Leprechauns

My grandma used to tell me a story about a leprechaun. If someone likes sinning or doing something bad, a leprechaun would appear and especially to girls. It would tie their hair behind the bed. And for boys it would tie their feet. It would go on until they would repent.

Carlos said that his grandmother would tell him stories often and this was one of the many she would share with him, especially when he was younger. Carlos thought this story was less about scaring him with evil leprechauns, and more about redemption and redeeming yourself.

It is interesting that Carlos used such a strong word as redemption in his reflection of his grandmother’s tale. This story about leprechauns may not overtly address religious themes or moral beliefs, but the story he shared did notably focus on the image of sinning children receiving their just rewards until they stopped doing so. Perhaps Carlos’s grandmother originally first heard this tale about leprechauns in a religious context or it may have emerged from a similar environment. I agree with Carlos that this tale is less about mischievous leprechauns and more about the transformation of the children whom the leprechaun binds. The leprechaun binds both girls and boys with their own bodies, which may reflect the moral bondage of sin or simply misbehaving that they must break free from. The leprechaun lets them go after they have repented, further highlighting the shift in the children’s moral character that takes place once they stop sinning and commence being good little boys and girls.