The Encyclopedia of Arda - Beorn (original) (raw)

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates Thrived around III 2941; died sometime before III 30181 Race Men2 Culture Founder of the Beornings Meaning Both 'warrior' and 'bear'3 Indexes: Alphabetical: B Men About this entry: Updated 2 September 2000 Updates planned: 7 The Skin-changer of the Vales of Anduin Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV BeornGrimbeorn the Old The skin-changer who dwelt in the Vales of Anduin near the western eaves of Mirkwood, who could take the form of a Man or a huge black bear. He played a great part in the victory over the Goblins at the Battle of Five Armies. Notes 1 Tolkien makes it clear in his letters that despite his remarkable qualities, Beorn was nonetheless a Mortal Man. Assuming that his lifespan was typical of ordinary Men, it's unlikely that he survived much beyond III 3000. (see The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, No. 144, dated 1954). 2 In the same comment referenced above, Tolkien confirms that despite his abilities, Beorn definitely belonged to the race of Men: 'Though a skin-changer and no doubt a bit of a magician, Beorn was a Man'. 3 The etymology of Beorn's name is interesting. The Old English word originally meant 'bear', but evolved over the centuries to the point where it came to mean 'warrior'. So, Beorn's ability to transform from a bear to a man echoes the linguistic development of his name. The original meaning of Beorn relates to the bear's love of honey, and contains béo, meaning 'bee'. This also appears in the name Beowulf: like Beorn, this means 'bear', but is literally 'bee-wolf'. This bee connection explains the references in The Hobbit to Beorn's bee-pastures and huge bees: 'The drones were bigger than your thumb, a good deal, and the bands of yellow on their deep black bodies shone like fiery gold' (The Hobbit 7, Queer Lodgings). See also... Battle of Five Armies, Bears, Bees, Beornings, Bolg, Clover, Ford of Carrock, Grimbeorn the Old, Hornets, Misty Mountains, Northern Orcs, Rhosgobel, Skin-changers, The Old, Wasps Indexes: Alphabetical: B Men About this entry: Updated 2 September 2000 Updates planned: 7 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2000. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.Axiom Discovery gives you comprehensive online aptitude testing covering core skills across a wide range of disciplines.

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Dates Thrived around III 2941; died sometime before III 30181 Race Men2 Culture Founder of the Beornings Meaning Both 'warrior' and 'bear'3 Indexes: Alphabetical: B Men About this entry: Updated 2 September 2000 Updates planned: 7 The Skin-changer of the Vales of Anduin

Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV Beorn

Grimbeorn the Old The skin-changer who dwelt in the Vales of Anduin near the western eaves of Mirkwood, who could take the form of a Man or a huge black bear. He played a great part in the victory over the Goblins at the Battle of Five Armies. Notes 1 Tolkien makes it clear in his letters that despite his remarkable qualities, Beorn was nonetheless a Mortal Man. Assuming that his lifespan was typical of ordinary Men, it's unlikely that he survived much beyond III 3000. (see The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, No. 144, dated 1954). 2 In the same comment referenced above, Tolkien confirms that despite his abilities, Beorn definitely belonged to the race of Men: 'Though a skin-changer and no doubt a bit of a magician, Beorn was a Man'. 3 The etymology of Beorn's name is interesting. The Old English word originally meant 'bear', but evolved over the centuries to the point where it came to mean 'warrior'. So, Beorn's ability to transform from a bear to a man echoes the linguistic development of his name. The original meaning of Beorn relates to the bear's love of honey, and contains béo, meaning 'bee'. This also appears in the name Beowulf: like Beorn, this means 'bear', but is literally 'bee-wolf'. This bee connection explains the references in The Hobbit to Beorn's bee-pastures and huge bees: 'The drones were bigger than your thumb, a good deal, and the bands of yellow on their deep black bodies shone like fiery gold' (The Hobbit 7, Queer Lodgings). See also... Battle of Five Armies, Bears, Bees, Beornings, Bolg, Clover, Ford of Carrock, Grimbeorn the Old, Hornets, Misty Mountains, Northern Orcs, Rhosgobel, Skin-changers, The Old, Wasps Indexes: Alphabetical: B Men About this entry: Updated 2 September 2000 Updates planned: 7 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2000. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.Axiom Discovery gives you comprehensive online aptitude testing covering core skills across a wide range of disciplines.