A femme fatale, sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character: a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of literature and art. Her ability to enchant, entice and hypnotize her victims with a spell was seen in the earliest stories as verging on supernatural; hence, the femme fatale is often described as having a power akin to an enchantress, seductress, or witch, having power over men. Femmes fatales, typically villainous, or at least morally ambiguous, always evoke a sense of mystification, and unease.