Beorn

[skytree]

What is the nature of Beorn? I know Tolkien only makes one reference to him in a letter as man but he was constantly revising much of his mythos.

Beorn may have been mortal but clearly he was more than a man. His role in the Hobbit is more nature or the animal kingdom personified and his role seems to be as a force of nature. He seems to be an anomaly like Tom Bombadil.

Clearly his size is more consistent with being a giant than a man. His description in the chapter Queer Lodgings would place his height at around 12-14 feet if one considers Bilbo around 3 1/2 feet tall. Almost singularly he turned the tide and broke an army of Orcs and Wargs that a combined force of Elves, Battle hardened Dwarves under Dain, Men, Great Eagles and an Istari was losing to. He was tossing Orcs and Wargs like straw and feathers. One can only envision an enormous bear scattering orcs by the score with swipes of gigantic paws.

If he was a man he would have to had an incredible origin as he would have to be considered one of the powers of middle earth in his lifetime.

[The Might]

Ok, firstly, saying he may have been a mortal is wrong, he was a mortal, we know he died.

And we know he was a man, Tolkien names him exactly that in the letter, and rather than talking about any natural power, something Bombadil-like, he refers to Beorn as a magician.

So the whole story of Gandalf about Beorn descending from the great bears of the mountains is more or less a way to explain his origins to the Hobbits, but not something we should take seriously.

About his origins, we know for sure that Beorn had lived in the Misty Mountais before he was forced to move away by the coming of the Orcs, so he had lived there previously. But as far as we know, he was not created by the Valar or anything else, he was born by a woman.

It is said in HoMe 12 that the Beornings were related to the Woodmen, the Bardings of Dale and the Eotheod, meaning that Beorn descended from a group of people existing prior to the events of the Hobbit, the men of the mountains who were forced to leave by the coming of the Orcs and other creatures.


So much to his origins. Now to the origin of his power. Here, I have two theories, the latter of which I rather prefer.

Theory 1: some time in the development of the men of the mountains they learned how to transform into bears. How? No idea. Some old, shamanical rituals, maybe learned from Orome in times long forgotten or from some Maia that was never mentioned. This I rather doubt since Gandalf would probably know if some Maia had had anything to do with it, so maybe these men learned it on their own. After all in Tolkien's works people with a special, strong connection to nature like Beorn anyway always seem to have special powers, so why not believe that these otherwise rather primitive men found out a way to shapeshift.

Theory 2: this which I rather prefer is that Beorn learned it, as the first one to have ever learned it, from Radagast the Brown. We know he knew Radagast, that they were friends, especially because of their common passion of being in nature, and that they met at times. We also know that Radagast was a master of shapes and hues. Not directly called shapeshifter, but a hint to it is there. So why wouldn't the master of shapes and hues teach his friend a trick or to so that Beorn can defend himself and the Woodmen of the region as well? It makes perfect sense that Beorn was taught this technique and that because of his innate love for beasts he mastered it fairly quickly. His descendants would then perhaps also at a certain age learn this trick.

Btw, nice thread, Beorn is one of my favourite topics, I like the unknown, mysterious creatures of M-e.

[Tuor in Gondolin]

There's another interesting connection to The Might's
second theory. Recall that Sauron the maia shapeshifted
into a wolf to attack Huan. And there's JRRT's omniscent commentator's
observation that some of Beorn's descendants were bad guys,
which has some resemblance to the contrast of the Edain's loyalty vs.
the betrayal of some of the later arrivals to Beleriand.

Many of the Easterlings turned and fled, their hearts
being filled with lies and fears; but the sons of Ulfang went over
suddenly to Morgoth and drove in upon the rear of the sons of
Feanor...They reaped not the reward that Morgoth promised them,
for Maglor slew Uldor the accursed, the leader in treason,
and the sons of Bor slew Ulfast and Ulwarth ere they themselves
were slain.

Just had a thought. What about the Blue Wizards? Why not some
sort of connection to an ancestor of Beorn being schooled by
them, for some reason, in shapeshifting?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Tuor in Gondolin

Just had a thought. What about the Blue Wizards? Why not some
sort of connection to an ancestor of Beorn being schooled by
them, for some reason, in shapeshifting?

I would think that unlikely, as they don't seem to have spent much time in the lands west of the Anduin, not even long enough to have been given names by the folk there.

I really do not know anything clearly about the other two-since they do not concern the history of the N.W. I think they went as emissaries to distant regions, East and South, far out of Númenórean range: missionaries to 'enemy-occupied' lands, as it were.

Letters #211

[skytree]

Originally Posted by The Might

Ok, firstly, saying he may have been a mortal is wrong, he was a mortal, we know he died.

And we know he was a man, Tolkien names him exactly that in the letter, and rather than talking about any natural power, something Bombadil-like, he refers to Beorn as a magician.

So the whole story of Gandalf about Beorn descending from the great bears of the mountains is more or less a way to explain his origins to the Hobbits, but not something we should take seriously.

About his origins, we know for sure that Beorn had lived in the Misty Mountais before he was forced to move away by the coming of the Orcs, so he had lived there previously. But as far as we know, he was not created by the Valar or anything else, he was born by a woman.

It is said in HoMe 12 that the Beornings were related to the Woodmen, the Bardings of Dale and the Eotheod, meaning that Beorn descended from a group of people existing prior to the events of the Hobbit, the men of the mountains who were forced to leave by the coming of the Orcs and other creatures.


So much to his origins. Now to the origin of his power. Here, I have two theories, the latter of which I rather prefer.

Theory 1: some time in the development of the men of the mountains they learned how to transform into bears. How? No idea. Some old, shamanical rituals, maybe learned from Orome in times long forgotten or from some Maia that was never mentioned. This I rather doubt since Gandalf would probably know if some Maia had had anything to do with it, so maybe these men learned it on their own. After all in Tolkien's works people with a special, strong connection to nature like Beorn anyway always seem to have special powers, so why not believe that these otherwise rather primitive men found out a way to shapeshift.

Theory 2: this which I rather prefer is that Beorn learned it, as the first one to have ever learned it, from Radagast the Brown. We know he knew Radagast, that they were friends, especially because of their common passion of being in nature, and that they met at times. We also know that Radagast was a master of shapes and hues. Not directly called shapeshifter, but a hint to it is there. So why wouldn't the master of shapes and hues teach his friend a trick or to so that Beorn can defend himself and the Woodmen of the region as well? It makes perfect sense that Beorn was taught this technique and that because of his innate love for beasts he mastered it fairly quickly. His descendants would then perhaps also at a certain age learn this trick.

Btw, nice thread, Beorn is one of my favourite topics, I like the unknown, mysterious creatures of M-e.

No other men of Middle Earth possessed his immense size, not even ancient men like Hador, Huor, or Tuor. Based on the description in the Hobbit he was beyond the size of a normal man. His size in bear form also seemed to be a manifestation of his rage. When he appeared at the battle of five armies his bear form was gigantic in nature. His wrath was such that it broke an army that the combined forces of Elves, Men, Dwarves, Eagles and an Istari was losing to.

Tolkien crafted quite a bit of his myths from old Norse sagas and myth. I suppose Beorn could have been like Beowulf. Beowulf was a berserk which comes from barsark or "bear shirt" in Norse. He was a man but would fight in unstoppable rages and possessed the strength of 30 men and was able to slay a troll and even a dragon. Beorn's description and the description of his home clearly have similarity to that of a Viking mead hall.

Even still there is clearly something supernatural about Beorn. His size clearly is giant like in stature and changing into a an enormous bear is something no other men do, not even those in ancient Numenor at the height of the Edain's power.

The term Beorning, I think, simply describes the northmen of the Anduin vale who follow Beorn as their cheiftan.

These are a couple of images that visualize Beorn for me from the way he is described in the books.

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp...ague_beorn.jpg

http://www.wladca.pl/Rivendell/galer...iew_fullscreen

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/182843

[Gordis]

In a normal fantasy novel when strange creatures like green octopuses or two- headed rats or giant were-bears are spotted somewhere, the first thing to do is to check: isn't there a secret genetic laboratory in the vicinity?

In fact there are two of them close to Beorn's dwelling:

1. Radagast's Rhosgobel (that's why I like The Might's theory) and

2. Dol Guldur, where a certain Necromancer is busy breeding all sorts of fell beasts, olog-hai, uruks, werewolves etc. Why not were-bears?
Perhaps some laboratory creatures had escaped and multiplied in freedom?

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

I've had thoughts similar to the Might's connections with Radagast and his reported mastery of changes of shapes and hues, and they seem to make the most sense to me. Sometimes, though, I wonder if there is any similarity to the notion that Thorondor was a Maia who took the form of an Eagle, and from him the Great Eagles of Middle-earth descended (don't ask me to cite where in the HoME books I read this; I'm recovering from the flu, and it's a marvel my brain is functioning much at all ). If there is precedent for certain unusual but seemingly "normal" creatures in ME having this kind of origin, it's possible that Beorn had a distant ancestor descended from some Maia of Orome or Yavanna who inhabited ME during its early ages and favored the shape of a great bear, whose story we simply have never heard. This may be completely fever dreams, but it might point to a kind of explanation that Tolkien, alas, never got around to actually imagining, or writing.

That aside, I'm with the Radagast connection.

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

it's possible that Beorn had a distant ancestor descended from some Maia of Orome or Yavanna

Now, whose Maia was Radagast/Aiwendil? Wasn't he Yavanna's (as I seem to remember)?
Were the Istari required to stay celibatary? Probably yes, but how do we know that Radagast (who is described as a failure in almost every other respect) staid true to his orders?
So maybe Beorn's shape-shifting ability was not something learned from Radagast, but inherited from him? And if the fateful mating had taken place far enough back in time (say, a couple of centuries), Beorn wouldn't remember him as his ancestor, but just as a wizard he'd met once or twice upon a time...

[The Might]

That's an awesome idea, Gordis!

Dol Guldur could, at least theoretically, be an idea. I mean, what if the Necromancer started testing weird stuff on people, trying to turn them into mighty bears that would aid his cause.

Some predecessors of Beorn then escaped or were maybe let loose into the wild, but perhaps because they retained too much humanity they were safe to be around when in human form and were not ready to serve Sauron. Maybe they escaped sometime during the Watchful Peace when Sauron wasn't there, made their way into the Misty Mountains and left again when the Orcs arrived.

But here comes the big problem in the Dol Guldur theory... if Beorn's kind had been actually created by Sauron in some way, then this skill would be not something learned, but rather something passed on genetically. It was in their blood to have this power and Beorn inherited it that way, perhaps as the last of his line.

But why would he then be called a magician? A magician cannot perform tricks as if he has the knowledge in his blood, he learns the tricks first. This is why it would only make sense for Beorn to have been tought shapeshifting by someone who already mastered it. Either his parents in the mountains, who for whatever reason knew this, or Radagast.

Now, of course Sauron may have tought them this, but I doubt it since it was not his style. He would not teach minions how to gain greater power, he would like his master from the First Age rather torment and use dark magic on them.


Ok, now to Beorn's size. I know it sounds incredible that he was this big, but don't be so sure that it was something special really. Now, we know that the men of the mountains he probably descended from were related to the Woodmen, the Eotheod and the Bardings, meaning they all had ancestors in some distant House of Men from the First Age.

However, in Tolkien's works Men are not always what we regard as Men. There are Hobbits as smaller variant and then there are the Giants, a very weird race that appears to have lived in the Misty Mountains as well and who were (I can't the original quote for now) a larger version of men, just like Hobbits were the small one. This is how Tolkien refered to them, still men. Now, although in other early writing (BoLT) Tolkien regards them as evil and creations of Melkor in the Hobbit it appears that nice Giants do exist, as Gandalf wants to find one to block the entrance to the Front Porch.

This means that giant sized men did exist, they were there in the Hobbit, so Beorn's size was nothing really special.

Pure speculation on my part of course, but what if some predecessor of Beorn fell in love with a Giant and then... you know... Beorn inherited some of the Giant's qualities... more or less like Hagrid.

Unfortunately we learn nothing new about Giants in LotR, the only hint given is when the Fellowship hears voices when trying to use the Redhorn Pass.


PS: I am really enjoying the thread.


EDIT: regarding this idea, Ibri, of course it is plausible, but in my opinion not really probable. Gandalf was wisest of all Maia, he probably knew many if not all of them and I would expect him to be informed about these kind of things especially after all those extensive voyages through M-e. That's my problem, I find it difficult to believe that a Maia would take the form of a shapeshifter and marry a man/woman in the mountains like Melian did with Thingol and give birth to such a line. Still plausible though.

[skytree]

Originally Posted by The Might

That's an awesome idea, Gordis!



Ok, now to Beorn's size. I know it sounds incredible that he was this big, but don't be so sure that it was something special really. Now, we know that the men of the mountains he probably descended from were related to the Woodmen, the Eotheod and the Bardings, meaning they all had ancestors in some distant House of Men from the First Age.

However, in Tolkien's works Men are not always what we regard as Men. There are Hobbits as smaller variant and then there are the Giants, a very weird race that appears to have lived in the Misty Mountains as well and who were (I can't the original quote for now) a larger version of men, just like Hobbits were the small one. This is how Tolkien refered to them, still men. Now, although in other early writing (BoLT) Tolkien regards them as evil and creations of Melkor in the Hobbit it appears that nice Giants do exist, as Gandalf wants to find one to block the entrance to the Front Porch.

This means that giant sized men did exist, they were there in the Hobbit, so Beorn's size was nothing really special.

Pure speculation on my part of course, but what if some predecessor of Beorn fell in love with a Giant and then... you know... Beorn inherited some of the Giant's qualities... more or less like Hagrid.

Unfortunately we learn nothing new about Giants in LotR, the only hint given is when the Fellowship hears voices when trying to use the Redhorn Pass.

I never thought of the Giant angle and they were an offshoot of Man just like Hobbits. The fact Beorn comes from the Mountains would make sense of him sharing the size traits of the Giants of the Misty Mountains.

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by Gordis

2. Dol Guldur, where a certain Necromancer is busy breeding all sorts of fell beasts, olog-hai, uruks, werewolves etc. Why not were-bears?
Perhaps some laboratory creatures had escaped and multiplied in freedom?

I think that this is scenario is highly unlikely, Beorn hated Goblins with a passion, I don't think that anything that Sauron might have made would suddenly turn against him.

I'm going to look up more on Radagast and see if I can find a connection. Thanks for bringing that up Might.

[skytree]

Originally Posted by Gordis

In a normal fantasy novel when strange creatures like green octopuses or two- headed rats or giant were-bears are spotted somewhere, the first thing to do is to check: isn't there a secret genetic laboratory in the vicinity?

In fact there are two of them close to Beorn's dwelling:

1. Radagast's Rhosgobel (that's why I like The Might's theory) and

The only thing that would make me doubt this is Beorn's seeming lack of being impressed by the fact Gandalf was a Wizard. In the course of the dialog between Beorn and Gandalf when Gandalf was telling the story of their crossing the Misty Mountains, there is no awe or reverence of Gandalf or his exploits. I think he make a comment, "it is some good being a Wizard then" and "I wish I had been there, I would have given them more than fireworks."

One would expect this if Beorn's abilities were from an experimentation of Radaghast or knowledge taught by him, he would have a reverence for a Wizard and their abilities.