Beornings

[Yodaman]

I have a question about Beorings. In the Silmarilion Beren changed into and Orc and a Wolf (think- it's been a couple of years since I've read it), but in the Hobbit Beorn changed into a bear and nothing else. Can Beorings only change into one being, or can they turn into many?

[Earniel]

Beren wore the disguise of an orc only through the magic of Finrod Felagund, if I'm not mistaken. He took the skin of a wolf to enter Morgoth's lair and if he truly changed in a wolf too then I suppose that was Lúthien's doing and not his own.

Whereas Beorn's power to become a bear was his own. And if his people, the Beornings, share that shape-changing gift than I reckon they only can take the shape of a bear and none other.

[Rosie Gamgee]

Yeah, I always got the picture that Beorn could only change into a bear. I don't think Tolkien really would have done anything outlandish like a shape-shifter who can change into anything. Almost anything in excess quickly turns to fantasy, something that Tolkien never quite resorts to- it's always a history, never fantasy. I think Tolkien would have kept it simple with just two forms.

[Ñólendil]

Rosie, I don't agree with your terminology, distinguishing between fantasy and feigned history. Fantasy can be history, and that's what the Lord of the Rings is--a fantasy set in our world, thousands of years ago.

But Tolkien never rejected to the term "fantasy"--in fact he preferred it and suggested its use in place of "faery tales", in his essay on fairy stories (which was published along with "Leaf by Niggle", a story serving as an example of a fairy story that meets all the criteria of the conditions set out in the essay). This essay was written when the Lord of the Rings was finished, but its publication in doubt (I think, at least "Leaf By Niggle" was written then).

I do agree that the magic in Tolkkien's world was used sparingly, and was ultimately subtle, and that Beorn definitely did not change into anything other than a bear. However, a man changing into a bear in the first place belongs to the genre of fantasy, as do Hobbits, and Elves, and Dwarves, and Orcs, and Dragons, and all the rest. Tolkien's style of fantasy is very different from most modern works of fantasy, but the Paendragon Cycle, Memory Sorrow and Thorn, and The Lord of the Rings all belong to the same genre.

Now if you were to distinguish between the Forgotten Realms and Middle-earth, I would completely understand, but is not Tolkien one of the forefathers of modern fantasy?

[Halbarad of the Dunedain]

First of all in the origional post Beren Erchamion is mentioned to have changed into an Orc and a Wolf, and as it was pointed out by Eärniel, he did not transform into these things as a Beorning would. It is infact that Beren was no relation to Beorn of the skinchangers. So even if somehow it was Berens power alone that alowed him to shape shift it has no bearing on Beorn and the Beornings ability to shape shift. The name of Beorn losely means bear and warrior, so it would kind of fall in line that the they would only be able to transform into bears. There is no evidence to prove otherwise. Also as stated above I just don't think Tolkien would create a character like that. A Maia or Vala could shap shift into anything or nothing but not a man, elf, ent, dwarf, hobbit, etc.

[Ñólendil]

Well-stated. Just for the fun of it though I'll point out that Beren's people (the people of Marach and Beor) were indeed related to Beorn's people. Beorn's people were of the same host of Men that Beren's people came from, if you go back far enough--it's just that Beorn's seemed to have stopped in the Misty Mountains, and Beren's made it all the way to Beleriand. 'Course, if you want to go that far you might as well go further and say all Men are related, because they are all, well, Men, who began in the East, were corrupted by Melkor, and then either repented, or didn't, and either left for the West, or stayed. But ... by now I've really wasted my time, because I have effectively negated everything I just said, except for "well-stated." So I'll stick with "well-stated".

Well-stated, Halbarad!

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Halbarad of the Dunedain

The name of Beorn losely means bear and warrior, so it would kind of fall in line that the they would only be able to transform into bears.

Of course along that analogy one can say that Beren's name is the Dutch word for, well,... bears. I always wondered if Tolkien knew that.

[ItalianLegolas]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

Beren wore the disguise of an orc only through the magic of Finrod Felagund, if I'm not mistaken. He took the skin of a wolf to enter Morgoth's lair and if he truly changed in a wolf too then I suppose that was Lúthien's doing and not his own.

IT is true that Beren only could change into a wolf because he had a wolf-skin, but we can't be sure if the Beornings could change into anything else, they probably could only turn into bears, and they really only come into play at the battle of the 5 armies anyway...

[Manveru]

Originally Posted by ItalianLegolas

IT is true that Beren only could change into a wolf because he had a wolf-skin, but we can't be sure if the Beornings could change into anything else, they probably could only turn into bears, and they really only come into play at the battle of the 5 armies anyway...

Beren couldn't change into anything! He was wearing a wolf's skin as a disguise!

[ItalianLegolas]

I know, thats what I meant!

[me9996]

Originally Posted by Yodaman

I have a question about Beorings. In the Silmarilion Beren changed into and Orc and a Wolf (think- it's been a couple of years since I've read it), but in the Hobbit Beorn changed into a bear and nothing else. Can Beorings only change into one being, or can they turn into many?

If I am correct (I very likely might be wrong) Beorn was something called a "Skin-changer", or was it a... Anyway he was some sort of skin related thing...

[Maerbenn]

Originally Posted by me9996

If I am correct (I very likely might be wrong) Beorn was something called a "Skin-changer", or was it a... Anyway he was some sort of skin related thing...

Yes; Gandalf tells Mr. Baggins in ‘Queer Lodgings’:

“… He is a skin-changer. He changes his skin: sometimes he is a huge black bear, sometimes he is a great strong black-haired man with huge arms and a great beard. …”