What is a ‘fae trap’? Everything to know about the mystical world TikTok is obsessed with

Search the term #faetrap on TikTok and you’ll wind up with thousands of results. In fact, videos tagged with the catchphrase have already drawn more than 25.6 million views. But what does a “fae trap” actually mean? Allow us to get you up to speed.

For starters, “fae” is the plural form of a fairy and refers to a group of magical creatures in European mythology. But these aren’t just any fairies. Instead of being a positive force that brings good fortune, the fae are known for being tricksters who mislead humans and bring nothing but bad luck. In other words, it’s best to avoid them.

As for fae traps, these refer to elaborate setups the fae would create to lure humans into their secret world. On TikTok, it’s now being used to describe any place in nature that seems to have a magical yet deceptive aura about it.

Many TikTokers have also been breaking down the meaning of the term in their own videos lately.

One TikTok, shared by @northcascadestarot, has helped clear up a lot of the confusion around who the fae really are.

The TikToker tells her followers to think of the world of fae as an umbrella term.

“There are many different categories and types that fall within that umbrella,” she explains, just as there are types of fae (who are also called fae, fay, fey, fairy, faerie, little folk, etc.). “They can have many different shapes and forms, much like there are lots of different kinds of birds with different sizes and colors and personalities.”

As for fae traps, @northcascadestarot says that in European mythology, the most common kind of fae trap is a fairy ring or a mushroom ring that entices humans to take a closer look.

That said, “any other orb of light or shiny, shimmery thing that may get the attention of passersby may fall into that category,” the TikToker says.

When @magicalbeth was asked to define fae traps by a follower, she went into more depth about their origin.

For one thing, she made clear that the fae are not like Tinkerbell or the friendly-faced fairy in FernGully because of their devious streaks.

“A lot of times they were tricksters, up to no good, sometimes even malicious intent,” the user reiterated.

Over the years, there were also a lot of legends being written about the fae actually stealing people — one example, she notes, is the story of the Changeling.

In stories like these, a member of the fae would lure humans into a fae trap in order to steal a human baby. Later, it would replace the baby with a fae baby.

“They would set up little things that you would follow, and you would end up in the fae world,” says @magicalbeth. (One example? Leprechauns and their enticing pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.)

TikTokers are now making light of the whole thing by sharing fae traps they’ve come across out in the world, and people can’t stop watching.

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