Huan's story continues beyond that battle with wolf-Sauron in the chapter Luthien and Beren in the Silmarillion.

It was said that Huan would only be slain by the mightiest wolf ever seen in Arda. In a bid to be the one to kill Huan, Sauron had transformed himself into a werewolf, reasoning that he would be the greatest wolf of all time. In this he was greatly mistaken, and his fight with Huan almost killed him.

While aiding Luthien and Beren in their quest to take a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown, he also slew the other werewolves of Sauron including their sire, Draugluin.

Morgoth, however, had bred another wolf, from the line of Draugluin with the specific intention of slaying Huan. This great beast, Carcharoth, also known as Anfauglir, was set to guard the doors of Angband. Luthien managed to place a spell upon Carcharoth as they entered Angband, but he barred their exit as they attempted to depart. As they made their escape past him, he bit off Beren's hand in which he was holding the Silmaril.

The heat from the Silmaril burned the wolf terribly and he ran amok through Taur-nu-Fuin and Doriath in madness killing everything he came across. A party was sent out to kill the wolf, including Beren, Huan and Mablung. When they cornered Carcharoth, the wolf managed to kill Beren before Huan was able to kill it. Although Huan slew this beast, as his fate had been fortold, he was slain himself too.

As far as I know, Huan's story ended there. I'm not sure whether anything else as been written about him in the HOME books.

Sauron nearly killed himself? I thought he was a Maia?

BTW, in one HOME book it states that Tolkien's original manuscript stated that Huan will come back to life with Beren and accompany him to Luthien. . . But that idea didn't make it to the Silmarillion, sorry.

So Huan was what? A maia who took the form of a hound?

Yeh, Huan once belong to Oromë before he gave his doggie to Celegorm, so i guess he was indeed some maia who took the form of a dog - don't forget he could spoke three times too. (my dogs can't do that i think)

There are times I wish my animals could talk to me. It really be a tremendous help when they don't feel well, or are hurt.

Mellie

Sorry, I did not mean to interrupt the conversation. Just keep talking and ignore me.

To tell the truth, Huan is a "relic" from the very first version of the story of Beren and Luthien, in which Beren (yet an Elf, only of a different folk than Tinuviel) is captive of... Tevildo Prince of Cats. Funny to think that Sauron started his career as a giant cat!

That's strange... My memory must really be playing me up. I've been through the relevent section (Assignment 7) in the Reading Group and cannot find the letter I mentioned in my previous post. I've also been through the Characters thread in the hope of finding it in here somewhere (there was a thread somewhere concerned with the evolution of Dragons, and whether they were Maiar or not). I cannot find that thread either.

If whoever sent in the relevent letter about Huan is reading this, could you repost it here too please. Many Thanks.

This is pretty much how i pictured it too, him being a maia doesn't make sense to me. And how can a maia be owned and given away to someone?

"Here Honey, I brought you something!!
"Oh it's a maia!! Can I keep him dad, can I??"
"Of course you can sweetie, he's name is Gandalf and he's got a magic stick so don't tease him ok?"
"Ok daddy, i won't!"

The Silmarillion also states that Huan was originally the (or at least "a," but the context implies the former) huniting hound of Orome. It seems odd to think of Orome keeping a Maia in such a way, and there's a similarity between this role and that Thorondor played for Manwe, so perhaps Huan was the "uber-hound" father of dogs.

i think hes a hound of Orome
also he will be killed by the mightiest wolf that ever walks the earth wen he and luthien are tryin to save beren from sauron sauron turns into a mighty wolf (after tryinoher things ) but gets beat by huan :O

I agree too and also with Morambar, I don't think Huan was a Maiar. I just wish there was more written about him! He's one of my favorite characters!

The eagles were definitely not Maiar but Huan could be because Maiar often clotherd themselves like beasts and plants... But Tolkien said that he wasn't ? Is that right?

Well, it goes like this Sian: Tolkien thought Huan might be a Maia -- in an essay dealing with Orcs -- and by end of this same essay then concluded that Huan probably wasn't a Maia -- and this text also 'concluded' that Orcs were (mainly) derived from corrupted beasts! Which isn't the only idea he ever had for Orcs, of course.

And in another, wholly different note, Tolkien seems to feel that Huan could be one of the Maiar.

It appears he was still working out certain matters

agree that Maiar took the form of Beasts, but don't know about the Plants bit. Treebeard could be a descendant of a Maiar who took the form of a Tree, if that is true.
It is true,but Manwe said that shepards of he trees will be walking in the forests,so I do not think he ment Maiar by that

'Manwe however sent Maia spirits in Eagle form to dwell near Thangorodrim...' Note to the typescript, Annals of Aman

'... many of the Maiar robed themselves like other lesser living things, as trees, flowers, beasts. (Huan.)' Note on the page for Myths Transformed, text V

'Huan and Sorontar could be Maiar -- emissaries of Manwe. But unfortunately in The Lord of the Rings Gwaehir and Landroval are said to be descendants of Sorontar.' Myths Transformed text VIII

These appear to hail from the late 1950s -- and then we have the description as found in Of The Ents And The Eagles as well -- again late 1950s, but may well be later according to Christopher Tolkien. 

 

Of course, the first quote is notable concerning the eagles (since they were brought up), but I don't know if it's possible to know much more about the dating here. 

I prefer Huan not to be an 'elevated beast' without a fea (essentially without a spirit), as Tolkien considered in one Myths Transformed text -- the same text in which he generally concluded that Orcs were beasts corrupted to look more human (to mock the children of God). But in a letter of 1954 Tolkien had noted:

 '... when you make Trolls speak you are giving them a power, which in our world (probably) connotes the possession of a 'soul'.'

 

Of course if that's true JRRT would have to look at other speaking beasts already within the tales of Middle-earth. The bit about the orcs being beasts (not that this was Tolkien's final decision in any case) doesn't ring that true to me when I look at orc-conversation in The Lord of the Rings. 

Anyway, I'm not positive, but if I recall correctly Tolkien didn't mention Huan in any book that he himself published, but 'Hound of Valinor' would be good enough for me anyway, as far as any story is concerned at least.

I have no problem with Huan being a maiar and all that, after all Tolkien being devoutly Catholic and in great knowledge of the Bible would have read that the angels , being most powerful beings, clothed themselves in the form or men when dealing with subjects on earth that would need to see them in person.

HOWEVER, I can not agree that one would have another for a PET. That is gross and to me against the 'holiness' of Illuvatar and implies one would dominate the other, or in otherwards one would be slave if you will to the inclinations of the other. No, |I cannot believe Tolkien for one minute would do this. It is gross and very Sauron like.