LividStrawberry
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Summary
This story can probably be best described as: a very cottagecore brat-taming.
It centers on Beorn from The Hobbit, whose origins Tolkien left extremely vague. I’ve chosen to give him a homebrew origin story, shaped partly by later Beorning lore from the Middle-earth Role Playing books. I love Tolkien’s world dearly, but I am not a Tolkien scholar. Some of my choices may make a diehard Tolkien or MERP fan’s eye twitch. Unfortunately, I'm too attached to go back and burn the whole thing down.
My personal vision of Middle-earth has always been something of a Victorian-medieval mash-up: late-medieval clothing and setting, but with Victorian gardens, food, domestic rhythms, and social concerns tucked into the corners.
For the Beornings, I took a lot of inspiration from Norse culture, especially in the names, furniture, and household details. I relied heavily on Anna Arquette’s essay “Beornings and Woodmen” for information regarding Beorning culture. I also borrowed from selkie myths and other folklore about skinchangers. In this story, Beorn’s transformation is tied to a magical bearskin that he puts on to change.
For what I'm sure are many inaccuracies, forgive me. I wrote what wanted to come out.