 It is related to the Scandinavian names "Björn" (Swedish and Icelandic) and "Bjørn" (Norwegian and Danish), meaning "bear"; and the figure of Beorn can be related to the traditional Northern heroes Bodvar Bjarki and Beowulf, both of whose names also mean "bear".The name of the Scottish town Borrowstounness is derived from the Old English "Beornweardstun" ("the town with Beorn as its guardian").Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt portrays Beorn in Peter Jackson's "" and in its sequel "."