Cendrillon (Massenet) in the context of Fairy godmother

In fairy tales, a fairy godmother (French: fée marraine; Spanish: Hada Madrina) is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or surrogate parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. The fairy godmother is a special case of the donor.

Rather than stemming from folklore, these figures come from the fairy tales of précieuses, and their presence there influenced many later tales and fantasy based on fairy tales.