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drigel, good point, but... One aspect of Tolkien's Elves which is world's away from the traditional figures (particularly the Irish Sidhe) is in their sexual mores. The Fairies of tradition are notoriously lascivious & this sexual element was extremely shocking to the early Christian redactors of the Pagan material. Tolkien's Elves are almost innately 'Catholic' in as regards sex - no sex till they are married & then seemingly only for procreation - which is usually limited to a couple of children.
So, as I said they seem from a sexual perspective to be innately good Catholics - they wouldn't even need the Church's prohibitions - every 'demand' the Church makes on member's sexual conduct is just second nature to Tolkien's Elves - no struggles involved. Traditional Fairies, on the other hand, seem to have no self control (sexual or otherwise) to speak of.
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