The clurichaun () or clúrachán (from Yeats, W. B. (1888). ''Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry''. London: Walter Scott. p. 80.) is a mischievous

fairy A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

Irish folklore Irish folklore () refers to the folktales, balladry, music, dance and mythology of Ireland. It is the study and appreciation of how people lived. The folklore of Ireland includes banshees, fairies, leprechauns and other mythological creatures, ...

known for his great love of drinking and a tendency to haunt

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

s and

wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control s ...

s.Briggs, Katharine (1976). ''An Encyclopedia of Fairies''. Pantheon Books. p. 77. . He is related to the leprechaun and has sometimes been conflated with him as a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or '' cordwainers'' (sometimes misidentified as cobblers, who repair shoes rather than make them). In the 18th cen ...

and a guardian of hidden treasure.Briggs (1976), pp. 264–6. This has led some

folklorists Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

to suppose that the clurichaun is merely a leprechaun on a drinking spree, while others regard them as regional variations of the same being. Like the leprechaun, the clurichaun is a solitary fairy, encountered alone rather than in groups, as distinct from the trooping fairies.

Folklore

In the folktale "The Haunted Cellar", recorded by

Thomas Crofton Croker Thomas Crofton Croker (15 January 1798 – 8 August 1854) was an Irish antiquary, best known for his ''Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland'' (1825–1828), and who also showed considerable interest in Irish song and music ...

in 1825, a clurichaun named Naggeneen haunts the wine cellar of an Irish lord, drinking everything in sight and playing frightening pranks on the servants. He is described as a little man measuring in height, with a face like a withered apple. He has twinkling eyes and a nose that is red and purple from heavy drinking. He wears a red nightcap, a short leather apron, light blue stockings, and shoes with large silver buckles. When he is discovered by the master of the house, Naggeneen talks him out of moving elsewhere by implying that he would simply move with him. Other descriptions have him wearing red like other solitary fairies. O'Hanlon, John (1870). ''Irish Folk Lore''. Cameron & Ferguson. p. 240. In another tale, "Master and Man", a young man named Billy Mac Daniel is on his way home one winter night when he is offered a glass of

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

by a clurichaun to warm himself. He takes the drink but when he refuses to pay for it he is compelled by the clurichaun to serve him for seven years and a day. Billy, however, is eventually able to break his servitude by invoking the blessing of God. In this story, the clurichaun is able to pass through keyholes to invade homes and wine cellars and can transform

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

rushes into horses to be used as mounts. Clurichauns can also fly through the air on rushes similar to

witches Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

and their broomsticks. Thomas Keightley in his ''Fairy Mythology'' (1828) presents the story of a clurichaun named Little Wildbean who was more helpful than others of his kind, but also quick to anger and violence when slighted. He haunted the wine cellar of a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

gentleman named Harris, and if one of the servants was negligent enough to leave the beer barrel running then Little Wildbean would wedge himself inside to stop the flow until someone came to turn it off. His dinner was left for him in the cellar, but one night the cook left him nothing but part of a herring and some cold potatoes. At midnight Wildbean dragged the cook out of her bed and all the way down the hard cellar stairs, leaving her battered and bruised so that she was bedridden for three weeks. In a common folktale motif Mr. Harris tried to rid himself of Wildbean by moving elsewhere but decided to turn back when he discovered the clurichaun had moved with him. The folklorist Nicholas O'Kearney described the clurichaun in 1855 as follows: Katharine Briggs stated that he was "a kind of buttery spirit, feasting himself in the cellars of drunkards or scaring dishonest servants who steal the wine." He is also described as a

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...

and practical joker, and a disturber of order and quietness in a household, making noise day and night. Despite his often troublesome nature, the clurichaun takes special care of the family to whom he has attached himself, endeavoring to protect their property and lives, provided he is not interfered with. This dual nature makes him similar to the domestic

hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his '' A Midsummer Nigh ...

. Besides his love of drinking, the clurichaun also enjoys pipe smoking, and the small disposable clay pipes known as "fairy pipes" that are often found while digging or plowing are said to belong to him. He also knows the secret of making beer from heather.Croker (1828), p. 9. Alternate spellings include cluracan, cluracaun, cluricaun, and cluricaune.

Clurichauns and leprechauns

Though generally regarded as separate beings, certain characteristics of the leprechaun have sometimes been merged with those of the clurichaun, particularly as a shoemaker and treasure guardian. The clurichaun is sometimes portrayed carrying a jug of ale or wearing a leather apron with hammer in hand, whistling as he works.Croker (1844, 1825), pp. 77–78. He also carries a magical purse (or sometimes a

pewter Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. In the past, it was an alloy of tin and lead, but most modern pewter, in order to prevent lead poi ...

beggars cup) with varying properties. It may contain a

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...

(known as the "lucky shilling" or ''spre na skillenagh'') that always returns to the purse no matter how often it is spent, or it may always be full of money, and for this reason mortals will often try to capture the clurichaun. Even if he is caught he has the power to vanish if he can make his captor look away even for an instant.Croker (1828), p. 8. He frequently carries two such purses, one containing the magic shilling and the other containing a normal copper coin, and if captured he will present the latter before vanishing. Like the leprechaun he is sometimes said to have knowledge of hidden treasure and can be forced to reveal its location. In such instances one of his tricks is to create the illusion of multiple treasure markers so that the seeker will not know its exact whereabouts. The clurichaun also shares many attributes with the biersal, a type of

kobold A kobold (; ''kobolt'', ''kobolde'', cobold) is a general or generic name for the household spirit (''hausgeist'') in German folklore. It may invisibly make noises (i.e., be a poltergeist), or helpfully perform kitchen chores or stable work. ...

stemming from

Germanic mythology Germanic mythology consists of the body of myths native to the Germanic peoples, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon paganism#Mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, and Continental Germanic mythology. It was a key element of Germanic paganism. O ...

and surviving into modern times in

German folklore German folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Germany over a number of centuries. Seeing as Germany was divided into numerous polities for most of its history, this term might both refer to the folklore of Germany proper and of all ...

Literature

A clurichaun named Kweequel is a prominent character in the first story of the book ''Four Different Faces'' by C.J. Cala. The clurichaun appears as a regular character (under the name Cluracan) in

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

's acclaimed comic series '' The Sandman'' and its spin-off series ''

The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by hi ...

''. Cluracan continues the tradition of constant drunkenness but is portrayed as a tall, elegant blond fairy, although this is likely due to use of magic "glamour," such as that used by his sister, Nuala, and his true appearance would then be left unknown. The clurichaun Naggeneen ("a little drink") magically associates himself with "Mary's Place", the successor to Callahan's Bar in Spider Robinson's stories. The word is spelled 'cluricaune' there. 'Naggeneen' is used in place of his

true name A true name is a name of a thing or being that expresses, or is somehow identical to, its true nature. The notion that language, or some specific sacred language, refers to things by their true names has been central to philosophical study as we ...

which is unwise for magical beings to reveal. Naggeneen saves the bar from bankruptcy through his ability to drink tremendous quantities of alcohol—and to pay for it honestly. The

Fairyland Fairyland (Early Modern English: ''Faerie''; ( Scottish mythology; cf. (Norse mythology)) in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of ...

series has a clurichaun named Gratchling Gourdborne Goldmouth, though he is completely unlike a typical clurichaun, being a massive and extremely violent savage. The comic strip "Arlo and Janis" for March 17, 2010. The image on the web has the title "Arlo and Janis St. Patrick 2010.png", but on the web pages it just has the generic "Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for March 17, 2010". has a clurichaun at the couple's door. Arlo greets him with a grin:
"Faith an' begorra! 'Tis St. Patrick's Day, and here comes a leprechaun!"
The caller, about half Arlo's height and with comic-strip "bubbles" in front of his scowling face to denote drunkenness, answers:
"Actually, I'm a clurichaun."
Arlo: "A...what?"
Clurichaun: "I'm like a leprechaun, but meaner... And given half a chance, I'll drink all your wine!"
Arlo: "Oy vey! Even if I'm not Irish?!" In Dorothy Dunnett's novel Queens' Play, Lymond "erroneously" uses the name "O'Cluricaun" to intentionally insult Cormac O'Connor (see page 361).

References

{{Fairies Aos Sí Dwarves (folklore) Fairies Irish folklore Irish legendary creatures Supernatural legends Tuatha Dé Danann Mythological tricksters

Folklore

Clurichauns and leprechauns

Literature

See also

References