Who doesn’t love conflicted characters that are a mixture between good and evil? One such character we all have come to know, and who has creeped us out is Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. Often people who watch the movies or read the books, or merely see clips of Gollum on their social media feed wonder how did Gollum become Gollum?
Gollum, in general, is a creature in Lord of the Rings, made from lust and greed. He is a character who constantly struggles between good and evil, with two different personalities vouching for each. A fun fact: Gollum is also referred to as Smeagol on multiple occasions.
Gollum or Smeagol?
Smeagol is the character’s birth name, and Gollum was the name given to him after he turns into the twisted and creepy creature portrayed in the movies.
How Did Smeagol Turn Into Gollum?
Smeagol was a hobbit, and on one of his birthdays, he went fishing with his friend, Deagol. During the fishing expedition, Deagol falls into the water, where he finds the One Ring. When he swims back to the surface, Smeagol becomes entrapped with a toxic desire for the Ring and kills Deagol to claim it, stating it’s his birthday, so he should get the Ring.
He quickly realizes that the Ring can make him invisible and uses it to rob people, hurt them, and takes great fun in doing so too. Due to his negative behavior, his relatives start hating him, and at one instance they even kick him, causing him to bite off their feet.
As he becomes isolated by his relatives, he starts talking to himself increasingly. He also engages in his nervous habit of gurgling more often, causing everyone to call him Gollum. As time progresses, his relatives kick him out, and he travels north along the Great River.
During his time at the Great River, Gollum uses the Ring to become invisible, catch fish, and eat them raw. He also starts living in mountain passages to escape the bright sun.
For hundreds of years, Gollum lives in the dark caves, feeding on fish. He spends most of his time talking to himself about his past life and hating himself and the Ring for making him this way.
However, no matter how great his hatred for the Ring, he still keeps it close and calls it my precious, a clear indicator of how much of a negative influence the Ring was having on him.
Owing to the hundreds of years he spends alone, eating raw fish, in a dark cave, with the Ring, Gollum keeps on being corrupted by the Ring and becomes the warped creature we know.
A Deeper Meaning For Gollum:
Even though the primary reason for Gollum being called Gollum was the gurgling sounds, many think there is a deeper meaning to his name. Tolkien, the author of the books, was fluent in Hebrew, and therefore, it is speculated that the name, Gollum, is related to the word ‘golem’ in Jewish and Christian folklore.
Golem is an artificial creature made by supernatural means and serves its creator without regard for consequence. So, this theory does make sense as Gollum is like this described creature.
Even though Gollum is a horrible creature, we can all unanimously appreciate Tolkien’s beautiful writing style and how he has portrayed the struggle between good and evil through Gollum.
