One of the most important things to keep in mind when RPing a Tolkien elf is that they are not like the elves of other fantasy and mythological tales. They are not Santa's elves, Shakespeare's elves, or even Dungeons and Dragons elves. To quote J.R.R. Tolkien himself in The Return of the King, on his use of the word "elves" as the name of this species:
"This old word was indeed the only one available, and was once fitted to apply to such memories of this people as Men preserved, or to the making of Men's minds not wholly dissimilar. But it has been diminished, and to many it may now suggest fancies either pretty or silly, as unlike to the Quendi of old as are butterflies to the swift falcon. ... They were a race high and beautiful, the older Children of the world ... and their voices had more melodies than any mortal voice that now is heard."
Our elves are creatures of the spirit (fëa), housed in tall, beautiful, long-lived — yet not indestructible — bodies (hröa, plural hroar), over which they hold incredible powers of mastery. They are "immortal" (more on this later), do not die of old age, heal quickly, and are completely immune to sickness, though their bodies may be destroyed by violence, and they may also die of grief. To mortals, they do not appear to age at all after reaching adulthood at 100, though the gaze of an older elf is deeper and more profound.
The other most important thing to keep in mind when RPing an elf is that elves are not human. Rather, they are a "higher", nobler, older race than mortals (in fact, the elvish race predates even the sun and moon!), and are quite simply superhuman. They are possessed of beauty, wisdom, endurance, dexterity, and powers of sight and hearing beyond mortal means; feats of grace that elves take for granted appear "magical" to human eyes. And while some are even better singers than others, all elves are incredible singers by mortal standards.
Based on the above and the fact that elves are never evil, it's tempting to assume that they are perfect and flawless in every way. Not so! While they are not subject to the vast majority of human failings, elves have their own vices: arrogance, a feeling of superiority over the "lesser" species, melancholy, a tendency to dwell in the past, and a desire to stop time. Tolkien writes:
"But the elves are not wholly good or in the right ... they were 'embalmers'. They wanted to have their cake and eat it: to live in the mortal historical Middle-earth because they had become fond of it (and perhaps because they there had the advantages of a superior caste), and so tried to stop its change and history, stop its growth, keep it as a pleasaunce, even largely a desert, where they could be 'artists'-- and they were overburdened with sadness and nostalgic regret."
"The love of the Elves for their land and their works is deeper than the deeps of the Sea, and their regret is undying and cannot ever wholly be assuaged."Long ago, the Valar (powerful, "angelic" beings) welcomed the elves to sail West and join them in the Undying Lands, away from the sorrows and troubles of Middle-earth. While many elves did so — and many still do: elvenkind is fading from the earth, as more and more elves grow weary of the world and sail over the sea and into the West — it is a testament to the the depth of the elves' love for the earth that now, well over 6000 years later, some elves still remain. Elves know that their time in Middle-earth is all but ended, and that after them will come an age of Men: this is a sorrowful matter to them, as they do not believe that humans will ever love the earth as they love it.
-- Galadriel, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The elves' deep love for their land is an intrinsic part of the very nature of their existence. Elves' spirits are bound to the life of the world: until the world ends-- elves believe it one day will, and catastrophically-- their spirits, even when separated from their bodies by death, cannot perish, though the spirits of those elves who are slain or waste away from grief are summoned to the Halls of Mandos, where they might be granted reincarnation.
Taken from +EHELP THEME ELVES.
