According to legend, leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly, live alone, and pass the time making shoes. They also possess a hidden pot of gold. 

Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of his shoemaker's hammer.  

If caught, he can be forced (with the threat of bodily violence) to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure,but the captor must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor's eyes leave the leprechaun (and he often tricks them into looking away), he vanishes and all hopes of finding the treasure are lost.