler follows a pixie, he will be lured into the fairy realm, never to be seen again.
