Date
Name Beorn
Gender Masculine
Usage Anglo-Saxon, Literature
Other Forms FormsBeornus, Beorus, Ber, Bern, Berne
Edit Status Status
Meaning & History
Derived from Old English beorn meaning "man, hero, warrior". In some cases it could be an Anglicized form of the Old Norse name Bjǫrn.This was used by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel The Hobbit (1937) Beorn is a shapeshifting woodsman who sometimes takes the form of a great black bear. He receives Gandalf, Bilbo and the thirteen Dwarves into his wooden house between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood and aids them in their quest to reclaim the Dwarves' kingdom.