Where has our imagination gone? (3/15/05)

Where have all the little people gone? St. Patrick’s Day is coming soon and I have yet to see a leprechaun. I would think they would all be out polishing up their rainbows and finding new places to hide their pots of gold.

Traditionally they are shoemakers. They may be in hiding because they are embarrassed that modern shoemakers have given their profession a bad name. For the last decade or so I have been unable to find a pair of shoes that fits properly or that lasts more than a few months.

My mother-in-law used to stop at every shoe store there was on the off chance she could find something to fit her feet. And we all know that the most expensive shoes are made in underdeveloped countries by people working in unspeakable conditions. Who wants to be identified with that?

Leprechauns are also said to be fond of liquor. Although they are rarely depicted as being falling down drunk, it is no longer fashionable to be seen staggering around with a glass of home-made booze.

They also like to smoke pipes. Once upon a time pipe smokers were viewed as classy people. Now they are subject to the scorn of non-smokers who tell them how nasty the habit is. I can’t imagine a leprechaun putting up with that. He would be more likely to bop the self-righteous non-smoker with his shillelagh.

Have you ever seen a female leprechaun? I haven’t. Come to think of it I have never seen a young leprechaun either. They are all short, old men with pointy ears. Do they hatch as elderly guys? Do the females and young look like regular fairies and elves or are fairies and elves different species altogether?

I found a source that said that the word “leprechaun” is derived from the Irish word for shoemaker, or maybe the Irish word for pygmy. They weren’t really sure. Our dictionary describes a leprechaun as a “mischievous elf” but doesn’t give the history of the word.

They are known to hide behind bushes and hedgerows but the last time I looked there was nothing in our bushes except a rabbit and lots of trash.

We don’t have many hedgerows around here so that could be why there aren’t many leprechauns. No place to hide.

Leprechauns aren’t the only small beings to disappear. When was the last time you saw a fairy? We used to have fairy rings in the lawn. Those are rings of a darker, more lush grass than what’s in the surrounding yard. They are caused by fairies dancing under a full moon. I know, I know, skeptics will tell you otherwise, but that is what really causes those circles in the lawn. Today, fairy rings are a thing of the past. All the nasty chemicals we apply to our yards have driven the fairies away.

Gnomes are still around but they have all been turned to stone. They used to live in the earth and guard precious ores. Now they live on top of the earth and guard precious flowers in our gardens. They have a spokesperson, the traveling gnome, who makes television commercials for a living. At least gnomes come in both male and female versions so maybe they won’t disappear as quickly as the leprechauns and fairies have.

I think the world is a poorer place without imaginary creatures. The only invisible beings that are acceptable to believe in these days are religious figures. We are allowed to believe in guardian angels but if we speak of them then people look at us funny. All of us, but especially children, need to believe in things that can’t be seen or touched.

We need fairies, elves, and even leprechauns to help us make sense of the world. We need pots of gold at the ends of our rainbows. The fanciful and unseen are as important as reality any day.

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