Contents of this entry
The household beside the wildThe bear at the battlePrimary referencesRelated encyclopedia entries
The household beside the wild
Gandalf introduces the company gradually, telling the story of their escape in a way designed to engage Beorn’s interest. The strategy respects both the host’s independence and the risk of arriving as a large uninvited group. Beorn verifies the travellers’ account rather than accepting it simply on their authority.
His household presents a distinctive relation between a person and the animals around him. The travellers find practical help, food and shelter, but they must also observe clear conditions. The ponies lent for their journey are not resources they can take permanently once they have become useful.
The bear at the battle
Beorn’s arrival in the Battle of Five Armies changes the fortunes of the conflict. He carries Thorin from the fighting and kills Bolg, the goblin leader. The episode fulfils the earlier account of his hostility to the goblins while showing the difference between a solitary householder and an ally whose intervention has consequences for whole peoples.
Later references to the Beornings place his legacy within the inhabited lands between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood. The bear-form should not be used to classify him casually as a werewolf in Tolkien’s terminology. Nor does the text provide a complete biological explanation of skin-changing that would justify extending the power to every neighbouring group.
Beorn’s mixture of severity, humour and generosity is part of his value in the narrative. A summary limited to his transformation misses the carefully negotiated act of trust that makes the passage through his territory possible.
Primary references
The Hobbit, “Queer Lodgings”, “The Clouds Burst” and “The Return Journey”; The Lord of the Rings, Book II, “The Council of Elrond”.
