[Cygnus]

I think this has been discussed somewhere before, but more to do with the origin of the wizard hat than the origin of fantasy species.

I want to know where elves started being known as tall, thin, having long lives, etc. Or why dwarves are all short, gruff, and generally underground? Where did these rules come from? Did they orignate with Tolkien, or further back?

Just curious and hoping for enlightenment.

[Runebreaker]

dont know about the elves but the dwarves come from norse myths but they were called darkelves (no drizzt back then) . Basically these norse dwarves were small people who made great things on a forge and had a love for all things shiny. They also were tricky (how undwarf like).

[Jon Shannow]

Shakespear is the oldest author I know of who descibes elves ,at least the king and queen of the elves of tall, thin, inhumananly butiful and immortal and I think he based his elves, which until then where depicted much like pixies, on Irish Sidhe.

[milamber_reborn]

Try looking in a library or search on the net for myths and legends, particuarly Norse, Irish etc. Might discover some little known species or some interesting things.

[Cygnus]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm definitely going to go look for books on Norse myths now that my interest is piqued. Not being much of a Shakespeare buff, I had no idea that he had elves in his plays.. very interesting.

[Vitriol]

Yup; check out 'Midsummer's Night Dream'.