TV-5002

2023

The Lord of the Rings

Gollum, originally known as Sméagol, is a pivotal character in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a Stoor Hobbit of the River-folk. His life drastically changed when he murdered his relative Déagol to obtain the One Ring, discovered after Déagol found it in the River Anduin.

The Ring's corrupting influence twisted Sméagol, both physically and mentally. He retreated to the Misty Mountains, where he lived in caves for nearly five hundred years. The Ring prolonged his life far beyond that of normal Hobbits, but at a terrible cost.

He became a wretched creature consumed by the Ring, known as Gollum due to the gurgling sounds he made. Driven by an obsessive desire to reclaim "his precious," he stalked Bilbo Baggins after Bilbo found the Ring. He later tracked Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, hoping to retrieve it from them. Despite his malevolence, Gollum ultimately played a crucial, albeit unintentional, role in the Ring's destruction in Mount Doom.