Sunday, 15 July 2941 T. A.: Forward along the river Anduin

Beorn's home was clearly inspired by contemporary
reconstructions of old norse halls

On this day, in 2941 T. A., the Company set out from Beorn's hall and headed north along the left bank of the Anduin, towards the lands where once the Éothéod had dwelt. Beorn had advised them to find the entry to a minor forest path early on 18 July. The mood was light during daytime, but haunting dreams attacked Bilbo and the Dwarves that night.

Note: On preparing yesterday's calendar entry I realised that I have mistakenly dated the departure from Beorn on 14 July in chapter IV of "The Moon in 'The Hobbit'". This has to be corrected in the next upload of the preprint file.

Saturday, 14 July 2941, T. A.: The strangest beasts of Middle-earth

But where those guys got pipeweed from
will stay the secret of Horus Weber,
artist of this 1957 "Hobbit" illustration.

On this day, in 2941 T. A., Bilbo is awakened late while the others have breakfast. The Dwarves stay carefully in Beorn's hall all day long while Gandalf is out to examine the tracks of the night before. He returns late and tells his story of a congregation of bears while Beorn is not seen all day. He seems not to expect his guests to leave before his return, nor do his animals who are waiting on with all their unnatural skills.

Beorn's beasts have been the subject of much discussion because they are hard to reconcile with the post-LotR world of Middle-earth. Sure, we have seen Huan, the talking dog of the Silmarillion, and Thuringwethil the bat messenger, but a whole gang of beasts behaving humanly in all respects but their physical form? Even the popular default assumption - They are Maiar! - fails, for why would they serve a mere man? And Tolkien was unequivocal about Beorn being no more than that. Allow me to propose my own suggestion that I have not yet heard before:

The animals in Beorn's household are in fact his wife and daughters. Like him, they are skinchangers, but the social standards of their ethnic group do not permit them to show their human shape to strangers (let's call it a sexual taboo, if you like). Hence, they keep their animalic shapes throughout, though with a distinctly human touch to it. 

Friday, 13 July 2941. T. A.: Through the air to the bear

Beorn, by Horus Weber for the German
"Hobbit" edition of 1957

On the morning of this day, in 2941 T. A., Bilbo awoke with the early sun in his eyes, which at this season and latitude (and altitude) may have been at some time between 06.00 and 07.00 a.m. The Eagles took everyone down to the Anduin, where they had a bath around noon when the sun was "strong and warm". It was afternoon when they arrived at Beorn's.

In the night, as he heard odd noises outside, Bilbo observed a "high moon, which was peering down through the smokehole in the roof." This must have been Beorn picking up the scent and leaving briefly before sunrise for the moon was in its last quarter now and would not have been above anyone's smokehole before 4.00 a.m.