The Complete Travels Gollum | Tolkien Explained

Explore the complete travels and tragic story of Gollum, Tolkien's unique hobbit-turned-creature, from his origins to his fate in Middle-earth.

Key Takeaways

Gollum’s life was deeply shaped and prolonged by the corrupting power of the One Ring.
His dual nature as Smeagol and Gollum reflects the internal conflict caused by the Ring.
The Ring’s influence isolates and corrupts, turning a hobbit into a feared and tragic figure.
Gollum’s pursuit of the Ring drives much of the narrative in Tolkien’s legendarium.
His interactions with Bilbo, Frodo, and others reveal the complexity of his character beyond mere villainy.

What the video covers

Gollum, originally a Stoor hobbit named Smeagol, obtained the One Ring by murdering his friend Deagol.
He lived for nearly 500 years under the influence of the Ring, transforming physically and mentally.
Gollum was exiled from his family and lived in the Misty Mountains, pre-dating the Orc settlements there.
Bilbo Baggins found the Ring in 2941 TA, leading to a famous riddle contest with Gollum.
After losing the Ring, Gollum pursued Bilbo’s trail across Middle-earth, becoming stronger without the Ring.
He formed an alliance with the spider Shelob near Mordor and was captured and interrogated by Gandalf.
Gollum followed the Fellowship through Moria and continued to pursue Frodo and Sam on their quest.
Despite his treachery, moments of pity and complexity are shown in his interactions with Frodo and Sam.
Gollum’s story ends tragically as he falls into the fires of Mount Doom with the Ring, fulfilling his dark destiny.

Chapters

Who was Gollum before he became corrupted by the One Ring?

Gollum was originally a Stoor hobbit named Smeagol, who lived near the Gladden Fields and belonged to a reputable hobbit family before murdering his friend Deagol to obtain the One Ring.

How did Gollum’s possession of the Ring affect his life?

The Ring prolonged Gollum’s life far beyond natural hobbit limits, corrupted his mind and body, and caused him to become a feared and isolated creature living in the Misty Mountains.

What was the significance of Gollum’s encounter with Bilbo Baggins?

Bilbo’s discovery of the Ring and his riddle contest with Gollum led to Gollum losing the Ring, which set off a chain of events where Gollum pursued Bilbo and later Frodo, deeply impacting the story of Middle-earth.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

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Today’s video is brought to you by The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, a brand new game now on consoles and PC, where you journey through Middle-earth while choosing to embrace the Gollum or Smeagol side of everyone’s favorite slinker. Visit GollumGame.com to find out more!

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He is one of Tolkien’s most unique and tragic characters. His beginnings mirror that of some of our favorite hobbit heroes. After having the One Ring for 478 years - the second longest of any to possess it - he would be consumed by it. His road from his early life to his death would be a long

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path, full of encounters with some of the greatest heroes and villains to ever walk Middle-earth.

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Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we track the complete travels of Gollum. Smeagol is born sometime around 2430 TA near the Gladden Fields in the Vales of Anduin. While the films describe him as similar to a hobbit, Smeagol was indeed a hobbit - specifically

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a Stoor hobbit, one of the three varieties of hobbits to exist in Middle-earth. His early life came during the time known as the Watchful Peace - the period of time when Sauron was hidden in the East. Smeagol belonged to a reputable family of hobbits,

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the head of whom was his grandmother, who was the matriarch of their family. Despite the fact that they lived far from the hobbits of the Shire, the Stoor hobbits maintained some commonalities. As Bilbo would discover centuries later,

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Smeagol was familiar with the riddle-game, and some riddles Bilbo used were known to him.

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Sometime around the year 2463, on Smeagol’s birthday, he went boating on the Anduin River with his friend and relative Deagol. As Smeagol is on the bank, Deagol is pulled into the water by a large fish, where he finds a gold ring. Immediately ensnared by the beauty of the ring,

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Smeagol demands it as a birthday present, and when Deagol refuses, Smeagol strangles him and hides the body. Thus, Smeagol becomes the fourth ringbearer of the One Ring at 33 years old - the same age Frodo would become the fifth ringbearer.

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Smeagol returns home, still wearing the ring, to discover no one can see him - the ring makes him invisible. He goes on to use the ring to find out secrets, putting the knowledge to crooked and malicious uses. He becomes sharp-eyed and keen-eared for all that was hurtful. Over time,

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he would become unpopular and was shunned (when visible) by all his relations. They would kick him, and he would bite their feet. He begins thieving and would go around muttering to himself and gurgling in his throat - leading the other hobbits to call him

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Gollum. Finally, desiring peace, Smeagol’s grandmother exiles him from the family. We are told after this Gollum wandered up the Anduin River in loneliness, weeping for the hardness of the world. He then follows a stream, spending some time by

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deep pools where, with the use of the ring, he would catch fish and eat them raw. In 2470 TA, seven years into his possession of the ring, the sun begins to burn Gollum’s skin and eyes. He looks up to see the Misty Mountains from which the stream originated.

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Gollum follows the stream into a small cave and hides within the Misty Mountains. The ring prolongs Gollum's life far beyond the natural limits of hobbits. Gandalf would later reveal that the murder of Deagol haunted Gollum, and that over the following 470 years,

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he would repeat his defense to his “precious” over and over - that it was his birthday present.

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During his nearly five centuries underground, Gollum would be transformed from his hobbit appearance to an extremely thin creature with a scrawny neck, pale skin, flat feet, long thin hands, and large pale eyes that would appear to glow. He lived on a small island in the middle of

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an underground lake and would continue to eat raw fish, but a new form of food would soon come to his area. In 2480, 10 years after his relocation, Orcs begin making secret strongholds within the Misty Mountains, meaning Gollum predates even the famous settlement of Goblin-town. On occasion,

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Gollum would catch a vulnerable goblin who had wandered far enough from the town to eat.

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However, Gollum’s life, which had gone on this way for nearly 500 years, would be disrupted in July 2941, when Bilbo Baggins comes to his lake, having already found the ring, which had abandoned Gollum in the tunnels. The two famously engage in a game of riddles, which seems

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to please the kinder side of Gollum - once again hearing a kind voice and being reminded of the world outside which he had not seen in centuries. However, the evil side of Gollum is made angrier.

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Gollum loses the riddle-game on a questionable riddle from Bilbo and he instead plots to kill the hobbit. He leaves to get his “birthday present” only to discover it is gone.

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Realizing the answer to Bilbo's last riddle, he flies into a rage. Bilbo accidentally discovers the ring’s ability to make him invisible and follows Gollum to the cave exit. Despite his initial impulse to kill Gollum, Bilbo is overcome with pity and spares his life. As Bilbo flees,

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Gollum cries out the name he had learned: "Thief! Thief, Baggins! We hates it forever!" Gollum’s precious is lost to him. Still, he would wait two more years before leaving the Mountains. We are told Gollum hated light, but also hated darkness, and most of all he hated the

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Ring. However, his addiction to the Ring was so great that he would, despite his hatred and fear, leave his mountain to pursue Bilbo. Of course, by this time, the trail was long cold.

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Still, Gollum makes his way through Rhovanion, moving primarily at night. As he was no longer under the power of the Ring, Gollum becomes stronger - the new foods and fresh air combined with the Ring’s absence reviving him. Gollum would manage to follow Bilbo’s

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path through Mirkwood, eventually coming to the rebuilt realm of Dale. It is here, as he spies upon the men of this realm, that he learns the name of Bilbo’s home - the Shire. For Bilbo’s name and where he came from was no secret in this land.

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Gollum decides to return West, searching for the Shire and Baggins. However, though he knows the name of the Shire, he does not know its location, so he wanders Mirkwood and the Vales of Anduin. During this time, the Elves of Mirkwood, working in cooperation with Gandalf,

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tracked Gollum. It is during this time that we see the depths of Gollum’s evil and the chilling nature of his existence. His presence in the area would terrify all - birds, beasts, and men. He would eat the eggs out of nests, young animals from their holes,

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and would even climb through windows to find cradles. The woodmen of the region would speak of a blood-drinking ghost. Remarkably, Gollum would evade capture until 2951 TA, when Sauron declares himself openly in Mordor and begins the reconstruction of Barad-dur. By this time,

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Gandalf’s attention had been drawn to other matters - including visiting Bilbo with Balin two years earlier. Gollum is drawn to Mordor, and begins the long journey south.

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It would be nearly 30 years later, in 2980 TA, that Gollum finally reaches the borders of the black land. There, he would meet and form an alliance with a great monstrosity - the spider Shelob. We are told of this first meeting in The Lord of the Rings when we come to Shelob’s Lair.

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Already... Gollum had beheld her, Sméagol who pried into all dark holes, and in past days he had bowed and worshipped her, and the darkness of her evil will walked through all the ways of his weariness beside him, cutting him off from light

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and from regret. And he had promised to bring her food. But her lust was not his lust. Little she knew of or cared for towers, or rings, or anything devised by mind or hand, who only desired death for all others, mind and body, and for herself a glut of life, alone,

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swollen till the mountains could no longer hold her up and the darkness could not contain her.

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As Gollum continues on into Mordor, Gandalf comes to fear Bilbo’s ring is a Ring of Power after the latter’s 1

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Gollum would later mention Sauron was still missing a finger thanks to Isildur: ‘Yes, He has only four on the Black Hand, but they are enough.” He could tell by Gollum’s unnatural long life that he had possessed a ring of power - the three had

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never been lost, and the seven and the nine were accounted for by this time - thus, it had to have been the One. From Gollum, Sauron would learn of hobbits and the names ‘Shire’ and ‘Baggins.’ Learning all he could from the wretched creature, Sauron sets Gollum loose in 3017. Gollum makes

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his way north, coming to the Dead Marshes, where he is finally captured by Aragorn on February 1.

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Aragorn binds Gollum and drives him through the north end of the Emyn Muil. As we read in Unfinished Tales, they cross the Anduin just above Sarn Gebir. Aragorn makes the crossing by tying Gollum to a log, then swimming across. Continuing north, they pass along the skirts of

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Fangorn. He goes on friendly roads through the eaves of Lorien before making a point to avoid coming too close to Moria. Finally, Gollum and Aragorn come to the Carrock, where they would once again cross the Anduin, this time with the help of the Beornings. The last portion of their journey

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would be through the forest of Mirkwood, finally arriving at Thranduil’s Halls on March 21st.

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The Heir of Isildur would travel with Gollum in tow for a total of 900 miles - a miserable experience that Aragorn describes as the worst part of his entire journey. Aragorn later recounts that Gollum bit him, and he in turn was not gentle in his handling of Gollum.

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During Gollum’s time in Mirkwood, he would be visited for many days by Gandalf the Grey, seeking to learn not only about Gollum and the ring, but what had transpired in Mordor. While he would learn a great deal about Smeagol’s past, Gollum would say very little of his

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time in the presence of Sauron - for he feared Mordor more than Gandalf. With his questions mostly answered, Gandalf departs, leaving Gollum in the care of the Mirkwood elves.

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Gollum would live in Mirkwood for over a year until June 20, 3018. The very day Sauron attacks Gondor, starting the War of the Ring and hiding the sending out of his Nazgul, he launches an attack from Dol Guldur on Thranduil. During the attack,

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Gollum escapes his captivity and resumes his search for the Ring. This development would lead Thranduil to send Legolas to Rivendell, where he would deliver the news of Gollum, and join the Fellowship. By August, Gollum once again hides himself in the Misty Mountains - this

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time in Moria - in order to lose those pursuing him - not only the elves of Mirkwood, but by this time the servants of Sauron were once again seeking to capture him.

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Whether by being unable to open the Doors of Durin from the inside, or for reasons unknown, Gollum remains in Moria for the next five months. Finally, on January 13, 3019, the Fellowship of the Ring enters Moria through those very doors, and Gollum begins tracking the new ringbearer.

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Over the next two days, Gollum follows the Fellowship as they make their way through Khazad-dum. They would eventually come to the Bridge of Khazad-dum, which is destroyed in Gandalf’s encounter with the balrog. While the Fellowship exits the Misty Mountains having already crossed the bridge, it is unknown how exactly Gollum

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manages to do the same. It is possible he found an alternate way around the chasm - or that he had anticipated their plan to exit and had gone before them.

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Regardless, Gollum tracks the company to Lothlorien without their knowledge. Though Frodo would suspect they were being followed, saying: Again, a mysterious figure would be described by the elves led by Haldir: A strange creature also had been seen, running with bent back and with hands near the ground,

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like a beast and yet not of beast-shape. It had eluded capture, and they had not shot it, not knowing whether it was good or ill, and it had vanished down the Silverlode southward.

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While the Fellowship would spend the following month in Lorien, Gollum would wait, hiding somewhere near the shores of the Anduin. He witnesses their departure from Lorien on February 16, and floating on a log, follows their boats down the Anduin River. On February19,

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Samwise would catch a glimpse of Gollum on the log. And one night, Frodo would find the light of Gollum’s eyes a mere yard or two away. Frodo draws his sword and Gollum shoots away downstream. The unsheathing of Sting wakes Aragorn, who reveals he’s been

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aware of Gollum’s pursuit since Moria, and has attempted to catch him once or twice to no avail.

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Gollum would continue his pursuit, being spotted once more by Sam before following the group as they pass the Argonath and make camp at Parth Galen on February 25th - nine days after leaving Lorien. The following day, the company is waylaid by orcs, and the Fellowship

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is broken. Gollum pursues the ringbearer across the Emyn Muil until February 29th, when he is captured by Frodo and Sam, who tie a rope around his ankle as a leash. The elven rope pains Gollum, and Frodo, like Bilbo before him, takes pity on the wretched creature…

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Frodo drew himself up, and again Sam was startled by his words and his stern voice.

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grovelled before him, whispering hoarsely: a shudder ran over him, For a moment it appeared to Sam that his master had grown and Gollum had shrunk: a tall stern shadow, a mighty lord who hid his brightness in grey cloud,

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and at his feet a little whining dog. Yet the two were in some way akin and not alien: they could reach one another’s minds. Gollum raised himself and began pawing at Frodo, fawning at his knees.

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Suddenly he began to weep and bite at his ankle again. Frodo and Sam remove the elven rope, and Gollum guides them to the Dead Marshes on March 1. Here, they would have to temporarily stop to hide from a Nazgul upon a fell beast

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flying overhead. As they travel, it is revealed that Gollum - likely during his early life as Smeagol - had some knowledge of ancient days. For he knew of the War of the Last Alliance and that the dead faces in the water were of those who fell in the

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battle. The following day, March 2, they would come to the end of the marshes.

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As they make their way to the Black Gate as Frodo had commanded, Sam wakes on the evening of March 4 to discover Gollum holding a conversation with himself: Gollum was talking to himself. Sméagol was holding a debate with

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some other thought that used the same voice but made it squeak and hiss. A pale light and a green light alternated in his eyes as he spoke.

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Sam would nickname Gollum’s personalities “Slinker” being Smeagol, and “Stinker” being Gollum. The following day, March 5, the trio arrives at the Black Gate of Mordor, where Gollum reveals that there is a second way into Mordor, saying the Black Gate is not a viable option:

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Master did not say what he meant to do.... He says: Sméagol, take me to the Gate — and then good-bye! Sméagol can run away and be good. But now he says: I purpose to enter Mordor this way. So Sméagol is very afraid. He does not want to lose nice master. And he promised,

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master made him promise, to save the Precious. But master is going to take it to Him, straight to the Black Hand, if master will go this way. So Sméagol must save them both, and he thinks of another way that there was.... Nice master. Sméagol very good, always helps.'

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Thus, on March 6, Gollum, Frodo, and Sam begin their journey south to Ithilien, the easternmost portion of Gondor. The following day (March 7), Frodo and Sam are captured by Faramir and taken to the hidden Gondorian outpost of Henneth Annun. Gollum would

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find his way to the Forbidden Pool, and Frodo, seeking to spare Smeagol’s life, allows him to be taken prisoner. At this perceived betrayal, the Gollum personality takes hold and Faramir would discover his intentions to take them by the pass of Cirith Ungol.

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Despite Faramir’s warning, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum set out on March 8th, and the following day, they reach the Morgul Road. On March 10, they witness the army of the Witch-king set forth from Minas Morgul. The following day, (March 11) Gollum visits Shelob - for his plan was for the

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great spider to dispose of the hobbits, then get the ring for himself. When he returns that night, the hobbits are asleep, and at the sight of Frodo, Gollum is nearly moved to repentance: Gollum looked at them. A strange expression passed over his lean hungry face. The gleam faded from

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his eyes, and they went dim and grey, old and tired. A spasm of pain seemed to twist him, and he turned away, peering back up towards the pass, shaking his head, as if engaged in some interior debate. Then he came back, and slowly putting out a trembling hand,

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very cautiously he touched Frodo's knee — but almost the touch was a caress. For a fleeting moment, could one of the sleepers have seen him, they would have thought that they beheld an old weary hobbit, shrunken by the years that had carried him far beyond his time,

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beyond friends and kin, and the fields and streams of youth, an old starved pitiable thing.

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But at that touch Frodo stirred and cried out softly in his sleep, and immediately Sam was wide awake. The first thing he saw was Gollum — 'pawing at master,' as he thought.

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Confronted by Sam, Gollum’s potential redemption is lost - and he proceeds with his plan, leading both hobbits into Shelob’s lair on March 12. Frodo would of course be bitten by the spider and taken by the Orcs of Cirith Ungol. It’s interesting to note that even the orcs of this area knew of

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Gollum - referring to him as Shelob’s “sneak”. Sam and Frodo would overhear the orcs speaking of that “gobbler with the flapping hands”, and the hobbits knew Gollum was still around.

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Frodo and Sam would continue on their way from Cirith Ungol to Mount Doom, and Gollum would follow, hoping for a chance to attack them by surprise and take back his precious. Just once would Sam catch a glimpse of Gollum on their way. Finally, on March 25,

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Frodo and Sam ascend Mount Doom, and as they approach their destination, Gollum makes his move. His attack fails, and finally, Sam is in a position to kill the creature whom he hates.

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But Gollum did not spring. He fell flat upon the ground and whimpered. He clawed up the ashes of the path with his long fleshless fingers. ‘Dusst!’ he hissed.

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Sam’s hand wavered. His mind was hot with wrath and the memory of evil. It would be just to slay this treacherous, murderous creature, just and many times deserved; and also it seemed the only safe thing to do. But deep in his heart there was

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something that restrained him: he could not strike this thing lying in the dust, forlorn, ruinous, utterly wretched. He himself, though only for a little while, had borne the Ring, and now dimly he guessed the agony of Gollum’s shrivelled mind and body, enslaved to that Ring,

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unable to find peace or relief ever in life again. But Sam had no words to express what he felt.

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Sam has pity upon the treacherous creature, telling him to begone, and turning his back on Gollum, Sam follows his master to the Cracks of Doom.

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The pity of Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam would come to rule the fate of all Middle-earth, as Frodo cannot destroy the Ring. Claiming it for himself, Frodo places it upon his finger, and Gollum attacks. Gollum bites off Frodo’s finger - finally, he is reunited with his precious.

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As he celebrates reclaiming the ring, he steps too far, topples, wavers for a moment on the brink - and then with a shriek, he falls. From the depths a last cry of “Precious!” is heard as Gollum and the ring are destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom.

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In Letter 192, Tolkien tells us a greater power was at play in the Ring’s destruction.

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“The Other Power then took over: the Writer of the Story (by which I do not mean myself), 'that one ever-present Person who is never absent and never named” implying that Eru Iluvatar himself, the God of Tolkien’s world, intervened in this moment to allow Gollum to slip.

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Another interpretation is that Eru simply setup the conditions for this to occur. Not only that Bilbo and Frodo were meant to have the ring, but also the power of Oaths. We see throughout the history of Middle-earth the great power of Oaths - and Gollum had sworn an Oath to Frodo.

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Breaking that Oath, and harming his master may indeed have contributed to his downfall, as he is cast into the fire as Frodo had warned back when the oath was sworn.

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Gollum’s is a tragic life, marred perhaps more than any other by the evil of Sauron and his ruling ring. While he would not find redemption for himself, the capacity for pity by his fellow hobbits would ensure he could play a final part in the great tale of Middle-earth,

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leading to the destruction of the ring and the final defeat of Sauron. Gollum is without a doubt one of Tolkien’s most unique, tragic, and complex characters.

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Lord of the Rings. Along the way, you’ll meet some familiar faces and have to decide whether the Smeagol or Gollum side will win out - all of which affects the trajectory of the game. See Middle-earth through Gollum’s eyes by playing The Lord of the Rings:

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Topics:GollumSmeagolOne RingMiddle-earthTolkienLord of the RingsMisty MountainsBilbo BagginsFrodoShelob

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