Yes, I haven't encountered any intelligent zombies yet either. But on the other hand, there's a reason they eat brains. :)
And elves, besides being a proud magical people, were also depicted as small human-like creatures, very small, living in the forest (and not beautiful), shearing wool from animals, and making life difficult for farmers. In general, these parallels in mythology are very interesting. Take, for example, the dragon: it exists in almost every culture. Sometimes it's a huge lizard, sometimes a three-headed snake, and sometimes, like in Chinese mythology, it's something else entirely. Forest heresy is very similar, all these living trees, brr... A satyr is a goat-legged creature (partly a leshy), to whom the ability to lead people astray is attributed. Also common are half-human, half-animal creatures, or human-like animals, such as beorn, and various kinds of werewolves.
And according to Scandinavian mythology, dark elves are creatures that, according to one version, are related to dwarves (they are the same), and according to another, to trolls. Now, dark elves are drow, and Salvatore loves to write books about them.
Oh, by the way, regarding Shrek - he is called either an ogre (a giant or a cannibal) or a troll. A troll is a dweller of swamps and rivers in Scandinavian mythology, living under a bridge (a mandatory condition), and is stout and shorter than a human. In modern times, a troll is a creature similar to a mountain and embodying its strength.
Orcs are creatures from early depictions of evil, embodying the dark side of Pluto (Greek Hades). In the Saga of Beowulf, orcs are something like zombies (which is probably why they resemble Tolkien's orcs, and he probably took them from there), and their greenish skin is like corpse spots. According to other interpretations, an orc is a creature with a boar's head (as in Might and Magic IV), as well as Warcraft-like freedom fighters (similar to those in Might and Magic III). Also, orcs are elves transformed by magic (or fallen elves). In general, there are many theories, and it's hard to grasp them with a clear head.