He was the mighty skinchanger of Middle-earth, able to transform into a great bear.
Not only would his home be a safe haven in the Vales of Anduin, but his descendants and
followers would live on into the Fourth Age.
Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the life of Beorn, his descendants, and all who
call themselves the Beornings.
While Beorn makes a great impact on the story of The Hobbit, he and his kind are also very
mysterious.
We don’t know for certain their origins or how they came to possess their skinchanging
ability.
Gandalf says that he believes Beorn and his people originally came from the Misty Mountains.
However, Gandalf also says that they were driven from their homes by the orcs of the
Misty Mountains.
Just as we don’t know when Beorn was driven away by the orcs, we don’t know the skin-changer’s
age.
Tolkien himself confirmed in one of his letters that Beorn was indeed a mortal man.
Though a skin-changer and no doubt a bit of a magician, Beorn was a Man, so it must have
been an event that took place in the later third age.
What we do know is that by the later third age, Beorn is living alone at his home near
Mirkwood.
Near his home, was the Carrock, a tall stony island in the Anduin River.
Beorn himself builds stairs reaching to the pinnacle of the great stone.
At times, he would be seen climbing to the top in his bear form, gazing at the moon,
or toward his former home of the Misty Mountains.
Gandalf would witness Beorn doing just this, hearing him growl in the tongue of the bears
“The day will come when they will perish and I shall go back!”.
As for Beorn’s size and appearance, he is described as a great, tall man with black
hair.
While we don’t have an exact figure for how tall he was, we know that Bilbo could
have passed under the man’s legs without ducking and would not have skimmed the hem
of his knee-length tunic.
While some have theorized that this would put the skin-changer at 11 or 12 feet tall,
we must keep in mind that this could very well be an exaggerated statement by the narrator
to convey how enormous Beorn felt to Bilbo.
Either way, he was certainly a mountain of a man and even more formidable in his bear
form.
It is after being set upon the Carrock by the Great Eagles that Thorin and Company make
their way to Beorn’s Hall in 2941 TA.
Gandalf and Bilbo are the first to approach the skinchanger and as Gandalf tells the tale
of their journey, the dwarves come at intervals in pairs, briefly interrupting Gandalf’s
story, which Beorn finds more and more interesting.
Wishing to hear the entirety of their tale, Beorn shakes off the arrival of more dwarves
rather than turning them away.
Gandalf’s approach is both successful and wise.
For it is known that the Beornings were not fond of dwarves.
We don’t know for certain why Beorn dislikes the dwarves.
Perhaps it goes back to their time of living in close proximity to Durin’s Folk.
Or perhaps it is partially due to the dwarves' obsession with gold, silver, and jewels.
We are told in The Hobbit that Beorn had none of these things in his home.
In fact, with the exception of a few knives, there was no metal at all.
Beorn leaves and confirms Gandalf’s story to be true, leading him to agree to aid Thorin’s
Company.
In Beorn’s hall, there were ponies, dogs, and sheep who served the company a great meal.
Beorn was able to communicate with them in some animal-like language as they catered
to their guests.
No doubt in part due to his relationship with animals, Beorn does not eat meat - his diet
instead consists mainly of honey and cream.
Beorn provides Bilbo and the dwarves with ponies and a horse for Gandalf as they make
their way toward Mirkwood.
He gives them food, water skins, bows and arrows, and grim advice.
That they will likely not find anything wholesome to eat or drink within the dark forest.
That there is a black stream they should neither drink from or bathe in - for it carries an
enchantment of drowsiness.
And that they should not stray from the path - for any reason.
Though he was naturally distrustful of travelers, convinced of their goodwill, he says his home
is open to them should they return through his lands.
Before any would take him up on this offer, Beorn would instead come to them.
As word spreads throughout Mirkwood of the Death of Smaug, Beorn receives word in his
very house.
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains, already riled by the death of the Great Goblin, would march
upon Erebor in the Battle of Five Armies.
Beorn himself would arrive near the very end of the conflict:
In that last hour Beorn himself had appeared — no one knew how or from where.
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 their rear, and broke like a clap of thunder through the ring.
The dwarves were making a stand still about their lords upon a low rounded hill.
Then Beorn stooped and lifted Thorin, who had fallen pierced with spears, 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.
In this passage, we get a hint that Beorn’s bear size may indeed change based on his mood.
Described here as having grown to almost giant size in his wrath, he would surely have been
an incredible force as he kills the leader of the orcs and scatters their armies.
With Erebor reclaimed, the orcs defeated, and Thorin laid to rest within the mountain,
Beorn, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thranduil make their way Westward.
Thranduil returns to his halls as Gandalf and Bilbo return for a time to the Hall of
Beorn.
They would stay at Beorn’s for the midwinter festival known as Yule.
Yule-tide was warm and merry [at Beorn's house]; and men came from far and wide to feast at
Beorn's bidding.
The goblins of the Misty Mountains were now few and terrified... and the Wargs had vanished
from the woods, so that men went abroad without fear.
We are told in the days to come Beorn would become a great chief among the Northmen who
gathered around him, ruling a wide region between the mountains and the wood.
These men would come to be known as the Beornings - a term that certainly refers to Beorn’s
descendants, could also be referring to the Northmen who simply took him as their leader
as well.
We are told by Gloin in the Fellowship of the Ring that the only reason passage from
Erebor to Rivendell was still possible was thanks to the Beornings - though they did
charge high tolls and were still not overly fond of dwarves, they were reliable and kept
their lands safe from the orcs and wargs.
It is said that many generations of Beorn’s line maintained the power of taking bear form.
Some became grim men and bad, but most were in heart like Beorn - though none would ever
equal his size and strength.
By 3019 TA, we know that the lordship of the Beornings had passed to Beorn’s son, Grimbeorn.
His name is a combination of his father’s meaning “bear” and Grim meaning “fierce”.
Under the leadership of Grimbeorn, their lands in the Vales of Anduin would remain safe - as
no orc nor wolf would dare to enter the land of the Beornings.
Another thing we know of the Beornings is that they were great bakers and are famous
for their honey-cakes.
It is said that like lembas, these honey-cakes could nourish travelers greatly and like the
elves, they were hesitant to share them with others.
As for any other conflicts or actions during the War of the Ring, we are left precious
few clues.
One is that when Frodo wears the One Ring at Amon Hen - the Hill of Sight - he sees
among other things the land of the Beornings on fire.
While this could very well mean that Sauron’s northern forces had indeed made war upon the
Beornings - we have no record of this conflict.
We do know that the Beornings would survive into the Fourth Age.
After the war, when Celeborn, Galadriel, and the elves of Lorien had destroyed Dol Guldur,
Celeborn and Thranduil would divide the forest of Mirkwood - newly named Eryn Lasgalen (Wood
of Greenleaves).
In this arrangement, the northern realm would be under the lordship of Thranduil, the southern
would belong to the elves of Lorien, and the central region is given to the Beornings.
With Middle-earth freed from Sauron’s influence, the Elves and Beornings would no doubt help
the forest to return to its more natural form, back when it was known as Greenwood the Great.
As for Beorn, we can assume that he died sometime before the War of the Ring.
We are never told whether he would indeed return one day to his former home of the Misty
Mountains, or if instead he would have found peace in his new home, surrounded by his descendants
and all who call themselves Beornings.