J.R.R. Tolkien used the term eucatastrophe for a sudden joyful escape from disaster in fairy-stories.
Tolkien introduced the word in his 1947 essay “On Fairy-Stories.” He formed it from Greek elements meaning “good” and “disaster,” describing the unexpected turn that brings joy at the moment when defeat seems certain.
For Tolkien, eucatastrophe was not simply a happy ending or an absence of danger. The story must first confront genuine loss, fear, or apparent ruin. The reversal then produces a powerful emotional response, which he connected with the deepest purpose of fairy-stories.
He also described the Christian story of the Resurrection as the greatest eucatastrophe. In his fiction, events such as the rescue of the characters at the Battle of the Five Armies illustrate the pattern, though Tolkien’s critical term is broader than any single plot event.