Gollum

2026-06-25T13:04:49Z

Mfrank225: /* Personality */

{{short description|Stoor Hobbit corrupted by the One Ring}}
{{infobox character
| people=[[Hobbits|Hobbit]]
| name=Gollum
| image=John Howe - Gollum.jpg
| caption="Gollum" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Sméagol<br/>''[[Trahald]]'' ([[Westron|W]])<br />Stinker<br/>Slinker
| titles=
| position=
| location=[[Vales of Anduin]], [[Misty Mountains]], [[Mordor]], [[Woodland Realm]], [[Desolation of the Morannon]], [[North Ithilien]], [[Shelob's Lair]], [[Cracks of Doom|Sammath Naur]]
| affiliation=[[Stoors]], [[Ring-bearers]]
| language=[[Westron]]
| birth=c. {{TA|2430}}<ref name=guide>{{HM|Guide}}, p. 167, entry "Gollum"</ref>
| birthlocation=Near [[Gladden Fields]], [[Vales of Anduin]]
| rule=
| death=[[25 March]] {{TA|3019}}
| deathlocation=[[Mount Doom]], [[Plateau of Gorgoroth]]
| age=c. 589
| notablefor=
| family=
| parentage=
| siblings=
| spouse=
| children=
| gender=Male
| height=
| hair=Thin, lank<ref name="Taming">{{TT|Taming}}</ref>
| eyes=
| clothing=
| weapons=
| steed=
}}
{{qtlisten|And when he said 'gollum' he made a horrible swallowing noise in his throat. That is how he got his name, though he always called himself 'my precious.'||''[[The Hobbit]]'', "[[Riddles in the Dark]]"|J.R.R. Tolkien - Gollum Quote.mp3}}
'''Gollum''', also known as '''Sméagol''', was a creature (originally a [[Stoors|Stoorish]] [[Hobbits|Hobbit]]) who bore [[the One Ring]]. He lived in the [[Misty Mountains]] for most of his life. In {{TA|2941}} he lost the Ring to [[Bilbo Baggins]]. For the rest of his life he sought to recover his "precious" "birthday present". In {{TA|3019}} he followed the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] and met [[Frodo Baggins]]. After leading Frodo into [[Mordor]] and betraying him to [[Shelob]] he finally seized the Ring in [[Cracks of Doom|Sammath Naur]]. In his euphoria he died and destroyed the Ring after falling into the fires of [[Mount Doom]].

==History==
===Early life===
Sméagol was a [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] of [[Stoors|Stoorish]] race who lived on the banks of the [[Anduin]] in the later [[Third Age]], during the time of the [[Watchful Peace]], when [[Sauron]] was in the [[East]]. He belonged to a reputable family led by a stern and wise matriarch, his grandmother.<ref name=ta/><ref name=shadow/>

He had some amount of education in lore, as during his youth he learned of the events concerning the [[War of the Last Alliance]].<ref name=Passage>{{TT|IV2}}</ref> He also knew the [[riddle-game]], and riddles that were known to the Stoors' cousins in [[the Shire]].<ref name=shadow/><ref name=riddles>{{H|Riddles}}</ref>

[[File:Anke Eißmann - Sméagol and the Ring.jpg|left|thumb|''Sméagol and the Ring'' by [[Anke Eißmann]]]]

Around the year {{TA|2463}}, on his birthday, his friend (and close relative) [[Déagol]] offered him a cheap present.<ref name=L214>{{L|214}}</ref> Later that day they went boating in the [[Gladden Fields]]. As Sméagol was nosing around on the banks, Déagol was pulled into the water by a large fish, and found a gold ring. Sméagol demanded the ring as a birthday present and strangled Deágol when he refused, hiding his body.<ref name=shadow/> He thus became the fourth [[Ring-bearers|Ringbearer]], succeeding Sauron, [[Isildur]], and Déagol.<ref name=ta>{{app|TA}}</ref>

After this incident, Sméagol returned home, telling no one of what had happened or what he had obtained. Discovering the Ring's power of invisibility, he used it for malicious purposes, spying on the other Stoors and learning their secrets. Soon he became unpopular and his peers avoided him; they often cursed and kicked him, and he bit their feet. Becoming a loner, he muttered to himself and gurgled in his throat, for which they called him "gollum", and he survived by stealing. Eventually even his grandmother, desiring peace, cast him out of the family [[hobbit-hole]].<ref name=shadow/>

===Exile===
[[File:Cor Blok - Gollum Goes into Hiding.jpg|thumb|''Gollum Goes into Hiding'' by [[Cor Blok]]]]
Following his exile, Sméagol wandered up the Anduin and followed a stream to some deep pools. He lived on fish, which he ate raw. After some time, the [[sun]] began to burn his skin and eyes, leading him to seek shelter in the caves from which the stream issued, high in the [[Misty Mountains]].<ref name=shadow/>

The Ring's malignant influence twisted his Hobbit body and mind and prolonged his life far beyond its natural limit. The murder of Déagol haunted him, and he reassured himself by imagining that the Ring had been given to him by his grandmother as a birthday present. He began talking to the Ring constantly, calling it his "[[precious]]".<ref name=shadow/>

[[File:Michael Hague - Riddles in the Dark.jpg|thumb|right|''Riddles in the Dark'' by [[Michael Hague]]]]

For over four hundred years he lived on a small island surrounded by a subterranean [[Gollum's lake|lake]]. He lived mostly on raw fish that he caught from his raft, though he sometimes managed to lay his hands on [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Goblins]] that had strayed from [[Goblin-town]]. In later years he began to find Hobbit and [[Elves|Elven]] food repulsive. The Ring's corrupting influence as well as centuries of isolation in the Misty Mountains took a deep toll on him both physically and mentally. He became disfigured and grotesque in appearance, and by the time he met the Hobbit [[Bilbo Baggins]] he was afflicted with almost complete madness.

===Loss of the Ring===
In {{TA|2941}}, during the [[Quest of Erebor]], Bilbo stumbled upon the Ring in the network of caves leading to Gollum's lake, Gollum having dropped it while hunting Goblins. It is possible that the Ring had a part in this, for it was known to have a will of its own. As [[Gandalf]] said later, the [[Necromancer]] was becoming more powerful, and it was a good time for the Ring to change hands and get back to Sauron.<ref name=shadow/>

[[File:Ted Nasmith - Gollum is Defeated.jpg|thumb|275px|left|''Gollum is Defeated'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]

While still unaware of his loss, Gollum met Bilbo and engaged in the famous [[riddle-game]]. Gandalf later remarked that a small part of Gollum was glad to see another Hobbit for the first time in many years, but that this only made the evil part of him angrier.<ref name=shadow/> Following the game, Gollum refused to show Bilbo the promised way out and instead plotted to kill him. Before he could carry this out, he realized his "precious" was gone. Enraged, he gave Bilbo chase. The latter inadvertently stumbled upon the Ring's power of invisibility as he ran, allowing him to follow Gollum to the cave exit. There, Bilbo thought to kill Gollum, but pity struck him, so he instead jumped over him and fled.<ref>{{FR|Ring}}</ref>

===Into the wild===
Gollum spent a further three years skulking in the mountains,<ref name=ta/> but his longing for the Ring eventually overcame his hatred of sunlight, and so he sallied forth in search of Bilbo. Travelling by night, he passed through [[Mirkwood]] and reached [[Lake-town]] and [[Dale]]. He spent his time there spying and eavesdropping, which allowed him to learn more of Bilbo. He then headed in the direction of the Shire, but before he could cross the [[Great River]], he suddenly turned southwards. Gandalf had been tracking him all the while with the help of the [[Elves of Mirkwood]], but he gave up the chase at this time, something he would later regret.<ref name=shadow/>

[[Sauron]] began to summon all evil creatures to [[Mordor]], hoping to build up his strength in the coming years. Because the One Ring had left a permanent mark on him after bearing it for so long, Gollum felt compelled to answer that summons and make his way to Mordor. After some thirty years of wandering he reached the [[Mountains of Shadow]], and met [[Shelob]].<ref name=ta/> Upon venturing into Mordor itself, he was captured and tortured by Sauron, who thereby learned that the Ring had been recovered and was in the possession of a Shire Hobbit. Meanwhile, Gandalf had begun to suspect that Bilbo's ring was the One Ring, which led him to resume his search for Gollum.[[File:Gareth Sleightholme - Aragorn captures Gollum (beardless).jpg|thumb|250px|right|''[[Aragorn]] captures Gollum'' by [[:Category:Images by Gareth Sleightholme|Gareth Sleightholme]]]] In {{TA|3017}}, Gollum was set free, only to be caught at last by [[Aragorn]] in the [[Dead Marshes]], and turned over to Gandalf. Gandalf spent many "weary days" interrogating him, following which he placed him in the care of [[Thranduil]].<ref name=ta/>

===War of the Ring===
In {{TA|3018}}, Orcs raided the Elves of Mirkwood, allowing Gollum to escape. He entered [[Moria]], but was unable to open the [[Doors of Durin]]. Some months later, the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] passed through Moria, and Gollum began trailing it. When the Fellowship broke at [[Nen Hithoel]], Gollum followed [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] into the [[Emyn Muil]]. After a confrontation in which he bit and nearly strangled Sam, Frodo subdued him. Frodo tied an [[Elves|Elvish]] rope around Gollum's ankle for a leash, but the mere touch of the rope pained him. Taking pity on the wretched creature, Frodo made Gollum swear to help them. Gollum swore by the "precious" itself to do so, and Frodo released him. The unlikely company, guided by Gollum, made its way to the [[Black Gate]], the entrance to Mordor.

Frodo's kindness brought out what remained of Gollum's better side, and he made at least some effort to keep his promise. The two had a strange sort of bond from having both been Ringbearers; in Gollum, Frodo saw his possible future, and so wanted to save him so he could save himself. Gollum feared Frodo, and also thought that helping him would deprive Sauron of the Ring.

When the Black Gate was reached and found to be well-guarded, Gollum convinced Frodo and Sam to follow him south, where he knew of another entrance into Mordor. Before they could reach it, Frodo and Sam were captured by [[Faramir]]. Gollum followed the captives to the secret outpost of [[Henneth Annûn]], where he was spotted. Faramir then forced Frodo to aid Faramir's men in capturing the creature, a betrayal that Gollum felt keenly. While questioning Gollum, Faramir learned that the place to which he had been leading the Hobbits was [[Cirith Ungol]]. He warned Frodo and Sam that this was a place of great evil and that their guide was not to be trusted.

[[File:Ted Nasmith - Gollum at the Forbidden Pool.jpg|thumb|''Gollum at the Forbidden Pool'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]

Upon regaining their freedom, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum set out again for Mordor and reached the pass of Cirith Ungol. One night, Gollum visited the great spider [[Shelob]], because he was planning to betray the Hobbits to her and then get the Ring for himself. When he returned the Hobbits were asleep. The sight of Frodo sleeping nearly moved Gollum to repent.<ref>{{App|Great}}</ref> 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 [[Shelob's Lair]]. For this service to Shelob, the Orcs of Cirith Ungol referred to him as "her sneak".

Just as Frodo warned him, Gollum's breach of his oath ultimately led to his undoing, for Frodo and Sam escaped from Shelob's lair and came against all odds to the 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 relented out of sheer pity and disgust, turning his back on the beaten creature.

Moments later, Frodo fell victim to the Ring's power and put it on his finger instead of casting it into the [[Cracks of Doom]] as he had meant to. Then Gollum attacked again. The two fought while Frodo was invisible and finally Gollum bit off Frodo's finger.

Here Frodo's kindness in sparing Gollum's life was rewarded, for Gollum then teetered on the edge of the great pit, lost his balance and fell in, taking the Ring and finger with him with a last cry of "Preciouss!". Had Gollum not lived to play this final part, there would have been a good chance that Sauron would have regained the Ring, as he knew where Frodo was as soon as he put the Ring on.

==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
[[File:Peter Xavier Price - The Stairs of Cirith Ungol.jpg|left|thumb|''The Stairs of Cirith Ungol'' by [[Peter Xavier Price]]]]
Sméagol was a Hobbit, but he spent long centuries in darkness and damp, influenced by the power of the Ring. It is possible that thanks to his hardy Hobbitish nature that he was not reduced to a [[Wraiths|wraith]].<ref>
{{webcite|author=Stan Brown|website=FAQ of the Rings|articleurl=http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm#Q1-GollumWraith|articlename=Why hadn’t Gollum turned into a wraith long ago?}}</ref> However, he was reduced to a small, extremely thin and wiry person, with scrawny neck, pale skin, flat feet, long thin hands with clammy fingers, and large pale or green eyes that seemed to glow. His sense of sight, as well as his hearing and smelling, was very good, due to the time he spent underground.

He could move and climb silently like a spider, and although he had only six teeth left,<ref>{{H|5}}</ref> he could give deep bites, even able to bite off Frodo's finger.

===Personality===
Sméagol was quick and strong, the most inquisitive and curious-minded of his community. He was interested in roots and beginnings. He owed [[#Etymology|his name]] to his interest in roots and deep pools; he dove, burrowed and tunnelled under trees, plants, and mounds. He tended to neglect anything that was higher, like the flowers, the trees and looking at the hills.<ref name=shadow/>

During his centuries of loneliness and under the Ring's influence, he seems to have developed something similar to a personality disorder: his "Gollum" personality was a slave to the Ring and would kill for it, overwhelming his former self, who still vaguely remembered things like friendship and love. Not having anyone else to speak to, he often quarreled with himself. Gollum both loved and hated the Ring and himself. He often referred both to the Ring and himself as "my Precious", perhaps confusing the two entities.<ref name=guide/>

[[File:Ted Nasmith - Endgame on the Mountain.jpg|thumb|right|''Endgame on the Mountain'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]

Years later, [[Samwise Gamgee]] would give two nicknames to Gollum. Originally, Sam used the name Slinker to refer to Gollum's slinking around before they had captured him.<ref>{{TT|Taming}}, p. 604</ref> He then came to use Slinker and Stinker to refer to the two contrasting sides of Gollum's personality,<ref name=gate/> caused by possession of the [[One Ring]] for so long.<ref>{{FR|Shadow}}, pp. 53-5</ref> Slinker was the fawning, desperate, and eager-to-please, "Sméagol" side demeanour; and Stinker was the plotting and sinister "Gollum" side of him.<ref name=gate>{{TT|Gate}}, p. 638</ref> When he first came into the service of [[Frodo Baggins]] his Slinker side was more prominent but the closer they got to the [[Black Gate]] the more the Stinker side started to take over and Slinker became more like Stinker and Sam started using the name to generally refer to Gollum.<ref>{{TT|Stairs}}, p. 714</ref>

Other aspects of the Ring's corruption was the aversion to all living creatures, especially the [[Elves]] and all things Elven. The [[Elven rope]] burnt his skin, and [[lembas]] tasted like dust to him and choked him.

Sméagol, as a Hobbit, was perhaps good at heart, but he was relatively greedy and mean.<ref name=L214/> Bilbo was corrupted far more slowly by the Ring because his adventures with it began with an act of mercy, while Gollum began his with murder.<ref name=shadow>{{FR|Shadow}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{Pronounce|Anglo-Saxon - Sméagol.mp3|Gilgamesh|The Old English pronunciation of ''Sméagol''}}
Although Sméagol's people spoke [[Westron]] natively, J.R.R. Tolkien notes that he and his kinsman Déagol bore names taken from "the Mannish language of the region near the [[Gladden River|Gladden]]", which was related to [[Rohanese]].<ref>{{App|Hobbits}}, footnote after "before they came north the the Shire.", p. 1130</ref> His actual name was [[Trahald]], meaning "burrowing" or "worming in". As Rohanese is represented in the books by Old English, this was translated as Sméagol.<ref>{{App|Translation}}, p. 1136</ref> Peter Gilliver, Edmund Weiner and Jeremy Marshall derive ''Sméagol'' from the Old English verb [[wiktionary:smeagan|''sméagan'']], meaning "to scrutinize, investigate", and the adjectival suffix [[wiktionary:-ol#Old_English|-''ol'']],<ref>{{HM|RW}}, p. 191</ref> while [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] derive it from [[wiktionary:smygel|''smygel'']], meaning "burrow, place to creep into".<ref>{{webcite|website=[http://www.bosworthtoller.com/ Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary]|articleurl=https://bosworthtoller.com/28184|articlename=smygel|accessed=13 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 86</ref>

The Old English pronunciation would be [⁠ˈsmæɑːɣol⁠]; however, Tolkien himself used the modernized pronunciation /⁠ˈsmiːgɔːl⁠/.<ref>{{webcite|articleurl=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlKfe5ze7Ww&t=91s|website=YT|articlename=Tolkien reads - Of herbs and stewed rabbit|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlKfe5ze7Ww&t=91s|accessed=13 January 2026}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==
In the first edition of ''[[The Hobbit]]'', Gollum did not appear quite as wretched or as bound to the Ring. Tolkien revised this characterisation to fit the concept of the Ruling Ring developed during the writing of ''The Lord of the Rings''. Tolkien then explained the version given in the first edition as a lie that Bilbo made up to tell the [[Thorin and Company|Dwarves]] and [[Gandalf]].<ref name="Christensen">[[Bonniejean Christensen]], [[Jared Lobdell]] (ed.), "Gollum's Character Transformation in ''The Hobbit''", published in ''[[A Tolkien Compass]]'', pages 7-26</ref>

In ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', it is mentioned that [[the One Ring]] was found "''ere the Kings failed in Gondor''". This can mean that originally, Gollum's age was intended to be considerably more than six hundred years (further reinforced by certain places in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' like Gollum referring to tales about an uncorrupted [[Minas Ithil]] or Gandalf comparing his people to "fathers of the fathers of the [[Stoors]]"). In fact it seems likely that Sauron leaving the Mirkwood in 2063 T.A. and some Hobbits settling there after that are details added for the purpose of making the smaller age possible; perhaps in order to make it possible for Gollum and the other characters to have the same language.

==Inspiration==
[[John Garth]] has suggested that the character of Gollum carries echoes of the "''night-haunting, man-eating''" [[Ogres|ogre]] [[Wikipedia:Grendel|Grendel]] in ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]''.<ref>{{webcite|author=[[John Garth]]|articleurl=http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/05/j-r-r-tolkien-beowulf-one-mans-passion-threshold-between-myth-and-reality|articlename=J R R Tolkien's Beowulf: one man's passion for the threshold between myth and reality|dated=29 May 2014|website=[http://www.newstatesman.com/ newstatesman.com]|accessed=29 May 2014}}</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="200px" heights="150px">
File:The Hobbit (1967 film) - Gollum.jpg|[[The Hobbit (1967 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1967 film)]]
File:The Hobbit (1977 film) - Gollum.jpg|[[The Hobbit (1977 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1977 film)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) - Gollum.jpg|[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]
File:David T. Wenzel - Gollum.jpg|[[The Hobbit (comic book)|''The Hobbit'' (comic book), 1989]]
File:The Hobbit (2003) Gollum.JPG|[[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (2003 video game)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings- The Treason of Isengard - Concept art Gollum.jpg|[[The Lord of the Rings: The Treason of Isengard]]
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Gollum poster.jpg|[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Sméagol2.jpg|As Sméagol in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (video game) - Gollum.JPG|[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings Online - Gollum.jpg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''
File:LEGO - Gollum.png|''[[LEGO]]''
File:Guardians of Middle-earth - Gollum Icon.jpg|''[[Guardians of Middle-earth]]
File:Shadow of Mordor - Gollum.jpg|''[[Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings Gollum - Gollum's description.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings: Gollum]]''
</gallery>

===Films===
'''1977: [[The Hobbit (1977 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1977 film)]]:'''
:Gollum is a frog-like green creature, voiced by [[Theodore Isidore Gottlieb|Brother Theodore]]. Here, his "Gollum" noise sounds like muttering instead of swallowing.

'''1978: [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]:'''
:Gollum is depicted as a skinny, dark grey creature, voiced by [[Peter Woodthorpe]].

'''1980: [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]:'''
:Brother Theodore reprised his role from the earlier [[Rankin/Bass]] production. Some footage from ''The Hobbit'' was reused to introduce the viewer to the story.

'''2001-03: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:Gollum is a CGI-motion capture creature voiced by actor [[Andy Serkis]]. He is barely glimpsed in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', where he is voiced by [[Dominic Monaghan]] in absence of Serkis.{{Fact}} Gollum becomes a central character in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]''. The ground-breaking CGI character was built around Serkis's voice, movements and expressions, sometimes by using a motion capture suit which recorded his movements and applied them to the digital character, and sometimes by the more laborious process of digitally "painting out" Serkis's image and replacing it with Gollum's. In one such shot in ''The Two Towers'', Serkis' real spittle can be seen emerging from Gollum's mouth.

:In ''The Return of the King'' Serkis himself appears in a flashback scene as Sméagol before his degeneration into Gollum. This scene was originally earmarked for ''The Two Towers'' but held back because it was felt that audiences would relate better to the original Sméagol once they were more familiar with who he became. The decision to include this scene meant that Gollum's face had to be redesigned for the second and third movies so that it would more closely resemble Serkis'.

'''2012: [[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]:'''
:[[Andy Serkis]] reprised his role as Gollum.<ref name="PJCasting1">{{webcite|author=[[Peter Jackson]]|articleurl=http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150168211921558|articlename=Production begins in New Zealand on The Hobbit|dated=20-March-2011|website=[http://www.facebook.com/ Facebook]|accessed=21-Dec-2011}}</ref>

===Television===
'''1993: ''[[Hobitit]]'':'''
:Gollum is depicted as an old, white creature, portrayed by [[Kari Väänänen]], the same actor who played [[Aragorn]] in the series.

===Radio series===
'''1955: [[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1955 radio series)]]:'''
:The voice of Gollum is provided by [[Gerik Schjelderup]].<ref name="RT1723">Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1723, [[16 November|November 16]], [[1956]]</ref>

'''1968: [[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|''The Hobbit'' (1968 radio series)]]:'''
:The narrator refers to Gollum (voiced by [[Wolfe Morris]]) as "Galloom", even though Gollum himself manages to pronounce his name correctly. Gollum's role is based on that of the second edition of ''The Hobbit''.<ref>[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|''The Hobbit'' (1968 radio series)]], "Riddles in the Dark"
</ref>

'''1979: [[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1979 radio series)]]:'''
:[[Gail Chugg]] provided the voice of Gollum.

'''1980: [[Der Hobbit (1980 German radio series)|''Der Hobbit'' (1980 German radio series)]]:'''
:Gollum is played by Jürgen von Manger.

'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]]:'''
:Gollum, again performed by [[Peter Woodthorpe]], has the first lines of the play (save [[Gerard Murphy|the narrator]]). He is described as "''slimy and as dark than darkness''".<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)]], "The Long Awaited Party"</ref>

'''1989: [[Hobit (1989 Slovak radio series)|''Hobit'' (1989 Slovak radio series)]]:'''
:The voice of Gollum is provided by Karol Čálik.

'''1992: [[Der Herr der Ringe (1992 German radio series)|''Der Herr der Ringe'' (1992 German radio series)]]:'''
:Gollum is played by Dietmar Mues.

'''2002-2003: [[Pán prsteňov (2001-2003 Slovak radio series)|''Pán prsteňov'' (2001-2003 Slovak radio series)]]:'''
:The voice of Gollum is provided by Ibrahim Maiga.

===Games===
'''1982: ''[[The Hobbit (1982 video game)]]'''''
:Gollum appears in the tunnels of the Misty Mountains. He will persistently speak riddles to Bilbo, and strangle him to death if he fails to answer them in time. However, if Bilbo puts the [[One Ring|Ring]] on, then Gollum will not be able to see him. He can also be killed by Bilbo or his companions, even though doing so would seriously conflict with established canon.
'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:Gollum, voiced by [[Quinton Flynn]], is seen thrice: first, in the introduction scene, he is stooping over his precious, dashing away from the camera. He is a creature in colour and clothing much like Jackson's version. He is briefly glimpsed again in [[Moria]], but not more than a dark shape with a green outline can be seen.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)]], "3 Passages"</ref> His most important role is in the final stages of the game: he can be seen atop several ridges, and can even be visited on a rock on the shores of [[Nen Hithoel]]. He throws a [[fish]], the "Xiphiidae", at "[[Aragorn|Ranger]]". This will become the most deadly weapon in the game, and replaces [[Andúril]] in the weapon slots.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]], "Amon Hen"</ref>

'''2003: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (video game)]]:'''
:Gollum is accompanying Sam and Frodo during [[Osgiliath]] mission and the is the final boss of the game at the Crack of Doom. Unlike all other enemies of the game, he takes no damage from any attacks - instead the players must perform combinations to push him into lava below.

'''2003: ''[[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|Sierra's The Hobbit'']]:'''
:Gollum appears in a cut scene after the level "Riddles in the Dark". Only Bilbo's last riddle - "''What have I got in my pocket?''" - is shown, after which Gollum spouts out all possible answers in one sentence rather than in three turns. Gollum is a dark grey, hobbit-like creature with seven spiky teeth, who walks on all fours like an ape would, and like his Rankin/Bass counterpart, his "Gollum" noise is a muttering instead of a swallowing. He is voiced by [[Daran Norris]].<ref>[[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (2003 video game)]], "Riddles in the Dark"</ref>

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Gollum is a "Hero" unit for the Servants of the Enemy, used primarily for scout missions.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]'':'''
:Gollum is a "Hero" for the Mordor factions. His health is extremely low and his attacks extremely weak, but has value for the scout missions.

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:In non-storyline battles, stealthed Gollum is roaming the map. If detected and killed, he drops The One Ring, which can give huge advantage to the side that gets it.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Gollum is encountered thrice, though the player has yet to know his name. The first time he is met in southern [[Trollshaws]], where the player prevents him from attacking the baby of two Fishermen; the second time he is seen in southern Mirkwood, where the player must defeat the Orcs who attempts to capture him, the third time is on the Shores of Anduin, where the player has to make sure he does not fall prey to the spiders.

'''2012: ''[[Guardians of Middle-earth]]'':'''
:Gollum is a striker-type "guardian" with four abilities: ''Throttle'', ''My Precious'', ''Coward'' and ''We are starved''.<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.guardiansofmiddleearth.co.uk/guardians/gollum|articlename=''Guardians of Middle-earth'': Gollum|dated=|website=[http://www.guardiansofmiddleearth.com/ ''Guardians of Middle-earth'' official website]|accessed=16 July 2012}}</ref>

'''2014: ''[[Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor]]'':'''
:Gollum is featured in the game as a supporting character. In the game, set between ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Gollum is searching for [[the One Ring]] and encounters [[Talion]], the protagonist of the game and helps him in his Quest.

'''2017: ''[[Middle-earth: Shadow of War]]'':'''
:Gollum is featured in the game as a supporting character.

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Gollum]]'':'''
:Gollum appears in the game as the protagonist character.

==External links==
*[http://lingwe.blogspot.se/2012/12/smeagol-whats-in-name.html Sméagol — what's in a name?] by [[Jason Fisher]]

{{References}}

{{seq-start}}
{{seq-head
| race=hobbit
| born=c. {{TA|2430}}
| died=[[25 March]], {{TA|3019}}
}}
{{seq
| prev=[[Déagol]]
| list=[[Ring-bearer]]
| dates=c. {{TA|2463}} - {{TA|2941|n}}
| next=[[Bilbo Baggins]]
}}
{{seq
| prev=[[Frodo Baggins]]
| list=[[Ring-bearer]]
| dates=briefly, [[25 March]], {{TA|3019}}
| nvac=None
| next=Ring destroyed
}}
{{seq-end}}
{{ringbearers}}
{{hobbitfilms}}
{{lordoftheringsfilms}}
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Evil]]
[[Category:Hobbits]]
[[Category:Ring-bearers]]
[[Category:Stoors]]
[[Category:Third Age characters]]
[[de:Gollum]]
[[fi:Klonkku]]

Tolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]

Gollum