Are Leprechauns Real? Sightings, Pictures And What You Need To Know About The Tricksters

Maybe the question occurs to you while you're eating Lucky Charms. Maybe it's while you're watching the masterpiece of a Disney Channel original movie "The Luck of the Irish." Or maybe it's Friday, as you have a green shirt on and you're craving a green beer.

Are leprechauns real?

The tiny, fairy-like creatures are famous in Irish mythology and especially popular around St. Patrick's Day. The word "leprechaun" comes from the old Irish term "luchorpán," a combination of the words lu, meaning small, and corp, meaning body. They're also called wee folk.

Read: Celebrate St. Patrick's Day In New York City

Though they may be small in stature, according to legend leprechauns are notoriously tricky. Known as shoemakers, they like to hide in forests and avoid humans, according to yourirish.com. People often search for and try to catch leprechauns because they're said to know where treasure is or have the ability to grant wishes. They've even reported sightings in years past.

Unfortunately, leprechauns are just fiction, but that doesn't mean they don't make a real impact on the St. Patrick's holiday. "For the Irish, it’s much more than the leprechauns and green color," Irish culture expert Ninian Mellamphy told the Pepperdine University Graphic in 2003. "The real significance is the culture, rich in antiquity and layered with the customs of many different civilizations. Irish memory is very significant, and many Irish plays are centered around this theme — which can be much more interesting than leprechauns, fairy forts and other mythical folklore people have used to explain the oddness of the relics of Ireland’s ancient civilizations."

Another reason not to be bummed leprechauns don't exist? The internet. On St. Patrick's Day, enjoy this video of the Crichton leprechaun, this baby dressed as a leprechaun eating broccoli, this dog in a leprechaun costume and this parody conspiracy theory that Ed Sheeran is secretly a leprechaun.

After all, as moviegoers learned in "The Santa Clause," "Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing."