What is smeagol

On January 15 , , the Fellowship was divided when Gandalf disappeared while fighting a Balrog though he later returned.

Gollum continued trailing the remaining members. Gollum followed their boats down Anduin floating on a log to Nen Hithoel and pursued Frodo and Sam across the Emyn Muil when they struck out on their own towards Mordor. Gollum followed them, but after a confrontation in which he bit and nearly strangled Sam for the Ring Frodo subdued him and threatened to kill him with Sting , the Elvish blade that Gollum had apparently recognized by its former owner - Bilbo.

Sam tied an Elven Rope around Gollum's neck for a leash, which inflicted great pain on Gollum. Taking pity, Frodo made Gollum swear to help them. Agreeing to the oath, Gollum swore by the "Precious" itself as the ring was treacherous and would hold Gollum to his word, so Frodo released him to show them the way to Mordor. The unlikely company, guided by Gollum, made its way to the Black Gate of Mordor. Along the way, it was revealed that Gollum, having lived in a cave for hundreds of years, feared both the Sun and the Moon , calling them the 'Yellow Face' and the 'White Face' respectively.

The two had a strange sort of bond from both having been Ring-bearers; in Gollum, Frodo saw his possible future, and so wanted to save him so he could save himself.

Apart from Gandalf and Bilbo, Frodo is the only person known to have shown kindness towards Gollum, who is hated instantly by everyone he meets, being perceived as filthy, slimy, sneaky and suspect by groups as different as the Orcs of Cirith Ungol and the Rangers of Ithilien.

When the Black Gate was reached and found to be well guarded, Gollum convinced them not to go that way, saying that they would be caught and Sauron would regain the Ring. Gollum said he would lead them south, where he knew of another entrance into Mordor, in which Frodo complied, despite Sam's suspicions. Frodo and Sam were caught by Faramir , and Gollum followed them. When Frodo allowed Faramir to briefly take Gollum prisoner, however, he felt betrayed, allowing the "Gollum" personality to take total control.

Faramir found out that the place Gollum was taking them was called Cirith Ungol. He then warned Frodo and Sam of the evil of that place. Gollum visited the great spider Shelob , child of Ungoliant , because he was planning to betray the hobbits by turning them to Shelob for food and then take the Ring for himself.

The fact that Gollum managed to forge an alliance with Shelob is also remarkable, as she was otherwise known for devouring and killing everything on sight. When he returned the hobbits were asleep. The sight of Frodo sleeping nearly moved Gollum to repent, as he began to pet Frodo's hair.

However, Sam woke up and spoke harshly to Gollum and all hope of redemption was lost. Gollum followed through with his plan and led Frodo and Sam into Torech Ungol.

Just as Frodo warned him, Gollum's betrayal of his oath ultimately led to his undoing, for Frodo and Sam escaped from her lair and also Cirith Ungol. They came against all odds to the fiery volcano Mount Doom. Gollum followed them all the way, seeking a chance to surprise them and take the Ring. When Frodo and Sam had almost reached their destination, he attacked, but failed to get the Ring. Sam, who had hated Gollum on sight, tried to bring himself to kill him, but he relented out of sheer pity and disgust, turning his back on the beaten but still wily creature.

Moments later, Frodo was standing on the edge of the Crack of Doom , but, unable to destroy the Ring, claimed it for himself and put it on. Then Gollum attacked the hobbits again. Gollum knocked out Sam with a rock whilst Frodo was invisible. But Gollum was able to track his footprints and jumped on Frodo.

The two fought and finally Gollum bit off Frodo's finger with the ring on it. Here Bilbo's long-ago kindness in sparing Gollum's life was rewarded, for Gollum then teetered on the edge of the great pit, overjoyed with finally reclaiming his "precious", then lost his balance and fell in, taking the Ring and finger with him along with a final cry of " Precious! The ring was burned in the molten lava and Gollum consumed with it.

Had Gollum not lived to play this final part, there was a good chance that Sauron would have regained his Ring, as he knew where Frodo was as soon as he put it on. There are no overt mentions of Christianity in The Lord of the Rings , but his religion was a constant source of inspiration and guidance in his life. It's no coincidence that the name and characteristics of Gollum so closely resemble that of a golem.

The layered meaning behind his naming convention just goes to show that Christianity's fingerprint is all over Tolkien's work — even a blockbuster movie trilogy like The Lord of the Rings. Brynne is a lifelong lover of movies hailing from Chicago. Ever since discovering "The Ring" at age 13, she's had a slightly sadistic love affair with horror movies. Tweet her your horror movie recommendations brynneramella. Please — she's running out of movies to watch.

By Brynne Ramella Published Jun 14, Share Share Tweet Email 0. Related Topics SR Originals the hobbit the lord of the rings. Naturally, this evil growth in his behavior has negative side effects on his relatives.

They become increasingly annoyed and bitter towards their petty, mean-spirited family member. In fact, Gandalf recounts that they literally kick him in their frustration Talk about petty. He also begins to adopt what can be boiled down to a glorified nervous tick: He gurgles in his throat.

Hearing the strange sound, his relations begin to call him Gollum. Eventually, his relatives become fed up with the pesky, troublemaker. The dissension becomes so great that his grandmother, looking for any way to calm the chaos, finally exiles him in an effort to keep to the peace. Weeping, Gollum leaves his childhood home and heads off into the wild.

As Gollum adjusts to his new life in exile, he follows the Great River northward. During this time, he begins to adopt the habit of wearing the One Ring to invisibly catch fish and then eat them raw. Eventually, he branches off, following a tributary of the river that trickles down from the distant Misty Mountains.

Hoping to escape the bright, burning power of the sun, he worms his way into the underground mountain passages in search of a new home. Interestingly, part of Gollum's initial motivation in heading "underhill" isn't simply to escape the light or find a new home.

He also hopes to discover new, interesting things at the roots of the great mountain range. However, his adventurous spirit is quickly dashed as he realizes that there's nothing worth discovering in the damp, dark caves.

There, deep underground, Gollum remains for hundreds of years. He spends his time fishing, eating, and resenting everything about his past life. He also indulges in a good deal of self-loathing.

He even hates the Ring that has led him to such a miserable existence, regardless of the fact that, due to its enchanting power, he could never part with it even if he wanted to. Over the years the Ring extends Gollum's life, keeping him alive but not well.

His mind and body are steadily corrupted by its power, and he becomes warped and twisted as he spends year after year in his deep, dank underground lair. After roughly half a millennium spent in dark isolation, Gollum's straight-up awful life is suddenly flipped on its head one day when he runs into a little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins.

Bilbo, himself lost and looking for his companions, wanders down to the subterranean lake that happens to be the same place where Gollum has taken up his residence on a little island out in the water. At this point, Gollum's primary diet has consisted of fish and the occasional goblin for longer than he can remember, so he paddles over to the shore where he confronts the scrumptiously crunchable hobbit to see if he can nab a quick snack.

During the famous " riddle-game " that follows, Gollum is stumped by Bilbo when he can't guess what's in the hobbit's pocket, and he's forced to show him the way out of the mountains. However, the conniving creature decides to use his precious ring to kill Bilbo and eat him anyway.

In the ensuing events, he quickly discovers that the One Ring slipped off of his finger the last time he went up the mountain tunnels While he attempts to chase Bilbo down and regain his most prized possession, the hobbit manages to escape, leaving Gollum in what can truly be described as the depths of despair.

Ringless, friendless, and abandoned, Gollum is left to lick his wounds at the roots of the Misty Mountains. Gollum spends the next year or two nursing a massive grudge against "Baggins," as he refers to Bilbo. However, initially, he's too afraid to leave his lake in pursuit. After a while, though, the incapacitating power of the now-gone Ring begins to weaken, and he begins to feel some inner strength again.

Before long, he leaves the Misty Mountains once and for all in a desperate pursuit of his "precious. Out and about again, Gollum finds that access to fresh air and better food helps his physical body grow stronger. By this time, though, Bilbo's trail has gone quite cold, and Gollum begins to wander eastward across Middle-earth into the dark forest of Mirkwood, in a vague pursuit of his prey.

There, he establishes a reputation among the locals as a blood-drinking ghost and a monster that steals their young out of nests and cradles. Whether these rumors are true or not, eventually he makes his way all the way to the region of the Lonely Mountain, where he learns how Bilbo's adventures ended. Once Gollum discovers news regarding Bilbo's home country, he begins to travel back west in search of "Baggins" in the "Shire.

More than likely, the lure of Sauron , the Ring's maker, begins calling him even more than the Ring itself, and eventually, he's captured and brought to Sauron's Dark Tower to be interrogated. There, he spills the beans, revealing to the Dark Lord that the One Ring has been found. He also informs him that it currently resides in a place called "Shire" and is owned by a creature named "Baggins.

After being held as a prisoner in Mordor for who knows how long, Gollum finally escapes his captivity although it's later assumed that he was allowed to do so. By this point, he's been thoroughly cowed by Sauron and fears him more than anyone else in the world — a fear that he can't entirely shake even as he leaves the Black Land in the rearview mirror.

While he does get to breathe the free air outside of Mordor for a little bit, Gollum's freedom is only short-lived.