The Creepy Lore Behind “Fae Traps” Is Going Viral On TikTok

Have you ever seen a flight of stairs that lead to nowhere? Or a circle of mushrooms in your backyard? Well, if you do encounter them, you might want to steer clear. According to folklore enthusiasts on TikTok, these alluring invitations may be a fae trap, and engaging with one may bring you bad luck or even harm. Even if you’re not on #WitchTok, you might be curious to learn more about what they are. Here’s the rundown on everything you need to know about fae traps so you can avoid them on your next nature walk.

To understand what a fae trap is, you’ll need to know what fae are first. TikTok user @magicalmbeth explains that a fae is a “collective of creatures” featured in European mythology that tend to hang out in nature or other natural spaces. Another word for fae is “fairy,” although fae aren’t exactly as kind or loving as, say, Tinkerbell. Per the creator, fae are known to be “tricksters, up to no good,” and sometimes even have malicious intent behind their actions. That’s where the fae trap comes in.

According to the TikToker, there are many legends about fae “stealing people,” sharing that in these myths, the fae would “steal a human baby and replace it with a fae baby,” and bring the human baby to the fae realm. In order to snag the child, the fae would set up things or displays to lure the child into the fae world, hence the term “fae trap.”

As far as what these traps can look like, creator @northcascadestarot explains that the most common kinds of fae traps are a fairy or mushroom ring in the ground, like the one shown in this video. Orbs of light or shiny, eye-catching objects may also qualify.

If you search the term “fae trap” on TikTok, you can also get an idea of what an “obvious” fae trap looks like in the wild — and plenty of people are sharing the fae traps they encounter IRL on the ap. The hashtag #faetrap has 24.2 million views on the TikTok. TikTok user @two.of.pomegranates called out this waving fern for being a trap, while user @toodarling may have found a portal within this random stairwell in the middle of the woods.

The mythology behind fae traps has even spawned a viral sound, where creator @grunkleduck calls a red coffee cup that’s been suspiciously placed in the middle of a stone trail “the most obvious fae trap I have ever seen.” The TikToker’s friend yells from behind, “Imma go touch it,” to which the creator responds, “no, Maria, you’re gonna get kidnapped!” The video has over 200K likes as of April 5, and the sounds has been used in nearly 1,000 TikToks.

So what actually happens if you interact with a fae trap? User @northcascadestarot explains that according to folklore stories, walking into a fairy ring may lead you to be “forced to dance until you go mad, or until you perish from exhaustion.”

“Other types of fae traps may include you getting kidnapped into the other world, or into the fairy realm,” shares the tarot reader. “The real danger in fae traps is that you may or may not come back from that experience.” Yikes. No point in risking it.

Not all fae traps are restricted to the woods. User @ladybugmadi deemed the 12-pack of free waters she found in her apartment complex as yet another example of an “obvious fae trap,” while @wildendeavor claims a 6-sided dice that’s been left in the parking lot of a grocery store has to be “some fae “sh*t.”

Because TikTok users seem convinced that pretty much anything can be fae trap, it’s probably a good rule of thumb to just ignore any coffee cups, toys, jewelry, weird plants, or paths to nowhere and leave them be. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.