Lord of the Rings: Why Smeagol Is Called Gollum (2024)

FAQs

Lord of the Rings: Why Smeagol Is Called Gollum? ›

His birth name was Smeagol. After he came into possession of the One Ring, it began to twist his mind and he became a dark, evil creature. Later, he became Gollum, because of the noise he made in his throat.

Gollum was a Stoor Hobbit of the River-folk who lived near the Gladden Fields. In The Lord of the Rings it is stated that he was originally known as Sméagol, corrupted by the One Ring, and later named Gollum after his habit of making "a horrible swallowing noise in his throat".

Gollum becomes a symbol of man's struggle between the forces of good and evil, and Tolkien's conclusion illustrates his insistence on the eventual triumph of good-no matter how corrupted the good may be.

Deagol is Smeagol's cousin; the 'my love' is a conventional phrase between them. How did the Minas Tirith catapult operators lift the wrecked towers and walls onto the catapults? The same way anyone would lift boulders in to a catapult.

Gollum owned the One Ring for 500 years, during which time the powerful artifact turned him from an ordinary Hobbit-like creature into a monster. In contrast, Bilbo only maintained possession of the ring for 60 years, and he was a lot more careful about its corrupting influence.

Even in The Hobbit, the name “Gollum” is identified as an epithet, earned from his habit of making a “horrible swallowing noise”. The text adds that “he always called himself 'my precious'”. (In later editions of The Hobbit and in LOTR, Gollum also uses that term to describe the Ring.)

Sméagol was about 589 years old when he died, a remarkable age for a creature that was once a Hobbit, but he had been deformed and twisted in body and mind by the corruption of the Ring.

Gollum's desire for the One Ring was akin to addiction; he knew to an extent that the One Ring was harmful, and he battled against his craving for it but could not help himself. Despite his vile acts, Gollum was a tragic figure in The Lord of the Rings, as he was a victim of the One Ring's corruption.

Sinister. Old Gollum lived in the shadow of the steep cliff. He was small and ugly with long legs like an ape.

Gollum was once a good hobbit named Sméagol, and this past identity comes to represent Gollum's good side, the part of him that loves and wants to help his “master,” Frodo. However, Sméagol the hobbit had a glaring weakness.

Why does Smeagol say precious? ›

"Precious", alternatively "the Precious", "my Precious" or "his Precious", was a name given to the One Ring by various Ring-bearers. Its use indicated the morbid covetousness induced in holders of the Ring by the Ring itself.

The Ring's evil influence quickly corrupts Sméagol, leading him to murder his cousin Déagol to possess it. This is Sméagol's first step toward darkness and despair, and he eventually transforms into Gollum. Gollum's obsession with the Ring represents the self-destructive nature of some human pursuits.

When gollum talks about sam with Frodo, does "she" use that expression or is there a problem with the Amazon prime subtitle? He's talking about Shelob the spider. One of the few female characters in the story.

Gollum was neither a good nor evil character at heart. He was corrupted by the power of the One Ring from the first time he laid eyes on it. When he was Smeagol the hobbit he was a kind and carefree person, but the ring corrupted his mind.

Sméagol had no choice but to run away and find shelter in a cave in the Misty Mountains. It isn't explained in the books exactly how Sméagol became the monstrous figure of Gollum, but it does say the Ring's influence on Sméagol's mind was so strong, it also twisted and deformed his body over time.

During his centuries under the Ring's influence, he developed a sort of dissociative identity disorder: Sméagol, his "good" personality, still vaguely remembered things like friendship and love, while Gollum, his "bad" and prevailing personality, was a slave to the Ring and would kill anyone who tried to take it.

Gollum, originally known as Sméagol, was at first a Stoor, one of the three early Hobbit-types. The name Gollum was derived from the sound of his disgusting gurgling, choking cough. His life was extended far beyond its natural limits by the effects of possessing the One Ring.

It's also because the only food Frodo and Sam have is Lembas bread, which the Ring takes away your ability to eat. When Frodo tries to share the Lembas bread with Gollum, Gollum is physically unable to eat it. He wants to eat it, but Can't. Because it's elvish bread, it burns Gollum's throat and “chokes” him.

Prior to owning the ring, Gollum was very similar to a hobbit. Back then, his name was Smeagol. He was one of the river folk and spent his days fishing. Even before the ring, he was a spoiled, treacherous person.