Page 125 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

Mysterious Creatures 105

When the U.S. Army Air Force pilots Model from the film
were stationed in Great Britain after the Unit- “Gremlin.” (FORTEAN
ed States entered World War II in December PICTURE LIBRARY)
1941, they found the gremlins waiting for
them. The men may have scoffed at their
allies at first, but they were soon suffering
unexplained attacks on their instrument pan-
els, their bombing sights, and the de-icer
mechanisms. The Yanks found that they had
also fallen victims to the annoying antics of
the gremlins.
Although the most intense activity of the
gremlin throng occurred during World War II,
one stills hears on occasion a pilot cussing a
mechanical failure in his aircraft as having
been caused by a gremlin attack.

M Delving Deeper
Froud, Brian. Good Faeries, Bad Faeries. New York:
Simon & Schuster, 1998.
Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore.
turb the mounds or raths in which the lep-
New York: Larousse, 1995.
rechauns dwell. Those who would wantonly
Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes,
violate the wee one’s domicile is to invite
Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. New York:
severe supernatural consequences upon oneself.
Random House, 2000.
Stern, Dave. “The Great Gremlin Caper.” Fate The trouble at the rath outside the village
(December 2001): 8–13. of Wexford began on a morning in 1960 when
the workmen from the state electricity board
began digging a hole for the erection of a light
Leprechauns
pole within the parameters of a rath. The vil-
The classic tale of the leprechaun is that of lagers warned the workmen that the pole
the Irishman catching one of the wee folk and would never stay put, because no self-respect-
demanding to be given the little fellow’s crock ing community of wee folk could abide a dis-
of gold. In these stories, the sly leprechaun turbance on their mound.
always manages to trick the greedy lout who
The big city electrical workmen had a
has grabbed him by causing the human to
laugh at the expense of the villagers and said
glance away from him for even a moment.
some uncomplimentary things about the level
Once a human takes his or her eyes off the
of intelligence of the townsfolk of Wexford.
leprechaun he or she has somehow managed
They finished digging the hole to the depth
to glimpse in the first place, the wee one has
that experience had taught them was ade-
the power to vanish in a flash.
quate; then they placed the post within the
The origin of the leprechaun derives from freshly dug opening and stamped the black
a tale much like the old story of the shoemak- earth firmly around its base. The satisfied fore-
er and the elves. The leprechaun, dressed in man pronounced for all within earshot to hear
his bright green clothing with a red cap and a that no fairy folk or leprechaun would move
leather apron, was originally known as the the pole from where it had been anchored.
cheerful cobbler, a wee person who takes However, the next morning the pole tilted
delight in repairing humans’ shoes for a at a sharp angle in loose earth. The villagers
reward of a bowl of porridge. shrugged that the wee folk had done it, but

The countryfolk of Ireland take their wee the foreman of the crew voiced his suspicions
folk seriously, and they know better than to dis- that the leprechauns had received some help

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