Gollum - Narrow Eyes

lor031

2012

The Hobbit

Gollum, originally known as Sméagol, was a Stoor Hobbit of the River-folk. Born sometime in the mid-Third Age, he lived a relatively normal life within his family until his fateful birthday.

On that day, while fishing with his cousin Déagol, Déagol discovered the One Ring in the riverbed. Sméagol, instantly enthralled by its power, murdered Déagol to claim the Ring for himself. This act of violence and obsession twisted his mind and body.

Ostracized by his family, Sméagol fled into the Misty Mountains, where the darkness and the Ring's influence further corrupted him. Over centuries, he devolved into a creature known as Gollum: a wretched, slimy being defined by his hunger for the Ring and a constant internal struggle between his former self, Sméagol, and the depraved Gollum.

He lived in the depths of the mountains until Bilbo Baggins, lost and alone, stumbled upon him and the Ring. The loss of the Ring to Bilbo ignited a burning desire for revenge and the recovery of his "precious," fueling his pursuit of Bilbo and eventually leading him into the events of *The Lord of the Rings*.