Have Fairies Evolved into Fae?

If you read as much from the fantasy genre as I do, you may have noticed that older books frequently feature the fantastical beings most commonly known as “fairies” while newer works tend to feature “fae” instead. I cannot help but wonder why this is the case?  When I think about possible answers, they all involve looking at the differences in how fairies versus fae tend to be portrayed.

When the word “fairy” is mentioned, many immediately think about Tinker Bell. In fact, Oxford Languages defines the word “fairy” as “a small imaginary being of human form that has magical powers, especially a female one.” Other than Tinker Bell, we never tend to see many traditional fairies portrayed as main characters. In fact, most books relegate fairies to the role of magical pest, with all of the negative connotations that implies.

In contrast, in fantasy books that were written more recently, the term “fae” has become much more prevalent.  The term “fae” tends to be used to describe a more human-like version of a fairy that still has pointed ears, magical powers, and sometimes wings. The difference is that fae are usually the size of an average human and display much more humanistic traits. Fae are also often given the role of protagonist in stories as opposed to being a side character and are often portrayed much more positively than fairies.  In fact, in many books fae characters will become offended if they are called a fairy!

I think that the reason for many of these differences has to do with how we view magic now versus in the past.  Magic was a taboo concept a few centuries ago and even well into the last century.  When magic was viewed so negatively it makes sense that any creature possessing it would not be written as too relatable, as a creature similar to humans would be, or too good. 

In modern times, magic has lost its stigma. Therefore, the idea that creatures quite similar to humans might have magic can now be expressed and often even becomes a form of wish fulfillment. 

So are fae and fairies entirely different beings, or have fairies simply evolved?

Fairy truly yours,

Grace W. Wong