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AlenaKatz
Registered User
Jan 7 2008, 5:52pm
Post #1 of 7
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Beorn of THE HOBBIT compared with "Beowulf"
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In Tolkien's The Hobbit, how does Beorn, the man/bear that befriends Gandalf, Thorin & Co., and Bilbo, and his household connect to the Old English tale of "Beowulf"? I see lots of similarities between the two characters, events, and even living spaces. Did Tolkien draw pieces of this part of The Hobbit from "Beowulf"?
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Curious
Half-elven
Jan 7 2008, 7:09pm
Post #2 of 7
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Beorn means "bear." Beowulf is most often interpreted to mean "bee-wolf," which is a kenning for "bear."
Beorn fights without weapons as a bear. Beowulf was said to be so strong that any sword he used would break in battle; therefore he often chose to fight without weapons. In the poem he defeats Grendel without weapons, and when he tries to use famous swords against Grendel's mother and a dragon, the swords break. Only a sword made for giants which Beowulf finds in Grendel's mother's home can stand up to Beowulf's strength, but unfortunately that sword blade dissolves after Beowulf uses it to kill Grendel's mother and chop off Grendel's head.
Beorn's home is based on the great mead halls of the Germanic or Gothic, Scandinavian or Viking, and Anglo-Saxon or Old English tribes, with an open fire in the middle of the hall. I believe Tolkien based a drawing of Beorn's hall on a drawing of a Germanic hall, if I recall The Annotated Hobbit correctly. King Hrothgar's hall, which Beowulf rescues from Grendel, is similar, although much more richly decorated, like Theoden's hall in LotR. Note that in LotR we also learn that Elrond has a Hall of Fire which is probably based on the same design. (As beautiful as they are, I don't think Tolkien would have approved of Alan Lee's designs for Rivendell in the movies.)
Beorn's relationship with animals, however, is Tolkien's invention, as far as I can tell. So is Gandalf's delightful scheme for introducing Beowulf to the dwarves, which is similar to Gandalf's scheme for introducing Bilbo to the dwarves, although for different reasons. Note that at the beginning of The Hobbit Gandalf says he couldn't find a Hero or a Warrior, so he found a Burglar -- Bilbo. I suggest that along the way they do find both a Hero -- Beorn, who seems to be semi-divine like a true Hero -- and a Warrior, Bard, in Laketown.
There are more references to Beowulf when Bilbo meets Smaug. Can you find them?
And if anyone is interested, we have been discussing Beowulf on the Off Topic board.
(This post was edited by Curious on Jan 7 2008, 7:12pm)
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vtboyarc
Lorien
Jan 8 2008, 4:57pm
Post #3 of 7
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I don't know much about Beowulf, but I do know that Tolkien really liked it, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were similarities.
Theres some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and its worth fighting for.
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AlenaKatz
Registered User
Jan 8 2008, 6:46pm
Post #4 of 7
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Wow! Thanks SO MUCH for you insight. I'm still marching my way through the book, but as I keep going I'll definitely be on the lookout for more similarities. A lot of what you said I wondered and thought about in my mind, but you confirmed my ideas for me. Thanks!
And if anyone else has some further insight, I'd love to hear about it! As simple as The Hobbit may seem in its distinction as a "children's novel," I'm beginning to see that there's a LOT more to The Hobbit than meets the eye!
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entmaiden
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 8 2008, 8:49pm
Post #5 of 7
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Have you read Lord of the Rings yet?
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If not, hopefully your experience with The Hobbit will interest you in further exploration of Tolkien. LOTR has a lot of the same complexity, and there is so much there to find that one reading isn't enough. I first read The Hobbit and LOTR over 30 years ago, and I'm still learning about it.
Each cloak was fastened about the neck with a brooch like a green leaf veined with silver.
`Are these magic cloaks?' asked Pippin, looking at them with wonder.
`I do not know what you mean by that,' answered the leader of the Elves.
NARF since 1974.
Balin Bows
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AlenaKatz
Registered User
Jan 9 2008, 3:57am
Post #6 of 7
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When the LOTR movies first came out, I refused to see them before I had read the novels. So, needless to say, it's been awhile, but I've read them (a few of them twice, but all still at least 5 years ago or more)! The Hobbit was included in that original reading of mine, but I'm reading it again for a class and have gained SO much insight from it, not to mention from this site and the posts to my question. Thanks, all, for helping to "reintroduce" me to the wonderful world of Middle Earth!
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entmaiden
Forum Admin
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Jan 9 2008, 2:03pm
Post #7 of 7
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I'm sure you've heard that The Hobbit will be made into a movie, and Peter Jackson will be involved again. Plus, we're at the beginning of a chapter-by-chapter discussion of The Lord of the Rings right now (we're in Bree, just meeting Strider at the Prancing Pony).
I read The Hobbit first, then Lord of the Rings, and I found when I re-read The Hobbit again, there was so much more to the story. Years later, I read The Silmarillion, and had the exact same experience - both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings were so much richer and complex than I had realized.
Each cloak was fastened about the neck with a brooch like a green leaf veined with silver.
`Are these magic cloaks?' asked Pippin, looking at them with wonder.
`I do not know what you mean by that,' answered the leader of the Elves.
NARF since 1974.
Balin Bows
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