Fantasyfiction tends to draw upon a common set of creatures that are easily recognizable to fans of the fantastic genre and have some pre-determined traits. Most are based on mythology, legends, fairy tales, or classical literature. (For such species, see List of species in folklore and mythology.) Fantasy writers and authors have also created a number of monsters and races unique to their particular tales and worlds. Some of these monsters have become quite popular even among those not familiar with the writer's actual body of work, and in a few cases their popularity has spread to other media and genres.
Many fantasy worlds' humanoid species are referred to as "races". In particular, in role-playing games, "race" often refers to a species that can be played as a player character. In general, such races are humanoids of size, strength and intellect approximate to that of a human. Species available only to non-player characters are often called monsters, regardless of the actual nature of the species in question. The Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual is the most prominent RPG monster reference; many other games have similar rulebooks.
This list only includes fictional species from works of fantasy fiction. This list does not include fantasy stories' names for species more properly included in other lists, such as Atani (Humans of Middle-earth) or Melnibonéans (Elves of Michael Moorcock's Elric cycle), nor does it include fictional races of humanity unless they are physiologically different enough to merit separate consideration. For otherworldly species from science fiction and cross-genre fantasy/science fiction works, see list of aliens in fiction. For non-fictional species, see Category:Tree of life. For purported species such as those found in cryptozoology, see Category:Cryptids.
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