History Main / AlienFairFolk

** ''ComicBook/{{Eternals}}'': When the Eternals were first introduced, they were stated to have inspired the myths of the Greek gods, and the Deviants to have inspired stories of monsters and demons. Initially, the title was not assumed to be part of the Marvel Universe proper, but when it ''was'' incorporated, this created a problem because the Greek gods already existed in the Marvel Universe. The resulting RetCon claimed that the Eternals were mistaken for the gods after the Olympians themselves withdrew from interacting overtly with the mortal world.

** When the [[ComicBook/{{Eternals}} Eternals]] were first introduced, they were stated to have inspired the myths of the Greek gods, and the Deviants to have inspired stories of monsters and demons. Initially, the title was not assumed to be part of the Marvel Universe proper, but when it ''was'' incorporated, this created a problem because the Greek gods already existed in the Marvel Universe. The resulting RetCon claimed that the Eternals were mistaken for the gods after the Olympians themselves withdrew from interacting overtly with the mortal world.

[[folder:Light Novels]]
* ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'': It's revealed that [[spoiler:the Goblins]] actually come from the Moon.
[[/folder]]

** The trolls are a hermaphroditic species evolved from [[InsectoidAlien insects]] who live in a HiveCasteSystem, but they are violent {{Horned Humanoid}}s with often superhuman strength.

Compare AngelicAliens and SpaceElves; also compare DigitalAbomination for when supernatural creatures are conflated with AI and computer viruses rather than with aliens. Often a form of either DoingInTheWizard or DoingInTheScientist. The latter version can be seen as a subtrope of MistakenForAliens. See also AlienSpaceBats, when aliens [[AlternateHistory change real-life history itself]].

* [[ConspiracyKitchenSink Both aliens and spirits exist]] in ''Manga/{{Dandadan}}'', and Okarun wonders if there's some kind of connection between the two. He points out the TheFlatwoodsMonster is supposedly an alien, but the one he encounters is affected by a magic ward as if it was an evil spirit. While spirits are InvisibleToNormals, explicitly alien characters can see them just fine. Momo's telekinesis is nominally a spiritual power, and the kind of thing typically unlocked by [[TouchedByVorlons encounters with spirit]], but she got it when she was abducted by aliens. It's also theorized the reason aliens stay covert instead of invading Earth is because the yokai are too powerful.

* [[spoiler:The Incubators]] of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' at first appear magical, and [[spoiler:Kyubey]] is occasionally called a fairy, but they are actually aliens. That said, they do take advantage of magical power, [[DealWithTheDevil just in an indirect manner]].
* Lum's horned alien race in ''Anime/UruseiYatsura'' are identified as {{Oni}}. The series has quite a few other {{yokai}}-based aliens, often making it ambiguous whether the legends were based on AncientAstronauts or if the aliens' resemblance to the legends is a coincidence. Interestingly, most of the human cast take it completely in stride that the creatures of their legends are from space, seemingly figuring that the practical difference between "outer space" and "fairyland" doesn't amount to much. In the second episode, a group of characters casually assume they can summon an alien back to Earth with a magical chant they made up on the spot... and it ''works'' (well, it summons the ''wrong'' alien, but that's nitpicking).

* Pip the Troll's race from ''[[ComicBook/Warlock1967 Adam Warlock]]'' resemble satyrs both in appearance and behavior, though it's apparently a coincidence and they have no connection to Earth.
** Creator/MarvelComics' giant Chinese dragon [[Characters/IronManCentralRoguesGallery Fin Fang Foom]] is actually an alien from the planet Maklua who just happens to look like a dragon, although the Marvel Universe also has dragons that are the genuine article.

* Some versions of Mister Mxyzptlk from Creator/DCComics have him and his kind as inspiration for fairies and elves.
** The Pre-Crisis version of Franchise/{{Superman}}'s enemy [[Characters/SupermanRoguesGalleryMToZ Terra-Man]] rode Nova, an alien animal resembling {{Pegasus}}.
** ''ComicBook/AnimalMan2011'' claimed that the aliens who gave the titular character his powers were actually mystical beings native to Earth who arrived in an illusionary spaceship because they figured that was [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith something Buddy could more readily accept]].
* There was a ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' comic that said Leprechauns were descended from members of the Guardians of The Universe that settled on Earth.
* One of Hunt Emerson's "Phenomenomix" comic strips in ''Magazine/ForteanTimes'' dealt with a bunch of fairies leaving their mound to terrorise a lone traveller. A young rebellious fairy spent the strip moaning about how dull and routine the procedure had become, before in the final panel sneaking off to a secluded dungeon to work on his "fairy chariot"... a stereotypical FlyingSaucer.
* Although, properly speaking, ''ComicBook/ElfQuest's'' "World of Two Moons" is not actually prehistoric Earth, it's easy to overlook that fact. And it's certainly a huge revelation at the end of the original big story arc when we learn [[spoiler: the Elves, Trolls, and [[OurFairiesAreDifferent Preservers]] are all originally from outer space. And time travelers, to boot.]]
* Early ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'' comics had vampires as aliens from the planet Drakulon. This was later retconned to be false memories Vampirella was given before Drakulon was eventually brought back as a region of Hell instead of a planet.

* In ''Animation/DavidAndTheMagicPearl'' the [[StarfishAliens Spacers]] [[note]] and [[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial E.T.]] [[/note]] are the descendants of gnomes.
* Though in [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor the comics]] their relationship to Earth is a little more complicated, in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'', all the creatures of Myth/NorseMythology are aliens, plain and simple. Subverted in ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', where they're [[DoingInTheScientist back to identifying as gods again]], though the difference is split in that they do have history in the greater galactic community.
* Like in the [[ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} comics]], the ''Film/{{Vampirella}}'' movie has vampires coming from the planet Drakulon. Seeing as it never got any sequels, this was never retconned like in the comics.

* Creator/KimNewman's "Literature/AngelDownSussex" deals with an extra-dimensional incursion in rural Britain in the 1920s, at precisely the point at which [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm human perception of such entities]] is beginning to shift from traditional occult/faerie mythology to twentieth-century UFO mythology. It's left ambiguous as to what the alien visitor really is and where it's really from, as the guises it adopts to suit human superstitions impede the protagonists' investigation.

* ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}'';
** In ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', a river troll has landed on the Disc after falling through space for years after falling off another Discworld.
** In ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'', elves are extra-dimensional beings, and include several aspects of UFO mythology, such as crop circles heralding their presence, and their un-glamoured appearance resembling the description of TheGreys.
* In Creator/CliffordSimak's ''Literature/TheGoblinReservation'', various legendary creatures (goblins, trolls, banshees) turn out to have come to Earth from another planet thousands of years ago.
* In ''Literature/InCryptid'', several cryptid species, most notably the Johrlac, come from [[AnotherDimension other dimensions]]. The Johrlac, a telepathic species also called "cuckoos" for their habit of leaving their babies with human families who raise them, have some similarity to {{Changeling Tale}}s.
* In works by Creator/HPLovecraft, the Great Old Ones are supernatural creatures akin to pagan gods (for instance, Shub-Niggurath aka the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young is obviously related to the god Pan) who are actually of extraterrestrial origin.
** In particular, "Literature/TheWhispererInDarkness" features an extra-dimensional alien race who are said to have inspired creature legends in the parts of the world where they have visited (including the legends of the yeti or mi-go in the Himalayas, which is why Franchise/CthulhuMythos fans tend to refer to them as the Mi-Go in the absence of Lovecraft giving their actual name).
* In ''Literature/ALordFromPlanetEarth'', Palians are humanoids with elongated fangs who feed on blood and are vulnerable to yellow-spectrum stars. They've been coming to Earth for centuries in order to feed on humans, resulting in myths about vampires.
* Subverted in ''Literature/MartiansGoHome'' by Creator/FredricBrown. The protagonist tells a Martian his kind must account for all the superstitions about elves as such, only for the Martian to say human stupidity is what accounts for it.
* Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/NomesTrilogy'' is about the titular Nomes who realize they came from another planet and go on a quest to get back there.
* A DiscussedTrope in ''Literature/{{Starsnatcher}}'' where the opening scene revolves around a UFO sighting. [[AgentMulder Steve]] believes it must be aliens while [[AgentScully Lucas]] expresses skepticism. He cites the many similarities between [[TheFairFolk folkloric faeries]] and modern-day [[AlienAbduction alien abduction tales]] as evidence that the latter must be myths.
* Creator/DavidBrin's "Literature/ThoseEyes": This story is about the activities of a group of alien beings whose origins are not made explicit, but who are responsible for both fairy legends and UFO sightings, and are struggling to keep their power in a world increasingly full of people who believe in neither.
* The Aen Elle in ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' are elves from a parallel dimension. They have a terrifying reputation, some neat magic tricks (those involving teleportation and portal travel in particular) and a culture steeped in BlueAndOrangeMorality, and while they love to paint themselves as an implacable force of nature, they are physically indistinguishable from "ordinary" elves and quite mundane once you get behind the facade.

* ''Chasing Bigfoot: The Quest For Truth'' portrays sasquatches as a race of GeniusBruiser aliens.
* We could be here all day listing the mythical creatures that ''Series/DoctorWho'' has revealed to be aliens. Vampires, yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, the Egyptian gods, the Greek god Chronos, and on and on. And that's not counting creatures like the Minotaur-like Nimon or the Mummy On the Orient Express who just look like legendary Earth monsters completely by coincidence.

* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode "[[Recap/SupernaturalS06E09ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve Clap Your Hands if You Believe...]]", the town of Elwood has a large Ufologist community and a high rate of paranormal incidents. When the Winchesters investigate reports of {{Alien Abduction}}s, CropCircles, and lights in the sky, they find fairies instead. Ironically, the local woman who had already identified them as TheFairFolk is [[CassandraTruth seen as a kook]] by the other {{Conspiracy Theorist}}s.

* In ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'', it's revealed that [[spoiler: The Goblins]] actually come from the Moon.

* In ''TabletopGame/D20Future'', a couple of the alien species are supposed to have been the inspiration for various mythical beings. A good example is the werren, vaguely UrsineAliens who are the basis of BigfootSasquatchAndYeti.
* TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}:

* Inverted in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', where some of the habits of malign aliens - abductions, cattle mutilations, etc. -- are instead attributed to more fey-aligned derros. There are plenty of aliens as well, and this setting's elves are originally from Castrovel, a nearby planet loosely based on a PlanetaryRomance version of Venus.
* Some of the older (likely no longer canon) ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' fluff suggests that the Orcs and Goblins were accidentally brought to the planet as spores that hitched a ride on the Old Ones' spaceships.

* The big reveal of the pre-Ubisoft ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' games was that the setting was in fact a colossal GenerationShip, and of course that many creatures were such as the "demons" were actually aliens.
* In ''VideoGame/NelsonTethersPuzzleAgent'', the mysterious gnome-like creatures known as the Hidden People turn out to be some lunar spirits.
* In ''VideoGame/TonyToughAndTheNightOfRoastedMoths'', a pumpkin-headed villain known as Jack O'Lantern steals candy from children every Halloween; [[ConspiracyTheorist the protagonist believes him to be an alien who plans to conquer the Earth]]. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted; he's neither a supernatural creature nor an alien, but the protagonist's bully neighbor who got a pumpkin stuck on his head.]]
* In ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxHitTheRoad'', the Molemen from America's urban lore are revealed to be extraterrestrials.
* In the ''VideoGame/StarControl'' series, the Arilou are said to have inspired both the old legends of TheFairFolk and the newer legends of TheGreys.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', alien species are [[ThemeNaming Theme Named]] after legendary creatures: trolls, cherubim and leprechauns have all made appearances. They are generally odd mixtures of their namesakes and various alien traits.

* [[OurDragonsAreDifferent The space dragons]] in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' actually ''are'' Earth's dragons, but [[{{Ultraterrestrials}} they left for another planet]] centuries ago.

* Pip the Troll's race from ''[[ComicBook/{{Warlock}} Adam Warlock]]'' resemble satyrs both in appearance and behavior, though it's apparently a coincidence and they have no connection to Earth.

** Creator/MarvelComics' giant Chinese dragon Fin Fang Foom is actually an alien from the planet Maklua who just happens to look like a dragon, although the Marvel Universe also has dragons that are the genuine article.

** Demons are descended from micro-organisms that once lived on the moon, and arrived on earth during the Triassic period. As a result of the moon being hit by a meteor, a chunk of the moon broke off and plummeted to earth, bringing the organisms that would eventually evolve into demons to earth, and creating the island of Hybras where they have lived ever since.

It is, however, ambiguous if any ''characters'' ever believed Gems were magical beings from Earth. Most humans are FantasticallyIndifferent to them in general, Steven called doesn't particularly react to this part of the revelation even though he'd previously been calling them "magic", and his father directly calls them "aliens" in a flashback to years earlier.

** ''ComicBook/AnimalMan2011'' claimed that the aliens who gave the titular character his powers were actually mystical beings native to Earth who arrived in an illusionary spaceship because they figured that was something Buddy could more readily accept.

* We could be here all day listing the mythical creatures that ''Series/DoctorWho'' has revealed to be aliens. Vampires, yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, the Egyptian gods, the Greek god Chronos, and on and on. And that's not counting creatures like the Mummy On the Orient Express who just look like legendary Earth monsters completely by coincidence.

Compare AngelicAliens and SpaceElves; also compare DigitalAbomination for when supernatural creatures are conflated with AI and computer viruses rather than with aliens. Often a form of either DoingInTheWizard or DoingInTheScientist. The latter version can be see a a subtrope of MistakenForAliens. See also AlienSpaceBats, when aliens [[AlternateHistory change real-life history itself]].

Compare AngelicAliens and SpaceElves; also compare DigitalAbomination for when supernatural creatures are conflated with AI and computer viruses rather than with aliens. Often a form of either DoingInTheWizard or DoingInTheScientist. The latter version can be see a a subtrope of MistakenForAliens.

* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': One [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent ayakashi]] possessed a cymbal[[labelnote:*]]Specifically, a sohachi-bon, whose name is a regional slang term for "FlyingSaucer".[[/labelnote]] and flew around near a road, causing people to report [=UFOs=]. When [[AgentMulder Lucy]] investigates the area, she runs into Shirogane, an ayakashi that shapeshifted into Matsuri's male form. She had only seen that form in her dream and Shirogane [[INeverToldYouMyName calls Lucy by name unprompted]], so she assumes "Shiromatsu" was a [[TelepathicSpacemen psychic alien]] and his ninja gear was a spacesuit. Shirogane decides to [[SureLetsGoWithThat go along with it]], and when he leaves her, the cymbal ayakashi passes overhead, convincing Lu he'd flown off to space.

* ''Series/QuatermassAndThePit'' deals with ancient aliens who not only gave the human race intelligence, but who are the inspiration for supernatural beings, most notably horned demons.

* [[ConspiracyKitchenSink Both aliens and spirits exist]] in ''Manga/{{Dandadan}}'', and Okarun wonders if there's some kind of connection between the two. He points out the TheFlatwoodsMonster is supposedly an alien, but the one he encounters is affected by a magic ward as if it was an evil spirit. While spirits are InvisibleToNormals, explicitly alien characters can see them just fine. Momo's telekinesis is nominally a spiritual power, and the kind of thing typically unlocked by [[TouchedByVorlons encounters with spirit]], but she got it when she was abducted by aliens.

* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': It's mentioned that various aliens have been mistaken for angels, demons, vampires etc. Complicating matters, all those supernatural types exist too.

* ''Franchise/Ben10'': Several different creatures attributed to myths and legends, including a lake monster, a werewolf, mummies, and even the Chupacabra, are all aliens.

** The ComicBook/New52 version of ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'' claimed that the aliens who gave him his powers were actually mystical beings native to Earth who arrived in an illusionary spaceship because they figured that was something Buddy could more readily accept.

* Pip the Troll's race from ''ComicBook/AdamWarlock'' resemble satyrs both in appearance and behavior, though it's apparently a coincidence and they have no connection to Earth.

* ''WesternAnimation/RoswellConspiracies'': Turns out that vampires, werewolves, Banshees and Yeti are all aliens that have arrived to Earth many years ago and have moulded legends.

* Inverted in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', where some of the habits of malign aliens - abductions, cattle mutilations, etc. -- are instead attributed to more fey-aligned derros. There are plenty of aliens as well, and this setting's elves are originally from Castrovel, a nearby planet loosely based on Venus.
* Some of the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' fluff suggests that the Orcs and Goblins were accidentally brought to the planet as spores that hitched a ride on the Old Ones' spaceships.

Compare AngelicAliens and SpaceElves. Often a form of either DoingInTheWizard or DoingInTheScientist. The latter version can be see a a subtrope of MistakenForAliens.