From the wikipedia article:An elf is a creature of Germanic Mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and underground places and caves, or in wells and springs. They have been portrayed to be long-lived or immortal and as beings of magical powers. Following J.R.R. Tolkiens influential The Lord of the Rings wherein a wise, immortal people named Elves have a significant role, elves became staple characters of modern fantasy. Elves are often portrayed as being human-sized and beautiful, or being small, miniature beings.