 | |
| Hobbit | |
| Déagol | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Location | Near Gladden Fields |
| Affiliation | Stoors |
| Language | Westron[1] |
| Death | T.A. 2463[2] Gladden Fields |
| Notable for | Being murdered by Sméagol |
| Family | |
| Family | Sméagol |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Gallery | Images of Déagol |
Déagol was a Stoor Hobbit of the Gladden Fields that found the One Ring and was murdered by Sméagol.
History
Déagol was a friend and relative[3] of Sméagol, being "sharper-eyed but not so quick and strong".[4]
One day Sméagol had his birthday, Déagol gave a customary present (albeit begrudgingly, as he was a mean little soul),[3] which he claimed was more than what he could afford.[4] Later that day, though still very early in the morning, they went fishing in the Gladden Fields on a boat. When Sméagol took a break to nose about the banks, a great fish pulled Déagol to the bottom of the water. Upon seeing something gleaming in the river-bed, he abandoned his fishing equipment and seized the gleaming object. When he swam out, "with weeds in his hair and a handful of mud", he saw that what he discovered was a "beautiful golden ring".
Yet, as he gloated over his finding, Sméagol watched him from nearby and silently approached him, desiring the ring. Sméagol, being greedy, thought that Déagol's gift to him was poor and insufficient,[3] and thus used his birthday as an excuse to claim the ring; and as Déagol refused to hand it over, Sméagol strangled him, and hid his body cleverly so that the others didn't find it.[4]
In the years following the murder of Déagol, Sméagol became haunted by his actions, making up the defence that it was his birthday and that Déagol should have given it to him. After Sméagol became Gollum, he repeated his defence over and over as he gnawed bones within darkness until he very nearly believed it himself.[4]
Etymology
Déagol is a name that is based on the Old English word deagol (digol), which means "secret" or "hidden".[5] It is a translation of the "original" Westron name Nahald, which means "secret" in the Northern tongues of the Vales of Anduin.[1]
Portrayal in adaptations
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1978: The Lord of the Rings (1978 film):
- Déagol appears in the Prologue. While fishing in the Great River Anduin with Sméagol, he is pulled into the water by a large fish attatched to his rod. He lets go of his rod and spots a ring at the bottom. He takes it back to the surface and rubs it on his body, enamored by its beauty. Sméagol asks him for the Ring because "it's my birthday, my love, and I wants it". Déagol tells him he has already given him more than he could afford and that he will keep the Ring because he found it. Gollum asks "will you indeed, my love?" and strangles Déagol to death, taking the ring for himself.
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:
- Déagol is played by New Zealand actor Thomas Robins.[6]
Déagol | Died | |
Vacant Last held by: Isildur, c. 2461 years earlier | Followed by |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "On Translation", pp. 1135-1136
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 2463, p. 1087
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 214, (undated, written late 1958 or early 1959), p. 292
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Shadow of the Past", p. 53
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 86
- ↑ "Biography for Thomas Robins", IMDB, accessed 30 January 2012
| Ring-bearers of the One Ring | |
|---|---|
| Sauron (S.A. 1600 - 3441) · Isildur (S.A. 3441 - 25 September, T.A. 2) · Déagol (c. 2463) · Sméagol (c. 2463 - 2941) · Bilbo Baggins (2941 - 22 September, 3001) · Frodo Baggins (22 September, 3001 - 13 March, 3019) · Samwise Gamgee (13 March, 3019 - 14 March, 3019) · Frodo Baggins (14 March, 3019 - 25 March, 3019) · Gollum (25 March, T.A. 3019) | |
| Also briefly held the Ring: Gandalf (13 April, T.A. 3018) · Tom Bombadil (27 September, T.A. 3018) | |