In the 1960s and afterwards, elves similar to those in Tolkien's novels became staple, non-human characters, in high fantasy works and in fantasy role-playing games. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955) became extremely popular and was extensively imitated. Tolkien's elves were followed by grim Norse-style elves of human size in Poul Anderson's 1954 fantasy novel The Broken Sword. Elves played a major role in many of Tolkien's later works, notably The Lord of the Rings. The next modern work featuring elves was The Hobbit, a 1937 novel by J. The first appearance of modern fantasy elves occurred in The King of Elfland's Daughter, a 1924 novel by Lord Dunsany. Tolkien have formed the view of elves in modern fantasy like no other singular source. However, the elves found in the works of the 20th-century philologist and fantasy writer J. Half-elves and divergent races of elves, such as high elves and dark elves, were also popularized at this time in particular, the evil drow of Dungeons & Dragons have inspired the dark elves of many other works of fantasy.Įarly pioneers of the genre such as Lord Dunsany in The King of Elfland's Daughter and Poul Anderson in The Broken Sword featured Norse-style elves. Consequently, Elves are often a living relic of a setting's respective fictional mythology and source of its lore.

That age was often long before other races appeared or were created. Often elves do not possess facial or body hair, are not portrayed fat or old and are consequently perceived to be androgynous.Īs a race, Elves are more ancient than humans or other races, mentioned to have flourished in a sort of Golden Age which has been forgotten by other races. Post-Tolkien fantasy elves (popularized by the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game) tend to be immortal or longeval in comparison to humans, more beautiful and wiser, with sharper senses and perceptions, and abilities or crafts that seem alien or magical.

The length and shape of these ears vary depending on the artist or medium in question. Although the álfar of Norse mythology has influenced the concept of elves in fantasy, the elves are different from Norse and the traditional elves found in Middle Ages folklore and Victorian era literature.Ī hallmark of fantasy elves is also their long and pointed ears (a convention began with a note of Tolkien's that the ears of elves were 'leaf-shaped'). Modern fantasy literature has revived the elves as a race of semi-divine beings of human stature who are friendly with nature and animals. Consequently, Elves are often a living relic of a setting's respective fictional mythology and source of its lore.Ĭharacteristics and common features They may be from an age long before other races appeared or were created. Post- Tolkien fantasy elves tend to be immortal or long-lived in comparison to humans, more beautiful and wiser, with sharper senses and perceptions, and abilities or crafts that seem alien or magical. However, this differs from Norse and the traditional elves found in Middle Ages folklore and Victorian era literature. These depictions arise from the álfar of Norse mythology influencing elves in fantasy as being semi-divine and of human stature, whose key traits are being friendly with nature and animals (Oftentimes being able to communicate with some facet of nature). In many works of modern fantasy, elves are depicted as a race or species of pointy-eared humanoid beings. A post-Tolkien interpretation of a fantasy elf, from the Wesnoth fantasy setting, 2011

Battle for wesnoth elves last stand