Beorn: Difference between revisions

{{men infobox

|image=[[File:Nicholas Bayrachny - Beorn.jpg|250px]]

|name=Beorn

|othernames=

|birth=Unknown

|death=Sometime between {{TA|2941}} and {{TA|3018}}

|gender=Male

|height=

|hair=Black

|eyes=

'''Beorn''' was a [[skin-changer]], a man who could assume the appearance of a [[bears|bear]].  

[[File:Jef Murray - At the Carrock.jpg|''At the Carrock'' by [[Jef Murray]]|thumb|left]]

His origins lay in the distant past, and [[Gandalf]] suspected he and his people had originally come from the mountains, until the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] drove them away. He lived with his tame [[horses]] in a wooden house ([[Beorn's Hall]]) between the [[Misty Mountains]] and [[Mirkwood]], to the east of the [[Anduin|Great River]] of [[Wilderland]].  

Beorn named the [[Carrock]] and created the steps that led from its base to the flat top. Once Gandalf saw him as a bear sitting all alone on the top of the Carrock watching the moon sinking towards the Misty Mountains, and heard him growl in the tongue of bears "''The day will come when [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|they]] will perish and I shall go back!''". While Gandalf knew him, Beorn did not, although he knew his cousin, [[Radagast]].<ref name=Queer/>  

During the [[The Quest of Erebor|Quest of Erebor]], Beorn received Gandalf, [[Bilbo Baggins]], and the thirteen [[Dwarves]] and gave the Dwarves and Bilbo help in their quest.<ref name=Queer>{{H|Queer}}</ref>

In the [[Battle of Five Armies]], Beorn appeared transformed into a giant bear, and rescued [[Thorin]] from the [[Orcs|Goblins]] and killed their leader [[Bolg]].<ref name=H18>{{H|18}}</ref>

Beorn died some time before the [[War of the Ring]] began,<ref>{{L|144}}</ref> and was succeeded by his son [[Grimbeorn|Grimbeorn the Old]].<ref>{{FR|II1}}</ref>

Beorn was generally benevolent and hated goblins and wargs; but he was also a loner and distrustful of travelers and beggars. He was never polite, and became easily angry and appalling. He never invited people into his house and his very few friends who lived a good way away, came no more than a couple to his house at a time. Added to this, Beorn was not fond of [[Dwarves]].

''[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beorn Beorn]'' is an [[Old English]] word meaning "a warrior, a hero, a man of valour" (also, poetic "man"), cognate to [[North Germanic languages|Old Norse]] ''[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bj%C7%ABrn björn]'' ("bear").<ref name=AH164>{{HM|AH}}, pp. 164-5</ref><ref name=RW>{{HM|RW}}, pp. 95-6</ref><ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 207</ref> In the Scandinavian-speaking countries ''Björn''/''Bjørn'' is a personal name, attested since the 11th century.<ref>[http://www.historiska.se/misc/gemensam/Nomina/nomina/ Historiska Museet Nomina ] at [http://www.historiska.se/ Historiska Museet (The National Historical Museum of Sweden)] (accessed 2 January 2010)</ref>

It has been suggested that the character Beorn was influenced by the Norse ''[[wikipedia:Hrólfs saga kraka|Saga of Hrólfr Kraki]]''.<ref name=RME73>[[Tom Shippey]], ''[[The Road to Middle-earth]]'' (second edition), pp. 73-4</ref> In the saga appears a great bear defending [[wikipedia:Hrólfr Kraki|Hrólfr Kraki]], and also a man cursed to being transformed into a bear during nighttime. The work was well-known to [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], as one of his students and friend, Stella Miller, made a translation of the saga dedicated to Tolkien, [[E.V. Gordon]] and C.T. Onions;<ref name=AH164/> but even more importantly as Tolkien himself wrote an unpublished short story of the tale, entitled ''[[Sellic Spell]]''.<ref>{{HM|MB}}, pp. 256-60</ref>

Another suggested inspiration is the character of [[Beowulf]], "''whose name is commonly explained as Beowulf = 'bees' wolf' = honey-eater = bear, and one who breaks swords, rips off arms and cracks ribs with ursine power and clumsiness.''"<ref name=RME73/>

 

==Portrayal in Adaptations==

[[File:Stefano Baldo - Beorn.jpg|thumb|''Beorn'' in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game|MECCG]]'']]

'''2012-3: [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]

: [[Mikael Persbrandt]] will portray Beorn.<ref name="AFTONBLADETCasting">{{webcite|articleurl=http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/film/article13349150.ab|articlename=Persbrandt den bäste för jobbet|dated=30-April-2011|website=[http://www.aftonbladet.se/ AFTONBLADET]|accessed=23-Dec-2011}}</ref>

== See Also ==