Most leprechauns are ugly, stunted creatures, not taller than boys of the age of ten or twelve. But they are broad and bulky, with faces like dried apples. They have a mischievous light in their eyes and their bodies, despite their stubbiness, usually move gracefully. They possess all the earth's treasures, but prefer to dress drab. But the other fairies endure them because they provide the much needed service of cobblery.
Leprechauns guard the fairies' treasures.
They must prevent it's theft by mortals. They, alone, remember when the marauding Danes landed in Ireland and where they hid their treasure. Although, they hide the treasures well, the presence of a rainbow alerts mortals to the whereabouts of gold hordes. If a mortal catches a leprechaun and sternly demands his treasure, he will give it to the mortal. Rarely does this happen.