In The Hobbit, King Thranduil of Mirkwood, the Wood Elves' king, liked his wine from Dorwinion. His wine was also imported by the Elves of Mirkwood in barrels down the Forest River from Long lake.
From The Hobbit: "The wine, and other goods, were brought from far away, from their kinsfolk in the South, or from the vineyards of Men in distant lands. " "It must be potent wine to make a wood-elf drowsy; but this wine, it would seem, was the heady vintage of the great gardens of Dorwinion, not meant for his soldiers or his servants, but for the king's feasts only, and for smaller bowls, not for the butler's great flagons."
They are talented craftsmen
If you are referring to the book "The Hobbit," we aren't told exactly. We do know that elves and dwarves had a long-standing grudge against each other. But it does seem as if the elves were trying to trap them, or at least to create an excuse for taking them prisoner. The elves in "The Hobbit" were more like the elves in Celtic folklore - silly, tricky, deceitful little fairies - than the regal, mysterious elves in "The Lord of the Rings." Legolas was a Mirkwood elf, one of the people that the dwarves encountered in "The Hobbit," and was not considered the equal of the Lorien elves.
They were tired and hungry with no food or water. At least with the elves, they were fed.Because they had lost their way in Mirkwood and were on the brink of starvation.
No. There would be some reference to the Elves and Men mixing there. But there is not. They are separate races, and though they trade, they are not related.
From The Hobbit: "The wine, and other goods, were brought from far away, from their kinsfolk in the South, or from the vineyards of Men in distant lands. " "It must be potent wine to make a wood-elf drowsy; but this wine, it would seem, was the heady vintage of the great gardens of Dorwinion, not meant for his soldiers or his servants, but for the king's feasts only, and for smaller bowls, not for the butler's great flagons."
In the Hobbit there is no attempt to ratify the existence of elves with the known rationale of the world. therefore they are fantasy.
They are talented craftsmen
There are lots of creatures in The Hobbit. There are hobbits, elves, dwarves, and wizards to begin with...
Spiders, trolls and wood-elves
In The Hobbit, they are simply identified as "Wood Elves". Later, they were further identified as being Silvan Elves led by the Sindar, Thranduil (who is the father of Legolas).
The elven king in The Hobbit is the leader of the race of Elves that lived in Mirkwood.
Floating in barrels downriver.
When The Hobbit was written, I don't think that Tolkien had imagined that the Orcs/Goblins were derived from the Elves. In many ways the Goblins of the Misty Mountains were somewhat to the Silvan Elves of the Woodland Realm: - They both lived underground - They both were suspicious of outsiders (especially dwarves) How they differed: - Goblins preferred the dark places and shunned daylight, Elves lived underground to avoid detection - The Elves were beautiful, the goblins ugly - The Elves only greed was for wine and song, while the Goblins were just plain greedy This is just on the surface too. Later we are told that the Goblins/Orcs are actually Elves that were twisted and corrupted by Morgoth, Sauron's master.
Bilbo Baggins
If you are referring to the book "The Hobbit," we aren't told exactly. We do know that elves and dwarves had a long-standing grudge against each other. But it does seem as if the elves were trying to trap them, or at least to create an excuse for taking them prisoner. The elves in "The Hobbit" were more like the elves in Celtic folklore - silly, tricky, deceitful little fairies - than the regal, mysterious elves in "The Lord of the Rings." Legolas was a Mirkwood elf, one of the people that the dwarves encountered in "The Hobbit," and was not considered the equal of the Lorien elves.
Elves that live in the woods (Lorien and Mirkwood mainly). They consist of mostly Silvan elves, meaning they never made the journey to the blessed realm, or Beleriand. Their leaders though, are of Noldorin or Sindarin descent.