It's interesting that pointed ears were not mentioned in the Lord of the Rings (and when Tolkien mentioned it in hobbits, he was probably thinking of a more mundane description), but they then became a feature of elves in fiction, then perhaps THE main feature to the point that they are. How should I say it. Fetishized (or so I've heard)
What is strange to me is that pointy ears do seem to be a very common motif to say "this being is magical/non human" but I have no idea where they came from.
While I cannot find direct originator of the idea of pointy ears, it is definitely something that was feature of magical beings in vintage illustrations and storybooks that predate Tolkien and were produced around the same time as his own works, so it is possible that then-contemporary children's fantasy art cross-pollinated with and influenced following epic fantasy.
Idea of strange ears might be hold-over from earlier folkloric traditions that signified supernatural aspects of inhuman beings by giving them some exaggerated body parts; Scottish bean-nighe is recorded in some parts to have giant breasts, and so is Latvian Lauma; various household spirits, from Scottish Maggy Moulach, a female variant of brownie, to Slavic domovoi are portrayed as being very hirsute; Three Spinners, a popular folkloric fairy tale through Europe, features three magical crones distinguished by grotesquely big foot, thumb and lips.
It is interesting to me to note that most examples of pointy ears I can find in illustrations follow from creatures that are more impish, semi-animalistic, or fitting ''little people'' archetype than later Tolkinean elf. From what I have read, in time of Tolkien's youth word ''elf'' was more closely applied to aesthetic we are familiar with Santa Claus elves, and dwarf was more akin to garden gnome; I cannot support myself with direct sources, but I think I recall reading that Tolkien was frustrated by these being most popular portrayals of elves and dwarves, and sought to restore their older dignity.
Folklore and folkloric writings that portray more ''statuesque'' and ''inhumanly beautiful'' type of elves and fairies do exist, and their influence on Tolkien in my opinion is palpable, in how their descriptions hint at some physical difference between fey folk and humans, but are more subtle than today's portrayals. Common descriptors include being taller and more idealized looking compared to mundane humans, having Snow White-esque appearance of fair skin, black hair and red lips, or bright golden hair, wearing all white or all gold, and seemingly shining eyes. This is for example how Howard Pyle (1853-1911) describes Lady of the Lake in his books The Story of Champions of the Round Table and The Story of The King Arthur:
Now whiles the hermit was about this business the door opened of sudden and there came into that place a very strange lady clad all in green and bedight around the arms with armlets of emeralds and opal stones inset into gold. And her hair, which was very soft, was entirely black and was tied about with a cord of crimson ribbon. And the hermit beheld that her face was like to ivory for whiteness and that her eyes were bright, like unto jewels set into ivory, wherefore he knew that she was no ordinary mortal.
All this Queen Helen beheld; and she likewise beheld that the lady was of a very extraordinary appearance, being clad altogether in green that glistered and shone with a wonderful brightness. And she beheld that around the neck of the lady was a necklace of gold, inset with opal stones and emeralds; and she perceived that the lady's face was like ivory--very white and clear--and that her eyes, which were very bright, shone like jewels set into ivory. And she saw that the lady was very wonderfully beautiful, so that the beholder, looking upon her, felt a manner of fear--for that lady was Fay.
Below are some examples of the illustrations, that I will put under read more so that they don't bloat random people's dash:
Illustration of Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, from Robin Goodfellow: His Mad Pranks and Merry Jests (1629)
Engraving by Thomas Corlidge (1700-1766), supposedly a portrayal of a satyr on Florentine cornelian
Illustration of goblin by John Dickson Batten (1860-1932) in English Fairy Tales (1918) of Flora Annie Steel (1847-1929)
Illustration of elves by Richard Doyle (1824-1883) in In Fairyland: A Series of Pictures from the Elf World (1870) by William Allingham (1824-1889). Note how ears aren't necessarily pointed but more exaggerated.
Sorry for hijacking your post! I hope I haven't intruded too much.
No, don't be sorry, thank YOU so much for giving me this info! I was tracking down the idea too by myself and I arrived at some of the same information, but I had trouble articulating it. Thank you, I did learn a lot today!
It turns out that actually standing by "men and women are not inherently very different" is a reliable way to bother absolutely everyone. Left or right, cis or trans, feminist or misogynist, all cling to the binary for dear life.
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