About Beorn

[Ferretz]

So, I'm running Kinstrife & Dark Tidings today, and I'm reviewing the info on Beorn.

One thing I'm curious about is how his shapechanging ability actually works. Some pictures of him in TOR shows him wearing a huge bear pelt. Is this to imply that the magic of Beorn is actually inspired by the legend of norse skin changers? They would wear a magical pelt to change their shape into various animals.

Also, showing him with a bear pelt suggests that he is a hunter of bears. Isn't Beorn a strict vegetarian, and only the hunter of wargs and orcs? Something strikes me as a bit off with the way Beorn is represented in TOR. Anything canon, or in some description, that would suggest he would dress in a bear's pelt? I don't have the Hobbit novel with me here..

Eirik

[Seosaidh]

I'm not sure that it is ever make clear that Beorn is a vegetarian, just that he doesn't hunt most animals. He gives the Dwarves bows and arrows when they leave, although he probably never used them himself. He does mention 'wicked bears' to Bilbo when he returns from hunting around and discovering whether the tale Gandalf told him was true. (The full quote is "Not eaten up by Wargs or goblins or wicked bears yet I see." pg120 The Hobbit Houghton Mifflin Comp c1997) This might imply that he hunts these bears as well as the wargs and goblins. However, the only description we have of him is as follows:

Standing near was a huge man with a thick black beard and hair, and great baire arms and legs with notted muscles. He was clothed in a tunic of wool down to his knees, and was leaning on a large axe. The horses were standing by him with their noses at his shoulder. ... standing in front of them and towering tall above Gandalf. As for Bilbo he could easily have trotted through his legs without ducking his head to miss the fringe of the man's brown tunic." pg 108 same book as above

If we assume that hobbits are on average about 3 feet tall, this implies that Beorn's knees are about 3 feet above the ground. We could do analysis on this to determine about how tall Beorn is. Based on the image in this link: http://www.proko.com/human-figure-propo ... ge-richer/, the knee is about 3/11 of the total body height, which puts Beorn at ~11 feet tall. However, I only did very light research, and I'm open to correction on this figure/calculation.

Either way, you wanted to know if there is any evidence that Beorn would wear a bearskin. The answer is no, not from the description we have in the Hobbit. However, you are likely correct when you say that the way TOR pictures him is likely related to the norse skin changers.

[Ferretz]

Well, I only have the description in The One Ring Revised Edition at hand, on page 275, it says he doesn't eat any meat at all, at least not from animals. Hmmm...

E.

[Murcushio]

Some pictures of him in TOR shows him wearing a huge bear pelt.

Er... they do? Where? Was there new art made for the Revised Edition? I'm having trouble thinking of any pictures of Beorn in the published materiel at all.

Is this to imply that the magic of Beorn is actually inspired by the legend of norse skin changers? They would wear a magical pelt to change their shape into various animals.

Within the context of One Ring, this is not the case in any way, shape, or form. Beorn's skinchanging powers come from the Powers. That's laid out explicitly in Darkening of Mirkwood; they definitely derive from Orome the Hunter in some way. Whether they're a blessing, curse, or obligation is left somewhat ambiguous.

There's no evidence of that at all in the book, of course; it's TOR-specific. But if you were looking for a canonical-to-the-game answer, there you go.

The vegetarian thing is also game-only. The novel implies that Beorn is deeply friendly to all beasts, which means it follows logically, but being vegetarian is again something made explicit only in the rules.

[zedturtle]

I rather imagine the "wicked bears" thing was a joke at Beorn's own expense. I guess you could take it literally, but I never did.

[Glorelendil]

The Elves of Mirkwood make incredibly realistic looking faux fur. Or so I've heard. Maybe he got it from them.

[Otaku-sempai]

The vegetarian thing is also game-only. The novel implies that Beorn is deeply friendly to all beasts, which means it follows logically, but being vegetarian is again something made explicit only in the rules.

I don't agree. Here is what Gandalf has to say:

He lives in an old oak-wood and has a great wooden house; and as a man he keeps cattle and horses which are nearly as marvelous as himself. They work for him and talk to him. He does not eat them; neither does he hunt or eat wild animals. He keeps hives and hives of great fierce bees, and lives most on cream and honey.

That is close enough to vegetarian in my book. And I agree that Beorn's "wicked bears" comment was a joke.

[jamesrbrown]

Some pictures of him in TOR shows him wearing a huge bear pelt.
Eirik

Are you referring to the picture on p. 283 of The One Ring hardback? There is a big bearded man sitting, sharpening a knife; a wolf head is at his feat while a companion stands next to him wearing a bear-claw vest/shaw carrying a spear.

Assuming this is a depiction of Beorn, perhaps the furs he wears are the furs of wolves. Also, perhaps the bear-claw and other bear fur was taken from a slain animal friend as a sign of respect and maybe even vow of revenge?

[Glorelendil]

This seems relevant:

“Yes it certainly is! No I could not! And I was explaining very carefully,” answered the wizard crossly. “If you must know more, his name is Beorn. He is very strong, and he is a skin-changer.”
“What! a furrier, a man that calls rabbits conies, when he doesn’t turn their skins into squirrels?” asked Bilbo.
“Good gracious heavens, no, no, NO, NO!” said Gandalf. “Don’t be a fool Mr. Baggins if you can help it; and in the name of all wonder don’t mention the word furrier again as long as you are within a hundred miles of his house, nor rug, cape, tippet, muff, nor any other such unfortunate word!”

[Stormcrow]

Any depiction of Beorn in furs is in error. In The Hobbit he's wearing a long, woolen tunic.

However, he probably DOES have a bear-skin, as that is how skin-changers work their magic. This happens with Beren and Luthien too, when they disguise themselves as wolf and bat in some versions of the story. However, it's not necessarily true that the skin belonged to a now-dead animal. Perhaps it's one of Beorn's own skins, and when he's a bear he stashes his man-skin somewhere. (Of course, that would mean he would have had to bring it with him to the Battle of Five Armies.)

Tolkien, of course, never shows us his transformation. A clever Loremaster will keep it offstage as well, and not refer to it directly.