Fairy Godmother
A female character with magical powers who acts as a mentor or protector to the protagonist.
The fairy godmother is a character type found primarily in European fairy tales, most famously in Charles Perrault's 1697 version of Cinderella ('Cendrillon'). She appears when the protagonist is in desperate need and provides magical assistance — typically a transformation that enables the hero to overcome obstacles. In Propp's structural analysis, the fairy godmother corresponds to the 'Donor' function. While Perrault popularized the fairy godmother, similar helper figures appear across world folklore: the magical crone in Russian tales (Baba Yaga, who can be helper or villain), the animal helper in Grimm tales, and the ancestral spirit in African traditions.