Beorn

Is Beorn man or more? He just doesn't seem to fit neatly into the Tolkienverse. Tolkien refers to him as a man in a note from unfinished tales but that doesn't seem relate to his portrayal in the Hobbit. In his Man form he is possibly 10-12 feet tall. Beorn was wearing a tunic below his knees and Bilbo could have walked under it without ducking his head. If Bilbo was 3'6", that would make Beorn about 12 feet tall. What man is 12 feet tall? In his bear form at the battle of 5 armies he was "giant in size". He single handedly turned the title of the battle and was tossing ors and wargs like straw. No weapon seemed to hurt him. That would suggest power of a super natural nature. Gandalf seemed wary of him as well which is unusual considering Gandalf's power. Beorn speaks of returning to the mountains before the goblins which seems a period of time much longer than a human lifespan. All of this suggests an individual that is more than Human.

[Raynor]

Hm, I wasn't aware that there was such a referrence in UT, can you give a more exact quote? As to the initial question, Tolkien said he is a Man in the letters, too:

Originally Posted by Letter #144

Though a skin-changer and no doubt a bit of a magician, Beorn was a Man.

Originally Posted by Raynor

Hm, I wasn't aware that there was such a referrence in UT, can you give a more exact quote? As to the initial question, Tolkien said he is a Man in the letters, too:

Ahh, that is what I was referring to. I couldn't remember where I read it. That would indicate Beorn to be a man but everything about him indicates something else.

[Boromir88]

Beorn doesn't seem to fit nicely with most men, but I echo Raynor's thoughts in that he was a man.

The quoted Letter 144 goes to say also that Beorn would not have lived greater than the lifespan of a man. He would have died roughly the same age as Men did. It was in respondance I assume to somebody who had asked why Beorn wasn't in The Lord of the Rings, hence why Tolkien replied with: 'Beorn is dead, see vol1 pg241. He appeared in the Hobbit. It was then the year Third Age 2940 (Shire -reckoning 1340). We are now in the years 3018 -19 (1418-19). Though a skin-changer and no doubt a bit of a magician, Beorn was a man.' I doubt Beorn would have lived very long past the T.A. 3000.

Tolkien leaves a reference to vol1 pg241, where Tolkien is always referring to the 1966 Allen and Unwin edition:

’Frodo learned that Grimbeorn the Old, son of Beorn, was now the lord of many sturdy men, and to their land between the Mountains and Mirkwood neither orc nor wolf dared to go.

’Indeed,’ said Gloin, ’if it were not for the Beornings, the passage from Dale to Rivendell would long ago have become impossible. They are valiant men and keep open the High Pass and the Ford of Carrock. But their tolls are high,’ he added with a shake of his head; ’and like Beorn of old they are not over fond of dwarves.'~Many Meetings

I don't know if much more is known on Beorn (as to why he was considered a man), but not only did Tolkien refer to him as a Man in Letter 144, the dwarves thought of Beorn, and the Beornings, as Men too.

Perhaps it has something to do with the Etymology of Beorn. The Old English word first meant 'bear,' but over time it evolved to mean 'warrior.' I think this is Tolkien cleverly using the evolution of the Etymology of Beorn to show Beorn's ability to change from a man (a warrior) to a bear.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

That is interesting, Boro.

If ever there was a case of Tolkien saying "Right! Enough! I've had it; I'm away for my supper and I don't think I shall come back!" it is with Beorn. He'd obviously been at pains to fit the worlds of The Hobbit and the legendarium together. Imagine the stramash when he realised how difficult the Bombadil question was. By the time he'd remembered Beorn he'd grown quite exasperated and curt, hence: "Yeah, Beorn's a man. He's a giant, and he's a bear, but yeah, he's a man. Get over it."

[Raynor]

I would also note that in the appendices that the beornings are related to the first age Edain, giving them a rather good standing. Hammond and Scull offer in their LotR Reader Companion an etimology very similar to that given by Boromir88:

Grimbeorn the Old, son of Beorn, Many Meetings, page 207:... Beorn is an Old English word meaning 'prince, nobleman, warrior' or poetic 'man'.

I would also note that Beorn has a son; I would consider it very naturally that a leader's family should be of the same race with that of the ones who are ruled - otherwise, esspecially in the case of someone apparently related to animals, he wouldn't have a higher status, but a lower one.