Barak

This page is written in the in-universe perspective of the "Garion" series' of novels.

Character Info
Full name and title(s)	Lord Barak The Earl of Trellheim The Dreadful Bear
Race	Cherek
Appearances	The Belgariad, The Mallorean
Born	5336

Lord Barak, the Earl of Trellheim, was a companion of Belgarion. He was an intimidating Cherek berserker, the captain of the largest Cherek warship in existence, a Clan Chief of the Chereks, and a cousin of Anheg, King of Cherek. He was known as the Dreadful Bear in the prophecies of the Mrin Codex and other similar texts.

He was a massive man, muscular with red hair. He had a luxuriant beard and extensive body hair, causing his friend Silk to remark that he must have been the son of a bear. Despite his brutish appearance, booming voice, and love of good ale, he was a highly intelligent and emotional person. He usually wore a mail shirt and carried a war axe and broadsword, often using both weapons simultaneously in battle.

Barak, in the form of a bear, with Polgara in the palace of Salmissra

Barak is married to Lady Merel, and they have two daughters, Gundred and Terzie, at the start of the series. Barak loved Merel from his youth, and after his cousin Anheg took the throne, Merel's family saw in him a fortuitous match to improve their family connections. Because the marriage was arranged by her family against her wishes, Merel initially despises Barak, and the two have a very antagonistic relationship which leads to estrangement and separation. However the birth of the son and heir, and Merel's realization that Barak was a good, gentle, and heroic man, led to a reconciliation between the pair, and they remained close and loving thereafter. Barak and Merel act as close advisors to King Anheg and Queen Islena of Cherek.

Barak by Zach Alexander

Barak was Belgarion's protector and turned into a bear whenever Belgarion was in danger. This was predicted to him as a "doom", which he misunderstood and he spent many years afraid of the fate. Although horrified and loathing of it at first, Barak was eventually told that the transformation would be hereditary and happen to someone of his line when the current Rivan heir was in danger. He was proud of this to the point of spending much of a voyage trying to find a tactful way of adding the concept to his coat of arms. It was passed down to his son, Unrak, who transformed whenever Garion's son Geran was in danger.

Barak is also the owner of the Seabird, the largest Cherek warship afloat, that resembled "steering like a whale" or was a "castle on the water". Krendig supervised the building of this boat.

...and with them a man so huge that Garion's mind simply refused to accept the possibility that he was real. His tree-trunk sized legs were wrapped in furs cross-tied with leather thongs, and he wore a chainmail shirt that reached to his knees, belted at the waist. From the belt hung a ponderous sword on one side'and a short-handled axe on the other. His hair was in braids, and he had a vast, bristling red beard

— Pawn of Prophecy