Of Beorn

[Gwaihir the Windlord]

Another observation:

'Radagast the Brown; a worthy wizard, a master of shapes and hues...'

Shapes...? Human shape to bear shape, perhaps?

Then again, Orome was the patron Vala of animals.

Gandalf.

'A man; no doubt a bit of a sorceror, but a man.'

Of course, he could have been just mostly human, with a small inkling of Maia in him. But I feel that a small inkling would not be enough to give him, and all his descendants, the power to change shape at will.

A sorceror... well, perhaps he was. Sorceror-type people existed in the Third Age, although admittedly they were mainly not Men. Mannish magic did exist though, as in Orthanc, the Black Pillar of the Paths of the Dead and Isildur's commandement to the dead, the sword Narsil etc. So Beorn could have been, just a sorceror. Not the higher, refined, civilised magic of Numenor, but a more rustic kind perhaps?

It is also vaguely possible that he was an enchanted Man, although the quote 'he is under no enchantment but his own' seems to contradict that, and lend more perhaps to the above idea or the Maia argument. Then again, it may just mean that he stood alone and held to his own judegement and will.

*shrugs* I agree though, the idea of Radagast being BEorn's father isn't easy to swallow.