Ever since we were little, we’ve been enchanted by fairytales. From the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella to Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night's Dream, there’s no doubt that fairies have influenced the literary genre. Traditional tales and folklore have taken hold of readers' imaginations for decades, sometimes portrayed as handsome, elvish beings, other times as sinister creatures who delight in the suffering of others. And now, with modern works like the Wings series by Aprilynne Pike and Need by Carrie Jones, writers have delved further into the fae, humanizing and dehumanizing them as many artists have done. And admittedly, the stories that’ve evolved from this fascination are truly astonishing. 

But why do people use fairies? Why are they so popular that we feel the need to use them as protagonists, antagonists, or even love interests? What makes them so special?

Remembering the Past: As children, listening to our parents reading us bed time stories, we grew up with a variety of fairytales like Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty, where the fairies have always had some say over humanity’s fate. Even if it’s just a fairy circle stretching into the ends of eternity, or the majesty of the Seelie Courts, the fae have always captured our hearts. When we think of fairies, we think of justice, morality, and the overall goodness of the heart, with the exception of Maleficent, of course. Even so, fairies represent the innocence of our childhood. This concept is the reason why fairies are so prominent in horror: ruining childhoods, after all, is the genre’s specialty. 

Enchanting and Mysterious: The realm of the fae has a certain kind of appeal to it. The Seelie Courts and Unseelie Courts are often depicted as enigmatic, filled with different cultures, different ways of life. There are many types of fairies, from the traditional forest spirits in Japan, to the will-o-wisps in Ireland, all of which beckon visitors into the darkness of their reality. Even time moves differently in the Courts; for instance, if you watch a fairy circle for five minutes, you might end up coming back home in…five years? 

Good and Evil: Even so, there are still some elements that are recognizable to us. The traditional battle of good vs. evil is seen when we deal with fairies. Typically, we generally regard the Seelie Court fairies as good, and the Unseelie Courts as evil. Even so, we use fairy magic because we associate it with goodness. In fact, in the fairytale The Rose Elf by Hans Christian Andersen, a small elf that lived in a rose helped a young woman to escape the villain. 

But while fairies are oftentimes associated with goodness and mischievousness, they’re also incredibly unpredictable. Just because one or two fairies so happen to be your fairy godmother doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be on guard. Arrogance in dealing with the fae can lead to your demise, and as Richard Siken once said, “Vanity, in a fairytale, will make you evil.”