"Do not speak to me of dragon fire"

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Well, there is the small matter of their magically creating and disappearing a feast three times in a row... Given the nature of The Hobbit, I think it's entirely feasible that Tolkien was writing them as far more 'fairy' than his normal elves.

The "fey" nature of the Silvan Elves in TH certainly reflects the folklore of the British Isles (particularly Gaelic Ireland, Wales and Scotland), where unwanted visitors stumble upon a glimpse of Faery (usually walking into a "fairy ring" - a circular growth of mushrooms), only to have the scene suddenly snuffed out and the bewildered person left alone in the dark (or in more malign tales spirited away forever). The appearance of a white hart or stag also portends the supernatural, and is a motif often used in the Arthurian cycle. That the ElvenKing lives in a subterranean palace fits perfectly with Celtic mythos.