AlamyComplex, dangerous, sexual beings': The centuries-old origins of current fairy fiction
Neil Armstrong
1 April 2026
The fairies in faerie romantasy – or erotic "fae" fiction – are not the glittery, do-gooding sprites of children's stories. They are dangerous, shape-shifting spirits – just as they were in centuries-old folklore, according to a new book about fairy history. From the ancient Nordic forest fairies and the 15th-Century Mélusine legend to Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, faerie folklore is full of deception and seduction.
