"That's not a realistic elf!"

[Felix]

But how can a stereotype of a fictional race be based on fact? Most fantasy stereotypes come down to "Tolkien did it" which is rather sad. Unlike the Science Fiction genre, the Fantasy genre is still stuck with cloning the first big fantasy work (LotR) and everything which differs from it is questioned.

With regard to Tolkien dwarves, check out Nibelungenlied.

For his elves, there are the Sidhe.

Goblins, Brownies, Gnomes... they all have their roots in folklore.

In a lot of ways, Tolkien took what was out there and changed it slightly to suit his purpose. But the stereotypes of elves being flighty and whimsical, dwarves being dour and grasping, and gnomes being mischievous were all already there. He may have modernized it and changed the names, but he did not create those traditions.


Also:
--Beowulf
--La Morte d'Arthur
--The Song of Roland
--Journey to the West
--The Epic of Gilgamesh
--The Aeneid
--Thousand and One Nights

"First big fantasy work". How do you mean, exactly?