Märchen is the German diminutive of the obsolete German word Mär, meaning "news, tale" (see Märchen). It may refer to: A fairy tale, a type of short story that typically features folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments A type of musical composition The Russian composer Nikolai Medtner wrote many examples for solo.