Why Do Leprechauns Have Beards?

Have you ever wondered where Leprechauns come from, why they’re associated with St. Patrick’s Day and how they all have such glorious beards?

Leprechauns come from Celtic Folklore… mischievous little bearded men who dress impeccably in their little hats, suits and matching buckles. Their name comes from the Old Irish word luchorpán meaning “small body”. Leprechauns really have a thing for shoes, most of them are cobblers and live and work alone, making shoes or getting themselves into mischief or pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Most mythology also credits them for guarding treasure, most commonly a pot of gold. It is said that if you’re lucky enough to catch one, he’ll grant you three wishes to let him go.

So how did leprechauns become associated with St. Patrick’s Day? Once the printing press made its debut in history and stories began to be recorded instead of just passed down verbally, the leprechauns became the inspiration for many written works and finally film in the mid 1900s. Along with their popularity came their association with our favorite Irish holiday… simply for the fact that they come from Irish legend and are part of the Celtic culture.

It wasn’t until 1959 when Walt Disney released the film “Darby O’Gill and the Little People”, about the same time that St. Patrick’s Day parades and celebrations became popular in the United States, that we really started to use leprechauns as the symbol for the holiday.

None of this tells us why they always have such great beards. The best thing that we can figure is it’s just hard to imagine the most mischievous little fairy tale creatures without one, especially when they are depicted as little old men. We’re going to venture to guess that they use Foster’s Finest in their grooming routine because that would explain why their beards look so great.