>>107478274>Tolkien elves were closer to Celtic Fair Folk.They really aren't from a physical standpoint, albeit they do have certain deliberate similarities (elves being from an other world across a western sea). While the terms fairy and elf eventually became interchangeable due to the commingling of mythologies (specifically that of the huldufólk and the álfar in Iceland, Faroe, Shetland, Orkney, and northern Scotland), true elves and true fairies do not at all have similar roots. Celtic fairies evolved from the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish folklore. Elves as a concept however draw from Norse mythology where they are 3 distinct races, Ljósálfar, Dokkálfar, and Svartálfar, which are light elves (think high elves), dark elves, and dwarves (yes, dwarves are a kind of elf).
Incidentally, Celtic and Nordic giants likewise have split origins, with the Celtic versions evolving from the Fomorians and the Nordic version are again multiple distinct races, fire and frost giants (and maybe some others, Norse mythology has a bunch of random bullshit). Also incidentally, trolls and their cousins the gnomes and huldra evolved from the Norse giants.
