The Elves of Tolkien's world are very different from the elves of previous folklore. The tiny little "Santa's helper" type of elf was the only type that anyone would associate with the word in the previous half of this century. Since The Lord of the Rings became popular, and it has been quite popular since its original publication in 1955 (1965 in the United States), the word has also conjured up a very different image. In Tolkien's Middle Earth, elves are about the same size as humans, maybe not as heavily built, but not tiny and weak at all. And, though they can be silly and enjoy humor, they are not to be taken lightly. They are basically immortal - not aging or suffering disease. They can be killed only by violence, or extreme sorrow. And this is not easy since they are pretty good at violence themselves when it is necessary. They are also good at many other things. Living for millennia, they develop a very high culture and incredible skills in all sorts of arts and crafts, ranging from smithing (making weapons and armor and more delicate things of precious metals), to cooking and wine making, wood carving, weaving, calligraphy, and special arts like healing. Their skills can be so great the ordinary humans cannot comprehend how they accomplish these things and call them "magic" - which is just a handy word for something you don't understand. And, living for millenia, they become incredibly complex and powerful personalities, not easily understood by mortals.