Origin of Beorn

[Alcuin]

[EDIT: This thread has been split off the thread Wolves, wargs and werewolves from the Middle earth-forum. - Eärniel]

Beorn is described in terms similar to a Norse berserker. Berserkers are attested in many Dark Age and early medieval documents as warriors possessed of immense strength and agility, immune to pain, fighting without regard to their lives or safety. Modern folk often attribute this condition to the use of psychoactive plants or funguses, or to dismiss it altogether as myth; Dark Age and early medieval rulers and clergy did not have that luxury: they were outlawed in Norway in the early 11th century, and later in Iceland as well. Until then, groups of berserkers banded together, howling, banging their helmets with their weapons and shields, biting their shields, to reach a bloodlust feared by friend and foe alike.

berserkr is Old Norse for “bear shirt.� Berserkers sometimes took names combined with the Old Norse word for “bear� – björn – in them. I think it is Tolkien’s clear intent to paint Beorn as a classic berserker, not a lycanthrope.

[Butterbeer]

Interesting.

Bezerkers most definetly did exist. and yes certain shrooms and plants were indeed used.

Love where this is a wandering from when we first stepped out of Gil galad's door onto the path outside ...

Dark age France, illness, fear,cannibalsim, hunger ...

...of course why the full moon?
Enough light to attack by, when one could clearly not do so safely in the day? (gossip y'know)

Beorn as a beserker? , an influence to a degree methinks at Very best, Alcuin - there are many other influences with better claims, no doubt (i'll leave that to you lot though )


As the ever clear voice of reason (that's Eärniel by the way )states - they did not dissipate when killed, thus, far fetched as we all agree this premise is in itself, this would appear to be stretching it a tad further to breaking point ... imagines a enormous, rubber band, being pulled and pulled by miar spirits in the shape of hyennas, laughing and pulling ...

but we'll see...keep an open mind! as my dear ol' gran with the big teeth and big feet used to say ...

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Alcuin

berserkr is Old Norse for “bear shirt.� Berserkers sometimes took names combined with the Old Norse word for “bear� – björn – in them. I think it is Tolkien’s clear intent to paint Beorn as a classic berserker, not a lycanthrope.

The bear was the most formidable predator in those times and lands, so to link these berserkers to their strength is logical. However, I disagree that Beorn himself is based on a berserker. Instead of berserkers or even lycanthrophy, I link him more easily to the nordic myth/fairy tale of Bjorn who was magically turned into a bear by some evil relative.

Berserkers main characteristic is the going literally beserk in battle, of this I see too little in Beorn's character. He's grim, he hates orcs and wargs with a passion, and a giant bear is a formidable fighter, but he does not seem to possess the blood rage that is so typical to a berserker.

[Butterbeer]

Indeed.

How many beserkers do you know that keep bees and ..er.. enjoy gardening?
(and we'll not mention the sewing.. )

[Alcuin]

Originally Posted by Butterbeer

Indeed.

How many beserkers do you know that keep bees and ..er.. enjoy gardening?
(and we'll not mention the sewing.. )

Oh, for heavens sake! It’s a children’s tale: he wrote it for his own children! Beorn is friendly berserker!

No, you are quite right. Beorn is definitely not a “classic berserker.� I have misspoken. But I think Beorn is very clearly a berserker, friendly and toned-down though he may be. But unless he has the power of the mythic berserker to change his shape and become a bear, ferocious and fearless and fighting without regard to injury, I am at a loss to explain what he is.

It is as you sat, “an influence to a degree,� as you say. But unless you are aware of the “many other influences with better claims,� don’t say such a thing. Give us the claims.

Originally Posted by Eärniel

Berserkers main characteristic is the going literally beserk in battle, of this I see too little in Beorn's character. He's grim, he hates orcs and wargs with a passion, and a giant bear is a formidable fighter, but he does not seem to possess the blood rage that is so typical to a berserker.

Beorn himself … appeared… He came alone, and in bear’s shape; and he seemed to have grown almost to giant-size in his wrath. The roar of his voice was like drums and guns; and he tossed wolves and goblins from his path like straws and feathers. He fell upon [the orcs’] rear, and broke like a clap of thunder through the ring. … Then Beorn stooped and lifted Thorin, … and bore him out of the fray. Swiftly he returned and his wrath was redoubled, so that nothing could withstand him, and no weapon seemed to bite upon him. He scattered the bodyguard, and pulled down Bolg himself and crushed him. Then dismay fell on the Goblins and they fled in all directions.

Sounds pretty ferocious to me. Gandalf seemed to think so, too:

“The Somebody I spoke of [is] a very great person. You must all be very polite when I introduce you. … and you must be careful not to annoy him, or heaven knows what will happen. He can be appalling when he is angry, … I warn you he gets angry easily.�

“It is time for us to sleep,� [Gandalf] said, “... but not I think for Beorn. In this hall we can rest sound and safe, but I warn you all not to forget what Beorn said before he left us: you must not stray outside until the sun is up, on your peril.�

the wizard told them …. “Beorn is … is a bad enemy...�

Bilbo reached that conclusion, too, early on and with much less evidence than later became apparent:

Beorn was a fierce enemy. But now he was their friend, and Gandalf thought it wise to tell him their whole story…

But of course, I could be most mistaken on this point. He might be no more than a gentle gardner.

Originally Posted by Eärniel

..the nordic myth/fairy tale of Bjorn who was magically turned into a bear by some evil relative.

Now this is completely new to me. Is there an internet link to it? There are such tales in English and French – not about bears, but about swans and falcons and frogs and so forth. Did Bjorn in the tales learn to control his shifting from man to bear and back again?

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Alcuin

Now this is completely new to me. Is there an internet link to it? There are such tales in English and French – not about bears, but about swans and falcons and frogs and so forth. Did Bjorn in the tales learn to control his shifting from man to bear and back again?

I read it in one of my books. But it's been a while and I realise I don't remember enough. I'll have to research it again and get back to you on this.

[Alcuin]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

I read it in one of my books. But it's been a while and I realise I don't remember enough. I'll have to research it again and get back to you on this.

Thank you! I hang around forums looking for this kind of stuff.

Originally Posted by jammi567

Looking back, i have no idea.

Better your friends at Entmoot rather than your professor at University. We all do it. * ducks *

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

Berserkers main characteristic is the going literally beserk in battle, of this I see too little in Beorn's character. He's grim, he hates orcs and wargs with a passion, and a giant bear is a formidable fighter, but he does not seem to possess the blood rage that is so typical to a berserker.

Indeed, no. If memory serves me, did he not take Thorin from the Battlefield, after he had been felled? 'The blood rage' would not seem to allow for such action.

[Earniel]

With some luck I was able to find the story so quickly.

The story of Björn and Bera is part of the nordic 'Hrolf Kraki Saga'. It basically went as I said: A king's son Björn was turned into a bear by his stephmother after he turned down her avances. What I forgot was that much further in the saga, his son Bödvar doesn't take on the form of a bear himself. However, a huge bear appears when he's asleep and fights amazingly. But when he's woken the bear disappears and the fight goes ill.

As mine is a Dutch book, it's no use quoting it. Therefore I've managed to track down an English translation of the myth here. Be aware that the saga is long but worth a read.

Having refreshed my memory, it is true that the story of Björn and Bera only corresponds with Beorn's figure on some story points and not all. Still, the similarity in sound between Björn and Beorn, the bear shape he takes on during the day and especially the formidable bear his son 'sends' into battle, do make me believe that Tolkien used this story into the shaping of Beorn.

[GreyMouser]

Is it in "The Monster and the Critics" that Tolkien points out that Beowulf's name is literally "bee-wolf", i.e. bear?

[Butterbeer]

to Tolkien's mind, that would make a lot of sense.

Hence the dissimination language, and Beorn and the Bees.

Begs the question tho' in relation to Beorn ... how de birds and the bees?

[Thorir Orcbane]

Methinks there is no such thing as a "friendly" berserker. But he might have been a more miled and less violent one.

Originally Posted by Alcuin

Oh, for heavens sake! It’s a children’s tale: he wrote it for his own children! Beorn is friendly berserker!

No, you are quite right. Beorn is definitely not a “classic berserker.� I have misspoken. But I think Beorn is very clearly a berserker, friendly and toned-down though he may be. But unless he has the power of the mythic berserker to change his shape and become a bear, ferocious and fearless and fighting without regard to injury, I am at a loss to explain what he is.

It is as you sat, “an influence to a degree,� as you say. But unless you are aware of the “many other influences with better claims,� don’t say such a thing. Give us the claims.

Sounds pretty ferocious to me. Gandalf seemed to think so, too:
Bilbo reached that conclusion, too, early on and with much less evidence than later became apparent:But of course, I could be most mistaken on this point. He might be no more than a gentle gardner.

Now this is completely new to me. Is there an internet link to it? There are such tales in English and French – not about bears, but about swans and falcons and frogs and so forth. Did Bjorn in the tales learn to control his shifting from man to bear and back again?

[elrosofbc2010]

I just wrote a chapter on this, actually :-). Quick summary:

So, on the berserker connection... it's certainly not the only influence, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it on the grounds that Beorn is friendly... As someone has previously pointed out, berserker translated literally to "bear-shirter." Tolkien doesn't classify Beorn as a "shape-shifter" but calls him a "skin-changer..." i.e. he literally changes skins and it could be said he puts on a bear shirt. While Beorn appears friendly to us, we do have Gandalf's warnings about his ferocity (and I seem to remember it being hinted at a few times)... And berserks tended to live “marked out as a member of a special class free from the laws which govern ordinary members of society,� (Gods and Myths of Northern Europe), which is more or less what Beorn does...

A mostly unrelated side-note: Tolkien's illustration of Beorn's hall is very Norse.

There's also a strong correspondence to Beowulf, whose name Tolkien translates as bee-wolf. On top of this, beorn is the Anglo-Saxon word for bear AND the Old English word for man, and Beowulf himself can be considered a bear-shirter (beskerker).

Finally, we could look at Kveld-Úlfr from the Saga of Egill SkallagrÃ*msson, who has a skin-changing ability nearly identical to Beorn's in a lot of ways (and some other parallels)...

[Huorn]

In high school I had a Brothers Hildebrand art calendar. They called Beorn a Beserker on that calendar. How accurate that is I can't say. I would tend to think he is gentle version of a bear-shirter. The parallels are there.