Fairy
In French tradition the fée is a supernatural woman who grants gifts to newborns and shapes the destiny of mortals, dwelling in forests, springs, and castles of the Otherworld. Two archetypes dominate medieval literature: the fairy godmother and the fairy lover (Morgane, Viviane, Melusine). Regional forms such as the dames blanches and the fées des houles preserve older, more ambivalent beliefs.