What if leprechauns were real?

So…What happens?

The first aspect we will discuss is how they would interact with the environment, excluding humans. Assuming they developed similarly to early humans, early leprechauns might be hunter-gatherers, though their small size would present different advantages and challenges. Assuming their bodies function similarly to ours, their short stature and small limbs could require them to use more energy per kilogram of body mass to cover the same distance we do. However, this would not necessarily mean they burn more total calories than a full-sized human. Their smaller bodies would also generally require fewer calories at rest, as they have smaller skeletons, muscles, and organs. Because of these competing effects, we cannot conclude that their size would put them at an overall energetic disadvantage. Their size might also allow them to be stealthy, especially because their personalities are already described as sneaky. Perhaps this personality trait could come from their methods of hunting, though that is purely speculation. They might rely on fish such as salmon, rabbits, birds, and other smaller animals, depending on their hunting tools and abilities. Depending on just how small they are, they could also face predators that are not normally threats to adult humans, potentially including foxes and birds of prey.

Now, as they relate to humans, things could become more complicated. We will split them into two scenarios: magic leprechauns and non-magic leprechauns.

For magic leprechauns, their abilities could be sought after by humans. For this scenario, we will assume they possess the agility, stealth, illusion-making abilities, and three wishes described in some portrayals. These abilities could cause humans to respond in several possible ways. One, people might take an interest in their abilities and try to capture them to gain access to their magic. This would be very bad for the leprechauns. We imagine they could become prisoners, held against their will and forced to demonstrate their abilities or teach humans anything that could be learned. Two, humans might chase after them for the wishes they grant. This could possibly be better for the leprechauns than the earlier outcome. Assuming humans catch them, they might get their wishes and then let the leprechauns go. However, some might continue holding them captive or even kill them afterward to prevent other people from gaining access to wishes. That would be very bad for the leprechaun. Third, humanity might view leprechauns as a threat. Their ability to grant wishes could lead people to wonder whether they can grant wishes to each other or use similar powers for themselves. If people believed those powers were dangerous, they might attempt to control or eliminate them. These are possible scenarios under our assumptions about their magic, rather than outcomes we can confidently predict.

But there may be some good news for the leprechauns. They are described as incredibly sneaky and, under our assumptions, possess enhanced agility, so it is possible that humans would struggle to catch them in the first place, especially if their population were small and scattered. That being said, modern tracking and surveillance technology might make hiding more difficult. Whether technology could overcome their abilities would depend on how their magic works, so there is no real way to determine exactly what would happen. Humans might also choose to cooperate with them, especially if their abilities could benefit both groups.

Now, for the magicless leprechauns, survival could still be challenging. There was actually a small-statured human species that lived on the Indonesian island of Flores and disappeared around 50,000 years ago, known as Homo floresiensis—the “Hobbit.” Its disappearance occurred near the time modern humans arrived in the region, but its extinction remains uncertain. Competition with modern humans and environmental pressures are possible explanations, rather than established causes. We also cannot say that modern humans simply wiped out every other past human species. Still, if magicless leprechauns shared food sources and habitats with humans, they could experience competition with us. Overfishing, where it reduced the fish populations they depended on, could threaten their food supply. Even without this competition, it is possible that some people would mistake them for magic-possessing leprechauns and pursue them for abilities they do not actually have.

There is no real way of telling what would truly happen to our poor leprechauns, but human impacts on other species give us reasons for concern. Even today, human activity threatens many species with extinction, so leprechauns could face similar pressures. But there is an important caveat: their humanlike appearance and ability to communicate might encourage people to empathize with them. Resembling a small, elderly person would not automatically make them biologically human, but their intelligence could raise important ethical questions about their rights and how they should be treated. Whether they received legal protections, and what those protections looked like, would depend on how governments responded to their discovery. Their outcome could therefore be strongly influenced by the Irish government and the attitudes of the public. We imagine they could even be viewed as culturally significant and worthy of protection because of their place in Irish folklore. Hopefully, our leprechauns would be treated kindly by our species. History gives us reasons to consider a sad outcome, but coexistence and protection are also possible. There is still no real way of knowing.