Questions tagged [gollum]
For questions about Gollum, also known as Sméagol, a hobbit-like creature and longtime ring-bearer in Lord of the Rings.
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Did Gollum eat an orc child?
While looking for answers to another question about orcs on Quora, I read an answer that referred to Gollum killing and eating an orc child in the Hobbit, but I don't recall coming across that when I ...
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Did Gollum want possession of the Ring but not want to wear it?
Is this accurate? While the Ring is definitely something he desired and wore to become invisible occasionally, he did not particularly want to wear it.
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Did Gandalf and Sméagol ever meet before Sméagol got the One Ring?
I am thinking that since Gandalf enjoyed being with Hobbits and liked to visit them, I am wondering if there is anything in LotR canon that mentions whether he had visited the Stoor Hobbits during his ...
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Why did Gollum not take the Ring when both Hobbits were fast asleep and extremely vulnerable?
It is easy to understand why he did not escape, as it would just bring him further away from the Precious, and the Hobbits would never trust him again after that.
It is also pretty easy to understand ...
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Do we know if Gollum/Sméagol was called to the Halls of Mandos?
My understanding is that the second Children of Ilúvatar are called to Mandos when they die and then move ... elsewhere. I think this applies to all men, halflings, etc and the only way to avoid it is ...
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Why did both Frodo and Aragorn keep Gollum a secret for seemingly no reason?
After the Fellowship had left Elf Paradise and was boating down the long river, Sam notices what turns out to be Gollum following them.
Sam tells this to Frodo in the camp, which has no guard, and ...
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How soon did Smeagol develop a split personality?
How long did Smeagol have the ring until his personality split into his good former self and the evil Gollum? At the time Bilbo took the ring from him (T.A. 2941) he had the split personality. However,...
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Why didn't Eru Ilúvatar trip Isildur?
Eru tripped Gollum, according to the LOTR wiki, thus destroying the One Ring. If he wanted it destroyed, why didn't he do something earlier, when Isildur took the Ring for his own when he was at the ...
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Why did Gollum stop using the ring?
I seem to vaguely recall Gandalf explaining at some point in the books a prolonged use of the Ring would slowly change the user into a wraith, save for very powerful beings which could actually ...
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What does Gollum see when he puts on the Ring?
Throughout Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, a big deal is made of the fact that Frodo should absolutely never put on the Ring, because it draws Sauron's attention to it, and every time he ...
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How did Gollum know Sauron was gathering the Haradrim to make war?
When Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins spy on the Haradrim army and their oliphaunts, Gollum explains why they are marching north.
Samwise: Who are they?
Gollum: ...
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How did Gollum enter Moria?
We know from the books that Gollum already was in Moria when the Fellowship entered. We also know that he did not enter from the West but from the East.
However, as far as I know, we do not know ...
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How does anyone know that Gollum had the Ring? [duplicate]
Sauron learned that Bilbo had the One Ring by torturing Gollum. But how did he know that Gollum had ever possessed the Ring?
Did Smeagol show someone the Ring before he became Gollum? Someone who ...
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How is it possible that Gollum speaks Westron?
In the "Concerning Hobbits" section of the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings, after the explanation of how the three breeds of Hobbits gradually moved to Eriador it says
“in those days also they ...
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How and why did Gollum "worship" Shelob?
In The Two Towers, chapter Shelob's Lair, Tolkien writes that Gollum "bowed and worshipped" Shelob. Apparently this happened before he was captured and taken to Barad-Dur. I can't think of another ...
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Why does Sméagol say "gollum" when anxious or crying? [duplicate]
Why does Sméagol say gollum when he's threatened? For example here:
'Leave me alone, gollum! You hurt me. O my poor hands, gollum!... I, we can't find it, gollum, gollum, no, nowhere..."
Then he ...
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Why couldn't Gollum tolerate the Elven things?
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Sam binds Gollum's legs with Elven ropes and then Gollum starts to scream like he was being tortured. Also when he was given lembas to eat he didn't eat it and ...
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What dialect or language was the inspiration for Gollum's speech?
J.R.R. Tolkien was famous for his constructed languages. We know that some languages, e.g. the Elven language Quenya, were based on Finnish and Welsh. For the speech of Men, he was inspired by Old ...
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What is the reasoning behind Gollum not harming the Hobbits in their sleep? [duplicate]
The first time Gollum had attempted to kill the Hobbits didn't go as plan, as the Hobbits were aware of his presence and were able to trick him into thinking that they were asleep.
However, Gollum ...
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Where Did Gollum Get 'Shire' From?
When he is tortured in Mordor, Gollum famously screams 'Shire! Baggins!' to divulge the location of the Ring. However, I've recently been rereading The Hobbit, and at no point does Bilbo say the word '...
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Did Gollum die happy?
Did Gollum die happy when he had the Ring in his hand but at the same time was being consumed by lava?
Are there any traces on this topic in book or in the movie?
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Would Smeagol have been permitted passage into Valinor had he lived? [duplicate]
If Frodo successfully redeemed Smeagol, who did not fall back into becoming Gollum again, then would Smeagol - technically a Ring-bearer - be permitted into Valinor like Frodo and Sam after the Ring ...
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Why was Gollum never tempted to take the ring to Mordor or gain power?
From what I understand about the Ring and the way it works in the films and book, it always wants to return to its master, and does so by manipulating its users into thinking that they are the best ...
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What is the color of Gollum's skin?
In The Hobbit, Gollum is described as being
as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes in his thin face.
This has always led me believe that Gollum's skin is very dark, probably ...
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Which route had Gollum wanted Sam and Frodo to follow and why?
When they leave Henneth Annûn for Cirith Ungol (in the second section in Journey to the Crossroads), Faramir advises the hobbits:
If you take my counsel, you will not turn eastward yet. Go straight ...
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Does the name "Gollum" actually mean anything?
From other answers on this site, it is clear that within the general story arc, the name Gollum derived from a sound Sméagol was often inadvertently making within his throat, described as a sort of "...
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Who killed Sauron? [duplicate]
Is it correct to state that Frodo killed Sauron? Which is the role of Gollum/Smeagol? Frodo was the one in charge of destroying the Ring in the flames of Mount Doom (Amon Amarth of Mordor), but Gollum ...
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How does Gandalf's description of Smeagol relate to the story?
I am curious about the relationship between Smeagol's personality and his role in the story as either Smeagol or Gollum.
Here is the description of young Smeagol, as told by Gandalf to Frodo in The ...
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What was Sméagol's original present?
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf relates the following exchange between Sméagol and Déagol:
‘“Give us that, Déagol, my love,” said Sméagol, over his friend’s shoulder. ‘“Why?” said Déagol. ‘“...
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How did Gollum know that Sting was an elvish blade?
I was watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and when I came to the Riddles in the dark scene I noticed something weird. When Bilbo points Sting(even though it isn't called that yet) at Gollum, ...
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Why doesn't Gollum ever use any proper names?
Whenever Gollum references anyone, he always calls them by something other than their proper name. Off the top of my head, we have precious, my love, fat hobbit, master, "him" (Sauron), "her" (Shelob)...
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Was Gollum evil?
Some of the questions I've read here recently have discussed Gollum, his behavior, the nature of the Gollum/Smeagol dynamic, and his manner of speech, among other things. But though many of these ...
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Does Gollum know that others call him Gollum?
I don't recall any of the characters in Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit calling Sméagol Gollum in his face. It seems to be more of a private epithet. Is this correct? Does Gollum know that others call ...
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Why did Gollum ever take off the ring in the first place?
Bilbo was able to take the ring because Gollum had taken it off.
If you had the ring, and were accustomed to wearing it, why would you ever take it off anyway?
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How did Frodo get to know the story of Sméagol?
In The Two Towers film, Frodo is talking to Gollum in the Dead Marshes when he says:
You were not so very different from a Hobbit once, were you?
before using Gollum's original name, and makes ...
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