Estimated Time: 10 minutes

Vondra is a fairy, but she isn’t the tiny, winged creature from bedtime stories. She is powerful, mysterious, and not entirely trustworthy. Across history, different cultures have imagined fairies in many ways. Some were helpful, others were mischievous, and some were even feared.

The word fairy comes from the Latin word Fata, meaning fate. People once believed fairies could influence a person’s future, bring good luck, or cause mischief. Stories about fairies developed in many places, including Persia, Ireland, Greece, and Scandinavia. In some cultures, fairies explained things that seemed unexplainable—like people disappearing, sudden bad luck, or strange dreams.

Let’s explore the history of fairies from around the world in this video.

Why do you think fairies exist in the myths of so many different cultures?