Elves
The elves have been with us for a very long time. In the fantasy genre they have enjoyed a long and prosperous reign as the most popular mythical beings, the rock stars of heroic literature. Where would the fantasy world be without them? When a writer needs a class of supernaturals who are not unlike men, yet different in some way, touched with a special magic beyond the reach of men, he welcomes the elves onto his pages or, in some cases, makes up a new race of beings who are called by a different name, yet seem suspiciously elvish.
In his book, The Broken Sword, author Poul Anderson informs us that the mystic folk can be traced back to the Icelandic Eddas which describe a race of elves, the alfar, who were tall and fair and served the Aesir in Asgard. He further notes that these elves of Norse mythology inspired Professor Tolkien to develop his own stories about elves. Borrowed from Norse mythology, these elves have been the standard among writers in the genre for decades. A quick glance at wikipedia will also reveal that he is credited with bringing back the older terms elven and elvish instead of using elfin and elfish which were conceived by Edmund Spenser. The popularity of Tolkien's work made the elves more famous than they had been previously, but he did not invent the elves. He did not invent the dwarves either. He borrowed both races from Norse mythology. He borrowed quite heavily, in fact, from the Norse myths.
Unfortunately, anyone who writes about elves is going to be compared to Tolkien, no matter how original and creative their narrative is. There are still many who mistakenly credit Tolkien with inventing the elves, and perhaps even creating the entire fantasy genre as we know it. While he certainly helped to shape the genre, carefully and brilliantly crafting a quintessential fantasy adventure story, he cannot claim ownership of its timeless themes and elements. All writers, without exception, are inspired by and draw material from their predecessors.
There are many stories about elves. In contemporary fiction, Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword is among the earliest and most memorable. Unlike Tolkien's cheery woodland beings, Anderson's elves are flawed and cunning. They have no fondness for mankind and use their magical crafts to serve their own purposes. Their apparent self-interest makes them seem very similar to the humans they loathe.
C.J. Cherryh's The Dreaming Tree describes a race of ancient elves who are generally feared by men. Cherryh's elves are more compassionate than Anderson's aloof mystics, though less sociable than Tolkien's kindly forest dwellers. They are suspicious of men, but they are not wicked. Ultimately, they help mankind to overcome a great evil.
Books and Broccoli
I would just like to encourage people to read books. Americans are reading fewer books. There are so many people who graduate from college and never read another book. I have my own theory about why that happens. In school they have to read all these very depressing stories, all these melancholy explorations of the human condition. The schools are teaching people that great literature must be very depressing and tragic. Of all the books I had to read in high school I can only think of one that has a happy ending, Oliver Twist. Everything else was depressing and tragic. Of Mice and Men, about a guy who shoots his best friend in the head; The Catcher in the Rye, about a guy who ends up in a mental institution because he has no friends; and The Metamorphosis, about a guy who wakes up one day and turns into a cockroach. Kids have to read this stuff and then we wonder why they have such a bad attitude, what are they so depressed about? It's because we're feeding them a steady diet of depression and tragedy. Now don't get me wrong, these books are classics and should be studied in school, but they should be part of a balanced diet that includes other books that are not depressing and tragic. Broccoli is good for you, but it should not be the only food you eat. Likewise, melancholy books should not be the only books you read. We need to balance the sad stories with some happier tales, just like they do in music and art class, mixing sad songs and paintings with works that are full of joy.