Elves and Dwarves had a long history in European folklore before Tolkien, dating back to ancient Norse mythology. Norse culture was one of Tolkien's areas of expertise, and he frequently drew upon ...

Norse mythology has two different groups of elves, called Light Elves and Dark Elves. The Light Elves are described as angelic and magical beings with a supernatural connection to nature.

And I was actually asked in an interview by a journalist who had read Norse Mythology if we’d hit peak ... on by some rather wicked dwarves or dark elves. And they turn his blood into the ...