; and this
mysterious race, having undergone a gradual deification, became
confounded and identified with the original local gods, and ultimately
superseded them altogether."

But whatever their origin, supernatural powers evil and beneficent were
supposed to attach to them such as the power of spiriting away young
married women to act as fairy nurses, and their infants to replace fairy
weaklings, or again the power of conferring wealth, health, and
prosperity where a certain ritual due to them had been performed by
their human allies.

The injurious powers of malevolently disposed fairies can only be met,
according to popular belief, by wizards and wise women, who still
exercise their arts in remote districts of Gaelic-speaking Ireland and
Scotland.

These fairies are supposed to be life-sized, but there was another class
of diminutive preternatural beings who came into close touch with man.

Amongst these were the Luchryman (Leith-phrogan) or _brogue_ (shoe)
maker, otherwise known as Lepracaun. He is always found mending or
making a shoe, and if grasped firmly and kept constantly in view will
disclose hid treasure to you or render up his _sporan na sgillinge_ or
purse of the (inexhaustible) shilling. He could only be bound by a
plough chain or woollen thread. He is the type of industry which, if
steadily faced, leads to fortune, but, if lost sight of, is followed by
its forfeiture.

Love in idleness is personified by another pigmy, the _Gean-canach_
(love-talker). He does not appear like the Luchryman, with a purse in
one of his pockets but with his hands in both of them and a DUDEEN
(ancient Irish pipe) in his mouth as he lazily strolls through lonely
valleys making love to the foolish country lasses and "gostering" with
the idle "boys."

To meet him meant bad luck, and whoever was ruined by ill-judged love
was said to have been with the Gean-canach.

Another evil sprite was the _Clobher-ceann_, "a jolly, red-faced drunken
little fellow," always "found astride on a wine-butt" and drinking and
singing from a full tankard in a hard drinker's cellar, and bound by his
appearance to bring its owner to speedy ruin.

Then there were the Leannan-sighe, or native Muses, to be found in every
place of note to inspire the local bard, and the _Beansighes_ (Banshees,
fairy women) attached to each of the old Irish families and giving
warning of the death of one of its members with piteous lamentations.

Black Joanna of