Who or what was Huan?

[Jon S.]

I posted this a moment ago in another thread:

>> I really dig Huan. One of a kind, he was. I'm still not sure if he was literally a hound or something more (maia). I guess he had to have been to have spoke as he did. Perhaps he was originally literally a hound but then Orome gave him something extra as a special gift.

Then I thought I'd do a quick word search, via the Search function, for threads with Huan in the title to learn more about him. Surprisingly, I got no hits. So I thought I'd start a new thread to ask if anyone has any additional thoughts you'd like share about this remarkable creature.

[Curufin]

I've always just thought he was a pretty amazing dog - but just a dog. Other than his ability to speak (only three times), he really never does anything 'un-dog' like. And if he were a Maia, surely he wouldn't have felt obliged to follow Celegorm, who was only an elf?

[Earniel]

If he's a maia, I always thought he must have been a very low-level of maia. But would Oromë be able to give maiar away in the first place? It sounds just darn disrespectful.

An enhanced dog, then, bit like a fairy dog from the fairy tales, would seem more appropriate to me.

[Curufin]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

If he's a maia, I always thought he must have been a very low-level of maia. But would Oromë be able to give maiar away in the first place? It sounds just darn disrespectful.

An enhanced dog, then, bit like a fairy dog from the fairy tales, would seem more appropriate to me.

I agree. I don't think Huan is any more than, as you said, a 'fairy dog.' Celegorm certainly wouldn't have been able to order around a Maia...

[Earniel]

It always remains possible that Celegorm over-stepped his bounds. Oromë might have given him Huan as a companion, not a servant. Just because Huan listened up to a point, might have given Celegorm the idea that he was Huan's master instead of companion. Huan certainly possessed enough personality and sense to break with Celegorm when the latter misbehaved rather badly, which to me indicated his task was companionship, not servitude.

[Curufin]

Well, it would certainly be within Celegorm's character to do such a thing, I agree with you there. But I just don't see anything in the texts to support it. Here's what I find:

The Silmarillion:

Now the chief of the wolf-hounds that followed Celegorm was named Huan. He was not born in Middle-earth, but came from the Blessed Realm; for Oromë had given him to Celegorm long ago in Valinor, and there he had followed the horn of his master, before evil came.

"Oromë had given him" and the phrase "his master" make it sound that he is, indeed under Celegorm's power/ownership.

Book of Lost Tales II:

None however did Tevildo fear, for
he was as strong as any among them, and more agile and more swift save only than Huan Captain of Dogs. So swift was Huan that on a time he had tasted the fur of Tevildo, and though Tevildo had paid him for that with a gash from his great claws, yet was the pride of the Prince of Cats unappeased and he lusted to do a great harm to Huan of the Dogs.

Quite a different story here, of course, but Huan, while the 'Captain of Dogs' is still just a dog.

Lays of Beleriand

In Tavros' friths and pastures green
had Huan once a young whelp been.
He grew the swiftest of the swift,
and Orome gave him as a gift
to Celegorm, who loved to follow
the great God's horn o'er hill and hollow.
Alone of hounds of the Land of Light,
when sons of Feanor took to flight
and came into the North, he stayed
beside his master. Every raid
and every foray wild he shared,
and into mortal battle dared.
Often he saved his Gnomish lord
from Orc and wolf and leaping sword.
A wolf-hound, tireless, grey and fierce
he grew; his gleaming eyes would pierce
all shadows and all mist, the scent
moons old he found through fen and bent,
through rustling leaves and dusty sand;
all paths of wide Beleriand
he knew. But wolves, he loved them best;
he loved to find their throats and wrest
their snarling lives and evil breath.

Awesome dog, but still, just a dog.

HoME IV

Huan was the name of the chief of the hounds of
Celegorm. He was of immortal race from the hunting-lands
of Orome. Orome gave him to Celegorm long before in
Valinor, when Celegorm often rode in the train of the God
and followed his horn. He came into the Great' Lands with
his master, and dart nor weapon, spell nor poison, could
harm him, so that he went into battle with his lord and
saved him many times from death. His fate had been de-
creed that he should not meet death save at the hands of the
mightiest wolf that should ever walk the world.

Now this is interesting. He's still a dog, but he's an 'immortal' dog.

Laws and Customs among the Eldar:

[?Thus] questions were also asked concerning the fate and
death of Men. All [?read Also] concerning other 'speaking', and
therefore 'reasonable', kinds: Ents, Dwarves, Trolls, Orcs -
and the speaking of beasts such as Huan, or the Great Eagles.

Here he's consider a 'speaking beast'.

That's all I could find in the texts. When he's referred to, it's usually as a "hound." That leads me to conclude that while Huan was a pretty awesome dog, he was just a pretty awesome dog.

[Earniel]

I see you've got this researched pretty well.

[Curufin]

Or I just had a really boring morning...

[Jon S.]

Either way, your research is impeccable and, for me at least, settles the question. Thanks!

[Curufin]

Ah, time for me to swallow my Noldor pride and admit that I missed something...

A friend of mine (who is an incredible Tolkien scholar) and I discussed this, and he told me that it was possible that Tolkien was reconsidering Huan in Myths Transformed and that he could possibly have been a Maiar...

So it is possible, I suppose! I certainly bow to his knowledge in this matter.

[Earniel]

Well, Tolkien did change his mind occasionally, and didn't alway amend his writings to the new theory. So it is possible that Huan started out as an enhanced dog, as the quotes you've given seem to indicate. And that later Tolkien reconsidered and decided on a Maia. In the History of Middle-earth series I've always found it very interesting to see how Tolkien's ideas grew, but it is not easy finding his last thought on some matters.

[Curufin]

In the History of Middle-earth series I've always found it very interesting to see how Tolkien's ideas grew, but it is not easy finding his last thought on some matters.

Yes, me too. I think sometimes you just have to choose whatever is the more consistent path, or even simply choose what you like best. I do very close-to-canon First Age RP's on another board, and we've been having to make some decisions based on differing material. Quite an interesting process to sort through.

As for Huan, it's always suited my sensibilites best to see him as a rather enhanced dog, as he was until a suggestion was made that he might not be in Myths Transformed. So I'll probably stick with that belief, since Tolkien never really completed his thought on anything further.

[Jon S.]

Originally Posted by Curufin

it was possible that Tolkien was reconsidering Huan in Myths Transformed and that he could possibly have been a Maiar...

Perhaps it is worth noting now that dog is god spelled backwards.

[inked]

Or that Huan is Hnau, rearranged. (See Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis.)

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

So he's Martian?

[Rían]

totally OT, but I can't see Roberts' name without laughing! I LOVE that movie!!!

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

From HoME X, the Professor allows for the possibility of Huan being a Maia:

What of talking beasts and birds with reasoning and speech? These have been rather lightly adopted from less 'serious' mythologies, but play a part which cannot now be excised. They are certainly 'exceptions' and not much used, but sufficiently to show they are a recognized feature of the world. All other creatures accept them as natural if not common.
But true 'rational' creatures, 'speaking peoples', are all of human / 'humanoid' form. Only the Valar and Maiar are intelligences that can assume forms of Arda at will. Huan and Sorontar could be Maiar - emissaries of Manwë.

With the footnote:

Living things in Aman. As the Valar would robe themselves like the Children, many of the Maiar robed themselves like other lesser living things, as trees, flowers, beasts. (Huan.)

This is likely what your friend was referring to, Curufin.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

Then later in the same essay it becomes clear that Tolkien isn't quite sure:

The same sort of thing may be said of Húan and the Eagles: they were taught language by the Valar, and raised to a higher level - but they still had no fëar.

He was kind of "thinking with the pen", as Christopher calls it, throughout this "Orcs" essay so it is hard to determine whether he had come to any firm decisions on these matters.

[Curufin]

This is likely what your friend was referring to, Curufin.

Yes, probably. My friend (who you know too, DPR ) said that it wasn't certain, but that it was at least 'considered' by Tolkien.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

I think since this is one of those things Tolkien wasn't sure about, we're free to draw our own conclusions without fear of reprisals from the Tolcendili.