Life is full of unpredictable moments. Unexpected happenstance, unplanned detours, happy accidents,

but while some people love to be surprised, what most of us really want is some consistency.

Which is why a glance through a few decades of popular entertainment always seems to turn

up the same fixtures. The superhero, the action star, the daring spy, from car chases

and westerns to the big heist and the rom-com, the things we watch and read are really good

at delivering comfort food. I firmly believe it's possible to sort through all that Hollywood

has given us and match it to a small group of popular categories and character types.

It's not lazy and it's not a trope, it's all about giving people what they want, what

they love. And the same is true with folklore. Over the centuries, key figures and stories

have been passed around with such regularity that most people just sort of take them for

granted. They've always been there and probably always will. So why give them much thought?

A great way to see this in action is to dive into the roots of most animated Disney films.

That their center is an older story, one that might not have seen the light of day for

a while but is instantly popular all over again. Because some stories never go out of style.

Which is fine. But if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that whimsical

stories are often just a costume wrapped around a darker core. And when it comes to one

corner of folklore in particular, that core might be more than just a little frightening.

It could very well be true. I'm Aaron Mangy and this is lore.

It doesn't take much to conjure up images of them. All I have to do is say the word and

your head will be swimming with pictures that represent everything you think you know

about them. And that word is fairies.

Thanks to Disney, we probably imagine tiny old women with wings zipping around through

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