Until reading Tolkein, my view of elves was entirely defined by the Elves and the Shoemaker. Elves were very small, very crafty, and somewhat helpful if you were nice to them. This belief was later enforced by descriptions of Santa Claus' workshop elves up at the North Pole.

I had a hard time accepting the Tolkein version of elves, which are vastly superior to humans in most respects. Tolkein's elves were tragic creatures who engaged in a futile struggle against the passage of time ... and based on the movies, I believe they were also very good at cobbling shoes.