The general description of an elf is usually a short, impish creature,
sometimes very thin, sometimes wide. Dobby the house elf for instance.
Throughout every description, one thing remains constant, the pointy
ears. :)
I, for one, prefer Tolkien's version of elves - A beautiful race,
tall and fair, who have an ethereal glow to them and who live forever. Well,
they can only die from a broken heart and in battle. Wouldn't it be
wonderful to be an elf?? Except for the living forever part, I would LOVE
to even just live with them, to meet one. I guess the same can be
said for many people about countless creatures, but elves seem so close
to our own species, J.R.R. Tolkien makes them so believeable, and the LotR
crew has such an awesome magic in making them come to life so beautifully,
so that elves appear to be very real. I remember growing up hearing
stories about Santa's little elves and elves that sneak into houses in the
middle of the night and fix people's shoes. Never would I have imagined
elves looking so elegant and magical. Now that I have, though, I don't
think I can ever go back to thinking elves look more like gnomes.