We all know about vampires and werewolves, or at least we think we do. The legends and myths that inspired these monsters are sometimes surprisingly different, but no less chilling. In this series of posts, Monster Monday, we’ll investigate the monsters that have informed our modern notions, as well as some lesser known monsters. Today, we talk about the Clurichaun.

A clurichaun is an Irish fairy. Unlike their cousins the leprechauns, who stay busy cobbling shoes and doing other chores, clurichauns like to inhabit wine cellars and stay drunk all the time. They are solitary and prefer to be left alone. They wear red caps made of leaves and are always impeccably dressed.

Like most fairies, they can either be friendly and helpful or destructive and dangerous. If treated well, a clurichaun will protect the wine in the wine cellar, defending it from thieves and making sure casks don’t leak. It might even entertain the household with traditional Irish songs. If mistreated, however, it will make a racket at night, preventing anyone from sleeping and also could spoil all the wine in the cellar. It also likes to ride the dogs and the sheep at night.

If a person wants to attract a clurichaun all he has to do is leave out a little wine for it. The clurichaun will come for the wine, and if it likes the cellar it will stay. However, once a clurichaun has been driven off from a cellar, no other clurichaun will ever stay there.