The Life of Beorn and the Skin-changers | Tolkien Explained 

*Apologies for my voice in this one. Been fighting a bit of a sinus bug. Do you think Beorn was the only one of his kind left at the time of the Hobbit like in the films? Or do you think there were more skin-changers in the world?

I feel like Beorn is one of the loneliest characters in Middle Earth. For years he was the last remaining member of his kind, living in exile from his true home. Yet he kept his golden heart. 💛🐻

The Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt portrays Beorn in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and in its sequel The Battle of the Five Armies. In the DVD commentary, the production team explain that they normally ensured that all characters had accents from the British Isles, but they made a exception for Beorn by letting Persbrandt use his natural Swedish accent. They reasoned that Beorn should have a distinctive and foreign-sounding accent, since he is the last survivor of an isolated race. Jackson stated that many actors were auditioned for the role, but that Persbrandt captured Beorn's primitive energy. Richard Armitage, who played Thorin Oakenshield, said that Persbrandt had a fantastic voice, and that his accent was perfect for the role.

I always felt that Beorn is to the animals of Middleearth, what the Ents are to Fangorn. Their protector born from the land to protect the animals of the land.

A word to the wise: do not refer to Beorn himself as "Honeycakes".

Yet another example of Tolkien's linguistic genius. Not only does he form a character around Norse language, but also, in Beorn's part in the Battle of the Five Armies, he perfectly describes a Norse warrior clad in a bear skin, fighting in "berserkr" mode. Tolkien's world and his writing were just so DEEP.

Beorn is the OG Mama Bear. -has a clean and welcoming home -famous for baking -known for eating sweets like honey and cream -has several dogs and horses, but treats them like people -takes care of those he likes -ferociously fights off any threat to his “children” -passively-aggressively doesn’t like unexpected company

It's absolutely unforgivable how Beorn's role in the Battle of Five Armies was cut from the film version. If I hadn't been watching it with my sister for her birthday I'm pretty sure I would've walked out. Never mind the myriad of other issues with the third film in the hobbit trilogy, but that was the final straw for me

A grizzled man who barely got any "screen" time; a lore video sounds a good way to spend the day indoors away from the snow. ❤

It would’ve been so much better to have Thorin and Beorn fight Azog and Bolg together rather than Legolas taking Bolg for no reason, just like how he had no reason to be in the movie. Having Beorn assisting a dwarf in battle would really build upon his previous quote: “I don't like dwarves. They are greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than themselves... But orcs, I hate more”

I wanna say he did not like the dwarves for their dwellings end dealings of the mines of Moria and the misty mountains in general. Feeling it was not there’s for the claiming, and also digging far too deep and awakening the balrog when it was just fine asleep deep within the earth already and unleashing such a monstrosity

Love how ”Beorn” is really similar to the swedish word ”Björn” literally meaning Bear. Also- ”Juul/juultide” or how you call it (the festival) is also really similar to the words ”Jul” and ”Juletid”. These meaning ”Christmas” and ”Christmastime”. Tolkien sure loved us Scandinavians huh Edit: I also noticed ”Wargs”… guess what we say for Wolves? ”Vargar” xD

Beorn has always been my favorite Tolkien character. The way Tolkien describes Beorn's Hall manages to transport me every time, such a magical chapter 🐻

Beorn is one of the most strange characters ever and i would say he is definately one of my favorite characters cause he is very much like an anti hero but a hero at the same time

I was *SO* disappointed in how little we got of him in the movie battle....

For people who seem baffled by The Hobbit films: Imagine a film based on a campier, more childish book than the hugely successful LotR movies that came before it. Now imagine the director of LotR saying that he "never wanted to direct a big project like that again", so the studio hired a completely different director. Then two companies fight over the rights of the films for so long, that the newly hired director leaves. Then, right before filming, the studio decides they want two movies - which admittedly makes sense based on how the book reads (and no, "LotR was 3 movies for 3 books, so The Hobbit should be 1 movie for 1 book" is NOT a valid or even logical argument), but again, the LotR director doesn't want to do it. Finally the studio twists his arm to do it, but unlike LotR, instead of having 3 years of preparation, mock-ups, re-writes, storyboards, miniatures, brand new passion for a project no one has tackled before, etc, before the first shots are even filmed, he's got less than 3 months and literally wings the entire thing. Then once filming begins, the studio tells him he has to stretch it out into three movies. A few months in, he falls violently ill and everything is halted and rearranged; once healthy again, he rushes to complete it because the studio puts him on a very restrictive deadline. Oh, and all the while, they are using experimental filming methods with entirely new technology. That's what happened with The Hobbit trilogy. As to how "anyone could sign off on it": the studio knew it would make heaps of money regardless of how it turned out. I doubt Peter himself was thrilled with the result, but he also isn't going to throw it under the bus.

Of all the tales of the Middle-Earth, the stories of Beorn are the most heart to my ears, I get chills when I imagine the strength and ferocity of the bear-men wrecking the forces of orcs and goblins and foul wolves of the Armies that came at that time. Something so fulfilling hearing such an immense/giant/tremendous man-creature of tamed peace and willful transpose, an individual that doesnt eat meat but instead sweet bee-honey, fighting for the greatest cause of all the smaller fuzzy-toes beings of the Earth. I always get a little sad when I realize Beorns tale seemed so short and untold, even more sad when I remember the film adapations did the opposite of justice to the character in my opinion. As always though, thank you for the wonderful imaginative stories Nerd of the Rings

Can you imagine even a small army of pissed off bears? Kinda leads me to believe there were but a handful left if not Beorn alone. I'm trying to imagine how such a race was driven from anywhere by orcs and goblins. There couldn't have been many to begin with.

I always wanted to know more about Beorn.

For me, Beorn returned to the misty mountains and lived there for a great many years.. I think and hope that Beorn/beornings get very very old.

Beorn and Tom Bombadil are among my top favorite characters of any fantasy series, they just have that good vibe

Love this video! I wish we saw more of Beorn in the books. He’s such an underrated character. I would have loved to see the animals serving Bilbo and company in the movies. Such dedication for putting up this video even though you’ve been sick!

I just finished reading the Hobbit for my five year old girl. She said it was the best story she have ever heard. I love that book. In Swedish many of Tolkien‘s words are understandable. Beorn for example sounds like ”Björn” (bear).

I do feel that Peter Jackson did Beorn a disservice in the 3rd movie. In the book he pretty much finished the battle just by his arrival. In the movie his arrival feels like an afterthought.

Beorn always struck me like a thing Tolkien added into the hobbit, and then didn't truly know how to fit into middle earth's lore when it was more fixed, by the time of LoTR

Idk why but "...and Debbie" is hilarious. (Probably because I've hit the point of exhaustion where everything is hilarious).

1:20 this is such an incredible piece of artwork, they all are obviously great but this one in particular is just so good

Imagine 20 Beorns at the last alliance cooperating to destroy dozens of trolls and many more orcs and all of them to COMPLETELY tear Sauron apart in an epic bloodbath!!

This passage in the book is the single most exhilarating battle scene I have ever had the pleasure of reading! So incredibly heroic and epic! He "broke like a clap of thunder through the ring"!! He scattered the body guard of bolg!! AAAHHHHH!!!! I wanted to see that part so badly in the movies and they just did NOT do it justice!

If Beorn had a skin-changing son, he must have also had a wife, and maybe other children. Now there's a bit of inspiration for some fun fanfiction!

Since shape changer's origins are never mentioned in the Silmarillion....I always thought to myself that he was originally one of the Blue Wizards. He has powers. He obviously knows Gandalf and did not attack the dwarves when they came. Like Radagast he seems to have just found his own reasons for staying in middle earth which didn't have much to do with his original mission. I often wonder if he really didn't die....but returned to Aman like Gandalf did.

i felt skeptical when lord of the rings online added this race but after hearing this description I am much more ok with it.

I always thought Beorn was always an interesting character. Great video!

I've always been interested in the Skin-changers

I love the idea of Beorn getting his revenge in the end.

So many of these characters deserve their own books. It's a shame that Tolkien couldn't live a few hundred more years

Quite possibly my favorite individual in the stories. Long live the Bear Folk...their kin...and the other varieties of "Skin-Changers" not mentioned here...

Is there anyone that Tolkien created (besides Ilúvatar) that could change the nature of the one ring itself because they are far more powerful then Sauron. If not how would the ring effect the classes above Sauron.

One of my top favorite Tolkien characters, great video.

Beorn and the Beornings are some of the best parts of the lore. Thank you for this fantastic, detailed video. This hyped me even more to play Lotro after work.

Beorn is my favorite character in Tolkiens amazing world. Mysterious, monsterous, dangerous and still gold heartet.

the part where beorn is introduced to the dwarves was hilarious...galdalf told them before hand come in at intervals of 10 minutes exactly! But i dont understand why gandalf tells the gang not to stare at beorn's bear form at night.

I'm so glad this was made, he's such a unique character and his race even more so. I'm glad to know that his legacy was left to be something higher than himself, and I'm sure that's what he passed away knowing.

This was fun! Beorn was a Hobbit character that I really liked, and even sort of ripped off for D&D. I had an NPC druid who turned into a mighty earth elemental, in bear shape, bur then got cursed to remain in that form, and driven insane. He was a big problem for a party to deal with. In part, I did this because I sort of wished for an evil Beorn. He was neat, and I'm glad he was Good, but that just felt likeca power some servant of Sauron should have, trying to mimic their master, as he could once shift between many forms, and was mighty. It would have been too bad for a Gondorian army if such a thing had happened to then, as happened to the goblins, and Sauron certainly didn't need the help, but it might have been cool, anyway.

8:33 - his face makes the statement about not wanting to share honey cakes super funny.

Hi, the Bear cult is very old, it came from Stone Age times and was in Scandinavia. The ancient Finns believed they were descended from Bears, and that the Bears had come here from Ursa Major, the Great Bear constellation in the sky. The Bears were our progenitors and they were a kind of human/Bear chimera. They believed that they could invite the Bear spirit to come out in battle, that they would wear the “Beat Shirt” (Bear skins) and go “Bearzerk” at these times and defeat any foe. Mirkwood was actually a forest between Sweden and Finland, it was real. There were many “Bearzerkers” dwelling near that forest. It’s all in the Sagas that inspired Tolkien, read them. Notice how Beorn speaks in a Finnish accent.

Beorn is a wonderful character. I love when Gandalf says “he is under no spell but his own.” I love your choice and taste of artwork. Any chance you could timestamp each piece in the descriptions?

I am always thrilled to see original fantasy art and despise the pieces which depict actors from the films. Good content, the Hobbit is still fresh to me as I very recently re-read it.

My theory about where the skin-changers come from is that the power of skin-changing is a learned art of sorcery passed down by the lines of warrior-chiefs among certain tribal groups in Rhovanion (and possibly beyond), and that those capable of it were feared and revered among their people, who they protected from the evil things of the wilds, but this ability dwindled over the years, until by the third age Beorn’s line was the last, living in the foothills of the misty mountains, and as we know, his people were completely wiped out by orcs, forcing him to flee east. This is by no means a serious problem in the context of the whole movie, but in The Battle of the Five Armies I felt Beorn’s arrival was totally glossed over. I suppose it was to not detract from the main characters’ actions, but all we see of him is his being carried by eagles and dropped into the battle like a human/bear cannon ball. Never glimpsed again and it’s only implied by the music that his arrival was supposed to be significant.

You know, I was really looking forward to seeing Beorn fight in the Battle of the Five Armies, but instead we all got to see elf dwarf romance

My wife and I came across your channel a couple of weeks ago and we have been loving it. We would both really like you to do a what if video on what if Faramir had gone to Rivendall.

Nice. I enjoy all of your videos. I'd like to request a video about many of the mysterious elements of middle-earth of which there's little information. Such as the stone of erech. Thanks!

You should make a "what if frodo and Sam didn't get distracted and ate the rabbit stew" love to hear your take on it.

It seems that while Beorn was "a man", he actually was unusually tall as a byproduct of his also being a skin-changer, that his changing back and forth diminished his original form somewhat, that he ended up far taller, a "bearish man". Taller than normal.

Damn you always narrate the story so well that I almost always shed a tear

So crazy you uploaded this today, re reading the hobbit, and thought NOTRs needs a video on Beorn. Thanks for reading my mind!

As Tom another enigmatic character of middle earth ! Thanks for the synthesis !

Really appreciate this essay. I would always choose to play a Beorning when roleplaying in Middle earth. Absolutely my favorite character in Tolkien's legendarium.

“I don’t like dwarves… there meaty, and greedy, and blind… but orks I hate more! What do you need?”

I alwasy was fascinated with Beorn and I hope we will see more of him or his kind in future movies or shows.

He seems to me as a fusion of Tom Bombadil and the Elves. A wholesome person close to nature, but if you disturb his peace, he will destroy you or wait till he can, so that peace returns to his lands.

Ooh always wanted to know more on them. Great work as always . Feel better soon

Another excellent video, as always. Your channel is really good and inspired me to go back and re-read Tolkien's work.

Great video Matt! I definitely prefer book Beorn over the film.

Mr. Tolkien has truly created a monumental fantasy!

I know this is a late comment but these videos are amazing I can't stop watching them please keep it up

Beorn: **becomes a bear** The other bears: "there's an imposter amogus" Beorn: "The orcs are acting mad sus lately..."

this was amazinggggggggg every video you make is perfect! youre the best tolkien channel my friend. from start to end, the pictures, how long the quates are, the number of ads during the video.. youre the best!

those artwork's with him in battle are amazing

It mostly could have been due to radagast, as we know after sauron was expelled from dolgol dur Gandalf warns him to summon all birds and beast to erebor to assist the drawves in the battle of five armies.

I really love your narrations. It feels like I'm journeying again in Middle Earth 💓

Nerd, once again, you take me back to those days of ME. Thanks so much. Namarie.

Fantastic vídeo, thanks 🙏

Hmm 6:44 the Yule festival sounds almost exactly like Finnish/Swedish Christmas and in Finland we call it Joulu and in Sweden Jul and it was originaly celebrated as mid winters day so i wonder did Tolkien take more from our culture while creating Beorn. I do know he liked Kalevala.

Very interesting, Beorn is one my all time favorite characters! I didn't realize there was a whole people who proceeded him; love your videos!

hobbit movies do a massive disservice to Beorn

Intresting. Beowulf means in old Scandinavian languages bi-wolf which is an other name for bear. I guess that if you dident say it's name he wouldent show up _(speak of the Devil)_ Bear or in Swedish Björn is a common name today, like Ulf meaning Wolf. You can even be named Stone, swedish Sten. And they all are first names or forenames.

I remember watching the hobbit cartoon when I was a boy then getting into the book and realizing how much the cartoon left out and being blown away. Great video, man. Another fantasy setting i really enjoy is Dragonlance

IMHP I believe that the Beornings with Beorn in particular have some kind of relationship with the God Orome. As some of the other Valar have intervened such as Aule creating the Dwarves, Manwe the Great Eagles, Yvanna the Ents etc. I know it is only speculation as there is no evidence in the books. I believe this is their origin.

He has to be a Maiar type-level humanoid or something but more primitive in nature. What an interesting character. Do they ever say what he is and what his true age is? Thank2!!!

Awesome video mate!!

I always assumed beorn was like at least 10 feet cause bears are huge when they stand on their hind legs

Absolutely has always been my favorite character in this world

Beorn is such an interesting character that I think gives an insight into Tolkien's ethos. Beorn, I think, has two main inspirations from history. Firstly, the "berserkers" of old norse and possibly proto-norse and proto-germanic origin. Warriors who (maybe) were part of a bear cult who would venture into battle wearing bear skins (not the hats). Berserker literally means "bear-skin." Like this, Beorn (from the norse name Bjorn, meaning bear) takes on the skin of a bear in battle or just whenever he wants. It's said to be magical and the berserkers of old norse fame certainly may have believed the same. Second. The demeanor of Beorn is said to be caring and benevolent. He is a man living by himself in the wild. He also mostly eats honey and cream. This reminds me a lot of descriptions of St. John the Baptist. John the Baptist is also a wild man who "wears an animal skin" (although it's a camel skin) and it's said that he subsisted on locusts and wild honey. He is benevolent and later accrues a large group of followers much like Beorn's "Beornings." While the St. John the Baptist connection might be a stretch, It would really shed some light on Tolkien's understanding of the middle ages. The combination of heathen and Christian influences is about as medieval as it gets.

I need to get a tattoo of that illustration of Beorn fighting to get to a fallen Thorin.

I believe that Beorn's association with bears and bees and honey is because his biggest (linguistic) inspiration is the hero Beowulf; the name possibly meaning 'bee-wolf' or 'bear'. It's a no-brainer when you think about it but I still bet Tolkien felt smart when he made these subtle characterizations

Shame Beorn joining the Battle of 5 Armies wasn’t in the movie. Would’ve been cool to see that

I have been wondering about this character for a while. Thank you

The biggest mystery is how Beorn is so stacked on a diet of just honey and cream.

This so much learning about those Creatures

Mae Govannen everyone. Thank you NotR for the great content. I have always held this part of the History of Arda (Beorn and his descendants... and perhaps ascendants as well, who knows) very close to my heart and it is with great sadness that I never found any kind of elaboration or clarification as to where or when or how or anything else we might ask about this honourable Warrior, a true Guardian of Middle Earth and all of its Nature, and of his relatives. We all see great stories of Numenoreans and Elves of the West, Noldor, the Valar, etc, but we fail to ask some questions as well: What was happening in the rest of the Middle Earth while the events of Beleriand unfolded? Stories of pride and downfall, the Rise and Fall of the Noldor, the Kingdoms of Sindar, The Rise and Fall of Númenor, all stories of wounded pride, and, unfortunately, lots of loose ends. All of this makes us forget that there were more people, simpler and with kindness in their hearts, all devoid of pride or oaths with all «the greatest reasons» under the lights of the Trees that totally obscured people like the Beornings, among others. They probably were born at the same time with the rest of the Edain, and chose to live separate lives and establish their own lands, instead of being part of something they did not understand. And then, the very same story of Middle Earth underestimates the value of these races, much like the Eótheod (Rohirrim) or the Men of Dale, or the Beornings and the Woodmen of the Anduin Vale, which, for sure, Morgoth did not leave unnattended, since we see Sauron doing the exact same in the third age with not even an inch of the power Melkor had at his hands. At this point, and before I finish with a theory of mine, I would like to add a fact to this story that was told in this video: NotR, you asked if we think there are more Beornings out there, and I say undoubtedly. In the first night Bilbo was in Beorns Lodge he heard a lot of noises outside, and shadows and such. Come morning, Gandalf reports many tracks of Bears of All sizes in the vicinity of Beorns Lodge and in his courtyard(?), as if there was a complete festival of them that very night. So we have confirmation that there were many, and there are other reports that they were driven out of the Hithaeglir due to the Giants that came to dwell there. At this point, what we can assume is that many Beornings lived just like their Bear Spirits, with their own territory and lands throughout the Anduin Vales and near the mountains and woods. Being the Bear a very territorial Animal, even more for his own kind, we can assume that they would convene under situations of need under the Standard of Beorn, and his line, or under special ocasions like Yule, as described in this video, which had the participation of Bilbo and Gandalf as well, otherwise living solitary lives. To finish up my comment, and I apologise for the rambling, I would like to leave a theory for their creation, and based in what I mentioned in the first paragraph. Much like Sauron did not leave any portion of Middle Earth unnattended, we can also, easily, confirm that Melkor had reach to any part of Arda as he saw fit, and surely terrorized the rest of Middle Earth in equal measure. I theorize that, much like Yavanna pleaded for there to be Ents protecting Middle Earths Flora, there had to be, as well, a Guardian of the Fauna. This is where I point my finger to Vána, the Vala who most revered the animals of Middle Earth, Wife of Oromë. And since Oromë was the most feared in his Wrath, even more than Tulkas, since he always laughed in battle and never loses his temper (or his temper was lost to begin with, I never understood that), we can relate this aspect as well to the measure in which shapeshifting worked while being dependent on Wrath. So I concluded that The Spirit of the Bear, the Noble Warrior and Guardian of Nature, was a Gift of Vána and Oromë to the Edain that dwelt, after their awakening, in the Anduin Vales, and perhaps beyond, and were oblivious of all the deeds and curses related to Beleriand and the Ban of the Valar, and so on, and decided to remain independent of all parties and needed to protect their side of Middle Earth, since there were no Great Kingdoms of Noldor and Sindar and Melian´s Walls, etc, to protect them. A Gift to level the Field against the might of Morgoth. I would very much like to hear a lot more of that Story ;) Hannon Lei!

Hands down my favorite character in the Hobbit. Closely followed by Radaghast the Brown. I always wondered if they were secretly buddies. I feel like they would have gotten along very well and would have loved to hear of their interactions. Great content! 🐻

Thank you. My favorite character ... and I wish the Beorn's had been more fully explored by Mr. Tolkien.

*Beorn and the Honey Cakes* was the name of his wandering minstrel band.

Beorn seems to me to be a form of lycanthrope, a Werebear so to speak. In the battle of 5 armies Beorn has no issues what so ever wading into hoards of orcs and survives. I attribute this to the fact that orcs didn't possess the weaponry needed to harm or even kill him.

Beorn is much more badass in the book then the pj adaptation. I hope one day to see him in a 3d animation series or maybe an anime or maybe his own movie even it would be awesome. I mean he kills a boss and everything.

No matter what... Your voice is always very soothing. You sound a lot like I imagine the Hobbits would 😊

If they defended the high pass wouldn't it be the safest pass over the Misty Mountains for the Fellowship they could then go through Mirkwood get help from the dwarves and elves then sneak into Mordor from the North. They could go back to the normal path but they would go past Dol Guldur which I am assuming they would want to avoid. I think another safe route would be to have the Eagles move the Fellowship to Lothlórien (obviously not being told of the one ring) and make it look like there were messages being sent between Lothlórien and Rivendell.

My favorite Tolkein character, thanks!

Brilliant video thank you