The Fair Folk: Difference between revisions

''[[Light Is Not Good|No one ever said elves are '''nice''']].

''[[Eldritch Abomination|Elves are '''bad]]'''.''

 

Modern society has lived with [[Disneyfication|the Disneyfied vision]] of Fairies for so long—the Fairy Godmothers of "[[Cinderella (novel)|Cinderella]]" and "[[Sleeping Beauty]]", Tinkerbell in ''[[Peter Pan (Disney film)|Peter Pan]]''<ref>Tink was actually quite capable of mischief in the original movie. And she tried to kill Wendy! But she has since been princess-ified.</ref>—that it seems hard to imagine that some would consider Fairies evil.

The return of this trope to popular awareness can be traced back to at least 1988, when ''[[The Sandman]]'', a [[Comic Book]] penned by [[Neil Gaiman]], featured a number of Fairy characters who were often either outright malicious or self-centered to the point of sociopathy. Gaiman also used traditional Fairies in his novels and short stories as well as other comic books, and directly inspired authors such as [[Terry Pratchett]] (a friend of Gaiman's in long standing) and Susanna Clarke, author of ''[[Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell]]''. Ten years earlier, the artist [[Brian Froud]] did a series of illustrated books cataloging the ''Shee'' or bad fairies, and their close cousins, the [[Our Goblins Are Wickeder|goblins]]. His work was also the inspiration for the 1982 film ''[[The Dark Crystal]]''.

 

 

Ever wonder why Fairies are called "the Fair Folk" or "the Good Folk"? It's because calling them an ''unkind'' name is a good way to bring down their wrath upon your head. Especially [[The Wild Hunt]]. In addition, simply using the word "fairy" is considered insulting. (It's not clear why. The popular theory is it's like calling a human an ape.) On the subject of names, there's a 90% chance that a named fairy leader will be called Oberon, Titania or Mab. Other fairies are just as likely to have names drawn from ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''.

'''The Fair Folk''' are often depicted as an [[Inhumanly Beautiful Race]]. Compare and contrast [[Fairy Companion]], [[Our Elves Are Better]], [[Our Fairies Are Different]], [[Witch Species]], [[Our Goblins Are Wickeder]], [[All Trolls Are Different]], [[Our Mermaids Are Different]], and [[Our Dwarves Are All the Same]]. See also [[Youkai]] for a rough Japanese equivalent. [[The Greys]] is more modern trope with [[Sci Fi Counterpart|many similarities]]. An extreme example may be an [[Eldritch Abomination]] or [[Humanoid Abomination]]. When humanity appears this way is [[Humans Are Cthulhu]].

 

 

{{examples}}

** ''Here Abide Monsters''. A [[Speculative Fiction]] novel including flying saucers. Nevertheless, the people of Avalon - the [[Alternate Universe]] into which the protagonists stumble via a [[Cool Gate]] - are The Fair Folk.

** In the short story "The Long Night of Waiting", Lizzie's description of the people in the [[Alternate Universe]] in which she and her brother were trapped clearly indicates The Fair Folk, although they seem well-intentioned. Note that "Lizzie" is also the name of one of the girls in Christina Rossetti's ''[[Goblin Market]]''.

** However, while they are powerful and cruel, they tend to be thick and unable to learn, and aside from the Queen and select Lords (and even they tend to be highly unimaginative), seem to be almost incapable of forming much original thought.

{{quote|'''Granny Weatherwax''': You call yourself some kind of goddess and you know nothing, madam, nothing. What don't die can't live. What don't live can't change. What don't change can't learn. The smallest creature that dies in the grass knows more than you. You're right. I'm older. You've lived longer than me but I'm older than you. And better'n you. And, madam, that ain't hard.}}

** Flavor text for the original Alpha Llanowar Elves: "One bone broken for every twig snapped under foot." Pretty brutal for 1/1 druids that give you green mana.

** There are also Faeries in the Lorwyn setting; they're mostly mischievous and disrupting, if not outright evil. Though they went from being simply mischievous in Lorwyn/Morningtide to being outright evil in Shadowmoor/Eventide. The [[Big Bad]] for that block was {{spoiler|Oona, Queen of the Fae}}. And [[Game Breaker|exceptionally overpowered]].

** In most Magic sets, Elf creatures are very Tolkien-sian. A bit more xenophobic, but Tolkien's elves could be pretty xenophobic to anyone who wasn't the [[Chosen One]] too. They're still basically creatures of order and "live and let live", as shown by the fact that (until the Lorwyn block) the color of mana they are most likely to use, after green, is white. Lorwyn, though, is consciously based on faerie tales, so the predatory, capricious and aristocratic aspects of The Fair Folk got emphasized, and for the duration of the block elves were black secondarily to green instead of white. A tribe switching colors is rare, and switching to a rival color like that is almost unheard of.

* In ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' cosmology, the Seelie Court, ruled by Queen Titania, are arrogant elitists who refuse to consider non-Fey people. The Unseelie Court, ruled by the Queen of Air And Darkness, are simply [[Exclusively Evil|monstrous]]. Of course, since the Dungeon Master has final say what goes on in his/her world, fey in individual campaigns can vary from one end of the spectrum to the other.

*** Even the conventional "sylvan fey" of the Land of Mists can be nastier than elsewhere, due to the ambient influence of the Dark Powers throughout the setting.

** ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' used to have few true fairies, but in ''[[Counselors and Kings]]'' Unseelie are presented as one of the very few things that can truly scare Drow, as opposed to irritate them or cause to back off for now.

** In ''[[Pathfinder]]'', a game based on a modified version of D&D 3.5, elves are aliens.

*** Though it is is the ''gnomes'' who are the Fey-connected people with a more alien perspective on things. The elves may have their quirks, but in comparison their mentality tends to be a tad bit closer to humans (as befits a race native to a Pulp Venus analogue).

** ''"(Seriously, we could have died. We probably still will. Faeries are tricky.)"''

* In the [[Whateley Universe]], the Faerie are an ancient race who think of humans as pets raised (originally) in a garden world. They apparently feel the same way about werewolves. Fey, one of the protagonists, was changed into her current appearance by an ancient Faerie spirit who now resides in Fey's head. While Fey is inhumanly beautiful, in "Ill Winds" her true form is a luminescent energy form that isn't remotely human.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* The "Third Race" from ''[[Gargoyles]]''. Especially the episode when Oberon and Titania were out to capture Xanatos's son Alexander for the Gathering. Goliath thought it was so vile that he actually ''sides'' with Xanatos to prevent Alexander's capture.

** Oberon is consistently depicted in the series as capricious, vain and arrogant, [[Screw the Rules, I Make Them|making and breaking edicts on a whim]]. Sure, he'll say his magic will never harm you and yours, and it won't... until he wants it to.

*** Interestingly, [[Word of God]] has said they used to be a whole lot worse. After being banished from Avalon most changed considerably; besides Oberon who, at the time, was mature and compassionate in comparison. And don't even get started on his [[God Save Us From the Queen|mother]].

*** Titania, his wife, seems to be of the other type thankfully, and is more than capable of controlling her husband. {{spoiler|Unfortunately, she's the instigator for the incident with Alexander. And then also the instigator for the interference of the Gargoyles}}.