Elves in fiction Norse-style elves. However, the elves found in the works of the 20th-century philologist and fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien have formed the view of elves in modern fantasy like no other singular source. The first appearance of modern fantasy elves occurred in "The King of Elfland's Daughter", a 1924 novel by Lord Dunsany. The next modern work featuring elves was "The Hobbit", a 1937 novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. Elves played a major role in many of Tolkien's later works, notably "The Lord of the Rings". Tolkien's elves were followed by grim Norse-style elves of human size in
Works inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien "Bugs Bunny meets "The Lord of the Rings". It's a really long fairy tale with some fantasy elements but a lot of comedy." Three radio plays based on "The Lord of the Rings" have been made, broadcast in 1955–1956, 1979 and 1981 respectively. The first and last ones were produced by the BBC. Numerous songs have been inspired by or refer to the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien. Progressive rock acts like Rush, Mostly Autumn, Glass Hammer, Bo Hansson and indie rock band Gatsbys American Dream have composed several songs based on Tolkien's characters and stories. Camel's "Nimrodel/The Procession/The