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		<id>https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=The_One_Ring&amp;diff=304280</id>
		<title>The One Ring</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=The_One_Ring&amp;diff=304280"/>
		<updated>2019-04-08T19:03:08Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;76.177.207.109: &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;div&gt;{{cleanup}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{disambig-more|The One Ring|[[The One Ring (disambiguation)]]}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{object infobox&lt;br /&gt;
| name=The One Ring&lt;br /&gt;
| image=[[File:John Howe - The One Ring 03.jpg|250px]]&lt;br /&gt;
| caption=&amp;quot;The One Ring&amp;quot; by [[John Howe]]&lt;br /&gt;
| pronun=&lt;br /&gt;
| othernames=Ruling Ring, Master-ring, Great Ring, the One, Ring of Rings, Ring of Power, Ring of Doom, Isildur&#039;s Bane, the Burden, Precious&lt;br /&gt;
| location=&lt;br /&gt;
| owner=Primarily: [[Sauron]], [[Isildur]], [[Gollum]], [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]&lt;br /&gt;
| type=Weapon/item of jewellery&lt;br /&gt;
| appearance=Plain gold ring with [[Black Speech]] inscription made visible by heat&lt;br /&gt;
| creator=[[Sauron]]&lt;br /&gt;
| created=c. {{SA|1600}}&lt;br /&gt;
| createdlocation=[[Mount Doom]]&lt;br /&gt;
| destroyer=[[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]/[[Gollum]]&lt;br /&gt;
| destroyed={{TA|3019}}&lt;br /&gt;
| destroyedlocation=[[Mount Doom]]&lt;br /&gt;
| notablefor=&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{quote|Now the Elves made many rings; but secretly Sauron made One Ring to rule all the others, and their power was bound up with it, to be subject wholly to it and to last only so long as it too should last.|&#039;&#039;[[The Silmarillion]]&#039;&#039;, &amp;quot;[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]&amp;quot;}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &#039;&#039;&#039;One Ring&#039;&#039;&#039; was an ancient artefact created by the [[Dark Lord]] [[Sauron]] in the [[Second Age]] for the purpose of ruling over the [[Free peoples]] of [[Middle-earth]], mainly the [[Elves]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was also known as the &#039;&#039;&#039;Ruling Ring&#039;&#039;&#039;, &#039;&#039;&#039;Great Ring of Power&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;Isildur&#039;s Bane&#039;&#039;&#039;( due to it causing the death of [[Isildur]]). In the [[Ring Verse]] it is referred to as &#039;&#039;&#039;Ash Nazg&#039;&#039;&#039; in [[Black Speech]].&amp;lt;ref name=council/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== History ==&lt;br /&gt;
===Origin and creation===&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Forging of the One.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ted Nasmith]] - &#039;&#039;The Forging of the One&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
During the [[Second Age]], the Dark Lord [[Sauron]] persuaded [[Celebrimbor]] and his people, the [[Elves|Elven]] smiths of [[Eregion]], to forge the [[Rings of Power]]. Secretly, Sauron returned to [[Orodruin]] and forged the One Ring in its fires.&amp;lt;ref name=RoP&amp;gt;{{S|Rings}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It was made as the Master Ring, the One Ring which would control all the others, and dominate their bearers. Sauron allowed much of his will and power to go into it. Thus, he was at his most powerful when wearing the Ring; however, it also caused his power to weaken considerably if he was not in possession of it. Although it appeared to be made of simple gold, the Ring was virtually impervious to damage, and could only be destroyed in the very fires where it had originally been forged - [[Orodruin]].&amp;lt;ref name=council&amp;gt;{{FR|Council}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The Dark Years===&lt;br /&gt;
When Celebrimbor and the other Ring-bearers realized Sauron&#039;s treachery, they took off their Rings, as while they were wearing them, Sauron knew where they were, and went to war with him. This war, the [[War of the Elves and Sauron]] destroyed Eregion and devastated much of Eriador. Sauron conquered and was able to claim all the Rings of Power (except the [[Three Rings|Three]]) and distribute them.&amp;lt;ref name=RoP/&amp;gt; During the era known as the [[Dark Years]], Sauron became master of almost all of Middle-earth beyond the coasts and was known as the [[Dark Lord]] of [[Mordor]]. He raised [[Barad-dûr]] near [[Mount Doom]], constructed the [[Black Gate]] of Mordor to prevent invasion, and raised massive armies of [[Orcs]], [[Trolls]], and Men, chiefly [[Easterlings]] and [[Haradrim|Southrons]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The power of the Ring allowed Sauron to link with it some of his works, such as [[Barad-dûr]].&amp;lt;ref name=council/&amp;gt; With the Ring he controlled the [[Nine Rings]] that were given to nine mortal Men, who were corrupted and turned into the [[Nazgûl]], his chief servants. However, he was unable to control the [[Seven Rings]] of the [[Dwarves|Dwarf-lords]], because of their different, more hearty nature, and natural resistance against domination by others.&amp;lt;ref name=RoP /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sauron&#039;s rise offended the arrogant [[Númenóreans]], who attacked him with great force of arms. The forces of Sauron fled the onslaught, and Sauron realized that he could not overcome the Númenòreans through military might. Sauron allowed himself to be taken as a hostage to Númenor by King [[Ar-Pharazôn]]. There, he quickly grew from captive to adviser and was known as &#039;&#039;&#039;Tar-Mairon&#039;&#039;&#039;; he corrupted many Númenóreans using the power of the Ring&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{L|211}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and eventually convinced the king to rebel against the [[Valar]], resulting in the [[Downfall of Númenor]]. Sauron was diminished in the destruction and his spirit (presumably with the Ring) fled back to Mordor, where he slowly rebuilt his strength.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
When the [[Faithful]] Númenóreans founded the [[Realms in Exile]], Sauron began an offence against [[Gondor]], which was one of those realms; the Elves and the Númenóreans  formed the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men|Last Alliance]] against Sauron, who was vanquished by [[Elendil]] and [[Gil-galad]]. Prince [[Isildur]] then cut the ring from his fingers and took it for himself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===After Sauron===&lt;br /&gt;
Isildur was corrupted by a great desire for the Ring, and he took it for his own, instead of destroying it as should have been done. Though he bought it &amp;quot;with great pain&amp;quot;, Isildur considered the Ring a most precious heirloom of his house, and documented its properties upon the [[Scroll of Isildur|a scroll he wrote]] in [[Minas Tirith]].&amp;lt;ref name=council/&amp;gt; He kept it around his neck as he travelled back to [[Arnor]]; but his party was attacked by a group of [[Orcs]] during the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]]. Isildur jumped into the [[Gladden River]] to escape, but the Ring betrayed him and slipped off his finger, and was lost in the [[Gladden River]]. Isildur was revealed to the Orcs when he climbed out of the river, and he was shot. &lt;br /&gt;
[[File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Sméagol2.jpg|thumb|left|Sméagol]]&lt;br /&gt;
The Ring remained hidden in the riverbed for over two millennia, despite [[Saruman]] and his many attempts to locate the ring, until it was discovered on a fishing trip by a [[Stoors|Stoor]] named [[Déagol]]. Once again, the Ring&#039;s evil powers acted upon Déagol&#039;s friend and relative, [[Sméagol]], who murdered Déagol and took the Ring for himself. Over many ages, Sméagol was changed by the Ring&#039;s influence into the creature called [[Gollum]] (which is what he called himself, as it was similar to a sound he made). The Ring manipulated Gollum into settling in the [[Misty Mountains]] near [[Mirkwood]], where Sauron was beginning to resurface. There he and the Ring remained for nearly five hundred years, until the Ring tired of him. Then, wishing to be discovered by a new keeper, and so thus find its way back to its Master, it fell off Gollum&#039;s finger as he was returning from hunting a [[Orcs#Orcs and Goblins|Goblin]].&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:David T. Wenzel - Bilbo finds the One Ring.jpg|thumb|[[David T. Wenzel]] - Bilbo finds the One Ring]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Darrell Sweet - The Riddle Game.jpg|left|thumb|Darrell Sweet - &#039;&#039;The Riddle-game&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
The Ring was discovered in the Third Age by a hobbit, [[Bilbo Baggins]], who had been separated from his party of Dwarves and become lost in the caverns of the Misty Mountains, near Gollum&#039;s lair. After losing the [[Riddle-game]] to Bilbo, Gollum sneaked off to fetch his &amp;quot;[[Precious]]&amp;quot; (as he always called the One Ring), so that he could kill Bilbo and eat him. But when Gollum arrived at his island, he found that the Ring was missing, and he let out a great wail. Deducing from Bilbo&#039;s last question--&amp;quot;What have I got in my pocket?&amp;quot;--that Bilbo had taken it, Gollum chased the hobbit through the caves, not knowing that Bilbo had discovered the Ring&#039;s powers of invisibility and was following him to the cave&#039;s exit. Bilbo escaped Gollum and the Orcs who inhabited the Misty Mountains by remaining invisible (although he lost a few of his nice brass buttons.) When he told the story to the [[Dwarves]] and Gandalf, however, he left the Ring out of the story. But Bilbo was aware that Gandalf suspected the presence of his magic Ring. Later on Bilbo was forced to tell the Dwarves about the Ring, to preserve their lives and continue their journey to Erebor.&lt;br /&gt;
  &lt;br /&gt;
Gollum, meanwhile, eventually left the Misty Mountains to track down and reclaim the Ring. He wandered for decades, only to be captured and interrogated by Sauron himself, to whom he revealed the existence of Bilbo and the Shire.   &lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Paul Rivoche - Frodo and Gandalf.jpg|thumb|Paul Rivoche - &#039;&#039;Frodo and Gandalf&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
In {{TA|3001}}, following Gandalf&#039;s counsel, Bilbo gave the Ring to his nephew and adopted heir [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]. This first willing renunciation of the Ring in its history sparked the chain of events which eventually led to its unmaking. Gandalf was suspicious about the effect it had on Bilbo and went to [[Minas Tirith]] and found Isildur&#039;s account on the Ring, being lost since his death. He returned to [[Hobbiton]] and tested Frodo&#039;s Ring in fire, only to confirm his fears since the letters described by Isildur appeared upon it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
By this time Sauron had begun to regain his power, and the [[Barad-dûr|Dark Tower]] in Mordor had been rebuilt. The [[War of the Ring]] had begun. Gandalf urged Frodo to carry the Ring to [[Rivendell]] where the Wise would decide their actions. Despite Gandalf&#039;s warnings, Frodo did wear the Ring several times during his journey. On [[Weathertop]] he was tempted by the Ring to wear it and evade the Ringwraiths, only to make him more visible to them and to be wounded by a [[Morgul-knife]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In order to prevent the recapture of the Ring, Frodo and eight other [[Fellowship of the Ring|companions]] set out from [[Rivendell]] for Mordor in an attempt to destroy the Ring in the fires of [[Mount Doom]]. During the quest, Frodo gradually became more and more susceptible to the Ring&#039;s power, and feared that it was going to corrupt him. When he and Sam discovered that Gollum was on their trail and &amp;quot;tamed&amp;quot; him into guiding them to Mordor, he began to feel a strange bond with the wretched, treacherous creature, seeing a possible future of himself that he felt he had to save in order to save himself. Gollum gave in to the Ring&#039;s temptation, however, and betrayed them to the spider [[Shelob]] who stung Frodo. Believing Frodo to be dead, Sam bore the Ring himself for a short time, and glimpsed its power, although he never gave in to it. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sam rescued Frodo from a band of Orcs at the Tower of [[Cirith Ungol]] and returned the Ring to him, but feared that the toll it was taking was too great. It nearly was: although Frodo and Sam, followed by Gollum, eventually arrived at Mount Doom, Frodo decided to keep the Ring for himself rather than destroy it, evincing its corruptive nature. However, he was attacked by Gollum, who bit off the finger holding the Ring before falling into the fires of Mount Doom, finally destroying the Ring, and Sauron with it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Appearance ==&lt;br /&gt;
Physically the Ring resembled a geometrically perfect circle of pure gold, this perfection and purity being part of its allure. Unlike the lesser Rings, it bore no gem. It seems to have been able to expand and contract, in order to fit its wearer&#039;s finger or slip from it treacherously. Its identity could be determined by a simple (though little-known) test: when heated in fire, fine lines of fire, forming a script, would appear running along on the inside and outside of the Ring.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{FR|Shadow}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The letters were an [[Ring Verse|inscription]] in [[Tengwar]] of the [[Black Speech]] of Mordor, citing a section of poetry from part of its lore:&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:One ring.png|right|300px]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Which translates to:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Effects==&lt;br /&gt;
[[Image:Roger Thomasson - The One Ring.jpg|thumb|left|&#039;&#039;The One Ring&#039;&#039; by [[Roger Thomasson]].]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Like all Rings of Power, the One Ring enhanced the natural powers of its bearer, and it could also be used to decelerate decay and change in the world.&amp;lt;ref name=L131&amp;gt;{{L|131}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; But unlike the other rings, the One Ring was forged by Sauron alone without any Elvish assistance&amp;lt;ref name=RoP /&amp;gt; and was entirely evil. A person who bore the Ring could more easily dominate and command others; for instance, Sauron used this power to help convince the Númenóreans to attack [[Valinor]],&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{L|211}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and Boromir desired to use this power to gain loyal subjects who would attack Mordor.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{FR|Breaking}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The Ring also allowed its bearer to see and control the thoughts of anyone who bore any other Ring of Power.&amp;lt;ref name=RoP /&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
When [[Men]] wore the Ring, they would be partly &amp;quot;shifted&amp;quot; out of the physical realm into the [[wraith-world]]. A side effect (but usually the first noticed) of the Ring was that it made the wearer invisible to most inhabitants of the physical realm (but highly visible to the [[Nazgûl]]), it dimmed the wearer&#039;s sight, and it sharpened his hearing. When Men wore the ring, only their faint and shaky shadow could be seen, and only in the full light of the sun.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{H|5}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; This &amp;quot;shadow world&amp;quot; was the world which Wraiths inhabited, but also where the [[Calaquendi]] (Elves of Light) lived at the same time as the normal world and held great power, as was evidenced by [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] viewing [[Glorfindel]] at the Ford of [[Bruinen]] near [[Rivendell]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{FR|Flight}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and later explained by [[Gandalf]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{FR|Meetings}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; If a bearer managed to consciously subdue the Ring&#039;s will with his own, he could wield the powers that Sauron had before he lost the Ring; notably, he could control the will of others.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Part of the nature of the Ring was that it slowly and inevitably corrupted its wearer, regardless of any intentions to the contrary. Whether this was specifically designed into the Ring&#039;s magic or was simply an artefact of its evil origins is unknown. (Sauron might be expected to endow his One Ring with such a property, but he probably never intended anyone besides himself to wear it. It may be a side-effect of the portion of Sauron&#039;s will that lies within the Ring, influencing the wearer.) For this reason, the Wise, including [[Gandalf]], [[Elrond]] and [[Galadriel]], refused to wield it in their own defence, but instead determined that it must be destroyed. It appears that Hobbits, being more pure of heart than Men and far less powerful than Elves, were the ideal vessels to resist its seductive power; this explains why Frodo and Bilbo bore it for long periods of time with very little ill effect. Even Gollum had not turned into a Wraith after 500 years of bearing the Ring.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The enigmatic [[Tom Bombadil]] was unaffected by the Ring, or rather, the Ring had no effect on him. This may be explained in many ways. (See the [[Tom Bombadil/Nature|article on Tom Bombadil]], which includes some theories.)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Inspiration==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Tolkien scholar [[John D. Rateliff]] has at length discussed five different rings of invisibility which occur in works that predate Tolkien&#039;s: &lt;br /&gt;
*Plato&#039;s [[Wikipedia:Ring of Gyges|Ring of Gyges]] (ca. 390 BC), &lt;br /&gt;
*the magic ring in [[Wikipedia:Chrétien de Troyes|Chrétien de Troyes]]&#039; &#039;&#039;[[Wikipedia:Yvain, the Knight of the Lion|Yvain, the Knight of the Lion]]&#039;&#039; (ca. 1177);&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Wikipedia:Angelica (character)|Angelica]]&#039;s ring, of French Renaissance literature;&lt;br /&gt;
*the Fairy&#039;s ring appearing in the tale &amp;quot;The Enchanted Ring&amp;quot; (by [[Wikipedia:François Fénelon|François Fénelon]]) in [[Wikipedia:Andrew Lang|Andrew Lang]]&#039;s &#039;&#039;[[Wikipedia:Andrew Lang&#039;s Fairy Books|The Green Fairy Book]]&#039;&#039; (a collection of fairy-tales referred to by Tolkien in his [[On Fairy-Stories|Andrew Lang lecture]]);&amp;lt;ref group=note&amp;gt;The &amp;quot;Fairy&#039;s ring&amp;quot; was first noted by [[Douglas A. Anderson]]. Cf. {{HM|AH}}, p. 133.&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the witch-maiden&#039;s ring in an Estonian folktale (ca. 1866) from the &#039;&#039;[[Wikipedia:Kalevipoeg|Kalevipoeg]]&#039;&#039;, translated as &amp;quot;[[Wikipedia:The Dragon of the North|The Dragon of the North]]&amp;quot; in &#039;&#039;[[Wikipedia:Andrew Lang&#039;s Fairy Books|The Yellow Fairy Book]]&#039;&#039; (1894).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Rateliff&#039;s proposes that the ring most likely to have provided an inspiration for Tolkien is a version of Chrétien&#039;s tale, namely Owein&#039;s ring in the [[Welsh]] &#039;&#039;[[Wikipedia:Three Welsh Romances#Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain|Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain]]&#039;&#039;. He also regards the rings in Fénelon&#039;s and Plato&#039;s stories as possible influences, but concludes that: &amp;quot;&#039;&#039;the primary influence on Frodo&#039;s ring is in fact&#039;&#039; The Hobbit &#039;&#039;itself: here, as so often, Tolkien is his own main source&#039;&#039;&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{HM|HHO}}, pp. 176-182&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It has also been suggested that the One Ring may have been inspired by the [[Wikipedia:Ring of Silvianus|Ring of Silvianus]] and its inscribed curse. The hypothesis is based on Tolkien gaining knowledge about the Ring of Silvianus through the archaeologist [[Wikipedia:Mortimer Wheeler|Mortimer Wheeler]], for whom Tolkien wrote the text &amp;quot;[[The Name &#039;Nodens&#039;]]&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.lotrplaza.com/showthread.php?55657-A-Ring-with-a-Curse&amp;amp;p=563861#post563861|articlename=A Ring with a Curse|dated=|website=Plaza|accessed=10 April 2013}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, Tolkien scholars [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] have pointed out that there is no &amp;quot;&#039;&#039;evidence, or good reason to believe, that Tolkien was inspired by the Roman ring&#039;&#039;&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{webcite|author=[[Wayne G. Hammond]], [[Christina Scull]]|articleurl=http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mythsoc/conversations/topics/24198|articlename=Re:Tolkien and Nodens in the news this morning (message 24198)|dated=9 April 2013|website=Mythsoc|accessed=23 November 2013}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Other versions of the Legendarium==&lt;br /&gt;
In order to counter the notion that &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings]]&#039;&#039; was inspired from [[wikipedia:World War II|World War II]], Tolkien himself provided a &amp;quot;what if&amp;quot; scenario in the Foreword to &#039;&#039;[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]&#039;&#039; that shows what would happen should the Ring be used against [[Sauron]]. Tolkien explained that if he had WWII in mind, then the [[Free peoples]] would enslave Sauron with the power of the Ring against him, and occupy [[Mordor]]. [[Saruman]] (whose treachery would remain secret) would then use the Ring-lore found in Mordor to create a Great Ring of his own with which to challenge the self-styled Ruler of [[Middle-earth]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{FR|Foreword}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Portrayal in adaptations==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;center&amp;gt;&amp;lt;gallery&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
Image:LOTR-vol2-ring1.png|The One Ring in &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (video game) - Frodo Baggins and the One Ring.JPG|The One Ring in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring&#039;&#039; (video game)]]&lt;br /&gt;
Image:The Hobbit (2003) One Ring.JPG|The One Ring in [[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (2003 video game)]]&lt;br /&gt;
Image:The Lord of the Rings War in the North - One Ring3.jpg|The One Ring in &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
Image:Lego One Ring.png|The One Ring as a &#039;&#039;[[Lego]] mini figure&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/gallery&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/center&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2011: &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]&#039;&#039;:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:The One Ring is shown in the introduction of the game. In [[the Prancing Pony]] [[Aragorn]] refers to [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and the Ring as a &amp;quot;Hobbit with an important burden&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], &#039;&#039;Prologue&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
* [[Gwaith-i-Mírdain]]&lt;br /&gt;
* [[Annatar]]&lt;br /&gt;
* [[Orodruin]]&lt;br /&gt;
* [[Celebrimbor]]&lt;br /&gt;
* [[Rings of Power]]&lt;br /&gt;
* [[War of the Elves and Sauron]]&lt;br /&gt;
* [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]]&lt;br /&gt;
* [[Gollum]]&lt;br /&gt;
* &#039;&#039;[[The Hobbit]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
* &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{references|n}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{rings}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ringbearers}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{DEFAULTSORT:One Ring, The}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Evil]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Rings and Jewels]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[de:Der Eine Ring]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[fr:encyclo/artefacts/bijoux/anneaux/anneau_unique]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[fi:Sormusten Sormus]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>76.177.207.109</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=John_Hurt&amp;diff=302400</id>
		<title>John Hurt</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=John_Hurt&amp;diff=302400"/>
		<updated>2019-01-14T06:36:38Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;76.177.207.109: &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;div&gt;{{actor&lt;br /&gt;
| image=&lt;br /&gt;
| name=John Hurt&lt;br /&gt;
| lifetime=[[22 January]] [[1940]] - [[27 January]] [[2017]]&lt;br /&gt;
| played=[[Aragorn]]&lt;br /&gt;
| film=[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)]]&lt;br /&gt;
| played2=&lt;br /&gt;
| film2=&lt;br /&gt;
| imdb=[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000457/ Profile]&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Sir John Vincent Hurt&#039;&#039;&#039; [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] ([[22 January]] [[1940]] - [[27 January]] [[2017]]) was a veteran British actor who voiced the role of [[Aragorn]] in [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|the 1978 animated film of &#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039;]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==External links==&lt;br /&gt;
* {{WP|John Hurt}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurt, John}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) cast]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Actors and actresses]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:British people]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:People by name]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>76.177.207.109</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Gollum&amp;diff=302087</id>
		<title>Gollum</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Gollum&amp;diff=302087"/>
		<updated>2018-12-18T20:35:33Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;76.177.207.109: /* Departure of the Ring */&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;div&gt;{{Countdown}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{hobbit infobox&lt;br /&gt;
| name=Gollum&lt;br /&gt;
| image=[[File:John Howe - Gollum.jpg|250px]]&lt;br /&gt;
| caption=&amp;quot;Gollum&amp;quot; by [[John Howe]]&lt;br /&gt;
| pronun=&lt;br /&gt;
| othernames=Sméagol&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;Stinker&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;Slinker&lt;br /&gt;
| titles=&lt;br /&gt;
| position=&lt;br /&gt;
| location=&lt;br /&gt;
| affiliation=&lt;br /&gt;
| language=&lt;br /&gt;
| birth=c. {{TA|2430}}&amp;lt;ref name=guide&amp;gt;{{HM|Guide}}, p. 167, entry &amp;quot;Gollum&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
| birthlocation=Near [[Gladden Fields]]&lt;br /&gt;
| rule=&lt;br /&gt;
| death=[[25 March]] {{TA|3019}}&lt;br /&gt;
| deathlocation=[[Mount Doom]]&lt;br /&gt;
| age=c. 589&lt;br /&gt;
| notablefor=&lt;br /&gt;
| family=&lt;br /&gt;
| parentage=&lt;br /&gt;
| siblings=&lt;br /&gt;
| spouse=&lt;br /&gt;
| children=&lt;br /&gt;
| gender=Male&lt;br /&gt;
| height=&lt;br /&gt;
| hair=Thin, lank&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Taming&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{TT|Taming}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
| eyes=&lt;br /&gt;
| clothing=&lt;br /&gt;
| weapons=&lt;br /&gt;
| steed=&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Gollum&#039;&#039;&#039;, also known as &#039;&#039;&#039;Sméagol&#039;&#039;&#039; ([[Old English|OE]], pron. {{IPA|[ˈsmæ͡ɑːɣoɫ]}}), 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 &amp;quot;precious&amp;quot; &amp;quot;birthday present&amp;quot;. 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 cracks of [[Mount Doom]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==History==&lt;br /&gt;
===Early life===&lt;br /&gt;
Sméagol was a [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] of [[Stoors|Stoor-kind]] who lived on the banks of the [[Anduin]] in the later [[Third Age]]. These Hobbits had migrated to the [[Gladden Fields]] and became a riverland people under a Matriarch. Sméagol was the Matriarch&#039;s grandson and spent the early years of his life living with his extended family during the [[Watchful Peace]], when [[Sauron]] was in the [[East]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He had some amount of education in lore, as during his youth he had learned of the events concerning the [[War of the Last Alliance]] against [[Sauron]].&amp;lt;ref name=Passage&amp;gt;{{TT|IV2}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Sméagol.jpg|left|thumb|[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]] - Sméagol]]&lt;br /&gt;
Around the year {{TA|2463}}, on his birthday, with his close relative [[Déagol]] they went fishing in the [[Gladden Fields]]. It was there that Déagol found a gold ring, after being pulled into the water by a large fish. Sméagol demanded the ring as a birthday present and strangled Deágol when he refused. Sméagol became the fourth [[Ring-bearers|Ring-bearer]] after Sauron, [[Isildur]], and [[Déagol]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After this event, he started to make a gurgling sound from his throat; for this his family called him &amp;quot;Gollum&amp;quot;. Sméagol was quickly corrupted further by the ring and, banished by his people, was forced to find a home in a [[Gollum&#039;s Lake|cave]] in the [[Misty Mountains]]. The Ring&#039;s malignant influence twisted his Hobbit body and mind and prolonged his life far beyond its natural limits. He called it his &amp;quot;[[Precious]]&amp;quot; or his &amp;quot;Birthday Present,&amp;quot; the latter as a justification for killing Déagol.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gollum lived longer than any other Hobbit could, and for over four hundred years he managed to live on raw [[fish]], which he caught from his small raft, and [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains|Goblins]] from the nearby [[Goblin-town]]. In later years he found Hobbit and [[Elves|Elven]] food repulsive. The Ring&#039;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.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Departure of the Ring===&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Darrell Sweet - The Riddle Game.jpg|thumb|right|[[Darrell Sweet]] - &#039;&#039;The Riddle Game&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
In July {{TA|2941}}, during the [[Quest of Erebor]], Bilbo stumbled upon the subterranean lake on which Gollum lived and found the Ring. Gollum had lost the Ring in the network of caves leading to the lake, though in fact it is more proper to say that the Ring abandoned Gollum, for it was known to have a will of its own. As [[Gandalf]] said later, it looked after itself, trying to get back to Sauron. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
After the famous [[Riddle-game|Riddle Game]], during which Gollum was unaware of his loss, Gollum refused to show Bilbo the promised way out and plotted to murder him. When he went to get his &amp;quot;birthday present,&amp;quot; however, he found that it was gone. He suddenly realised the answer to Bilbo&#039;s last riddle - &#039;&#039;&amp;quot;What have I got in my pocket?&amp;quot;&#039;&#039; - and became furious. Bilbo inadvertently stumbled across the Ring&#039;s power of invisibility as he ran, allowing him to follow Gollum to the entrance of the cave. There, Bilbo at first thought to kill Gollum, but was overcome with pity, so he jumped over him to escape. As Bilbo ran, Gollum cried out, &amp;quot;Thief! Thief, Baggins! We hates it forever!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Gollum is Defeated.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ted Nasmith]] - &#039;&#039;Gollum is Defeated&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
His addiction to the Ring was so great that he overcame his hatred and fear of the [[Sun]], the [[Moon]] and other creatures. He left the Mountains and pursued Bilbo, but the trail was cold. He made his way into [[Mordor]], where he was captured by the Nazgûl and forced to reveal what he knew about the Ring. Thus Sauron&#039;s spies learned from him the names &amp;quot;[[The Shire|Shire]]&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;[[Bilbo Baggins|Baggins]]&amp;quot;. By {{TA|3017}} Gollum was then set free, but caught by [[Aragorn]], who turned him over to [[Gandalf]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The [[Wizards|Wizard]] managed to interrogate him and learned parts of the history of the Ring which he had not previously known. He placed him in the care of the [[Silvan Elves]] living in [[Thranduil]]&#039;s [[Woodland Realm]] of [[Mirkwood]]. In June of {{TA|3018}}, Orcs raided the [[Elves of Mirkwood]] (in an obviously coordinated attack) allowing Gollum to escape. He resumed his search of the Ring and he was brought into [[Moria]] but could not open the [[Doors of Durin]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===The War of the Ring===&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Inger Edelfeldt - Gollum Held Captive by the Elves.jpg|thumb|right|Inger Edelfeldt - &#039;&#039;Gollum Held Captive by the Elves&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
Gollum picked up the trail of the new [[Ring-bearers|Ring-bearer]], [[Frodo Baggins]], as he and the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] travelled through Moria. On [[15 January|January 15]], {{TA|3019}} the Fellowship was divided when Gandalf disappeared while fighting a [[Durin&#039;s Bane|Balrog]]. Gollum continued trailing the remaining members. It is unknown how he crossed the [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]], but he came with them to [[Lothlórien]] without their knowing. Gollum, floating on a log, followed their boats down [[Anduin]] to [[Rauros]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He pursued [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] across the [[Emyn Muil]] when they struck out on their own towards Mordor. Gollum followed them, but after a confrontation in which he bit and nearly strangled Sam, Frodo subdued him. Frodo tied an [[Elves|Elvish]] rope around Gollum&#039;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. Agreeing to the oath, Gollum swore by the &amp;quot;Precious&amp;quot; itself, and Frodo released him. The unlikely company, guided by Gollum, made their way to the [[Black Gate]], the entrance to Mordor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Frodo&#039;s kindness brought out the &amp;quot;Sméagol&amp;quot; personality, and he made at least some effort to keep his promise. The two had a strange sort of bond from both having been Ringbearers; in Gollum, Frodo saw his possible future, and so wanted to save him so he could save himself. Gollum also feared Frodo, and also thought that helping him would deprive Sauron of the Ring.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
When the Black Gate was reached and found to be well guarded, Gollum convinced them not to go that way, saying that they would be caught and Sauron would regain the Ring. Gollum said he would lead them south, where he knew of another entrance into Mordor.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Frodo and Sam were caught by [[Faramir]], and Gollum followed them. When Frodo allowed Faramir to briefly take Sméagol prisoner, however, he felt betrayed, allowing the &amp;quot;Gollum&amp;quot; personality to take control. Faramir found out that the place Gollum was taking them was called [[Cirith Ungol]]. He then warned Frodo and Sam of the evil of that place.&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Gollum at the Forbidden Pool.jpg|thumb|Ted Nasmith - &#039;&#039;Gollum at the Forbidden Pool&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
Frodo, Sam, and Gollum left Faramir and began crossing the pass of Cirith Ungol in the border-mountains of the [[Ephel Dúath]]. 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. 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&#039;s Lair]]. For this service to Shelob, the Orcs of Cirith Ungol knew Gollum as &amp;quot;Her Sneak&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
Just as Frodo warned him, Gollum&#039;s betrayal of his oath ultimately led to his undoing, for Frodo and Sam escaped from Shelob&#039;s lair and came against all odds to the volcano [[Orodruin]], or 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.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Moments later, Frodo was standing on the edge of the [[Cracks of Doom|Crack of Doom]], but, unwilling to destroy the Ring, claimed it for himself and put it on. Then Gollum attacked again. The two fought whilst Frodo was invisible and finally Gollum bit off Frodo&#039;s finger.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Here Frodo&#039;s kindness in sparing Gollum&#039;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 &amp;quot;Preciouss!&amp;quot;. 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.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Appearance==&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Peter Xavier Price - The Stairs of Cirith Ungol.jpg|left|thumb|185px|[[Peter Xavier Price]] - &#039;&#039;The Stairs of Cirith Ungol&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
Sméagol was a Hobbit, but he spent long centuries (thanks to the Ring) in darkness and damp, influenced by its evil power. It is possible that thanks to his hardy Hobbitish nature that he was not reduced to a [[Wraiths|wraith]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{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?}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 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 eyes that seemed to glow. His sense of sight, as well as his hearing and smelling, were very good, due to the time he spent underground.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
He could move and climb silently like a spider, and although he had only six teeth left,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{HM|H}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; he could give deep bites, even able to bite off Frodo&#039;s finger.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Personality==&lt;br /&gt;
Sméagol was the most inquisitive and curious-minded of his community. He was an inquisitive Hobbit who was interested in roots and beginnings. He owed [[#Etymology|his name]] to his interest in roots and deep pools; he burrowed and tunnelled under trees, plants, and mounds. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
During his centuries of loneliness and under the Ring&#039;s influence, he developed a sort of multiple personality: his evil 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 quarrelled with himself. Gollum both loved and hated the Ring and himself. He often referred both to the Ring and himself as &amp;quot;my Precious&amp;quot;, perhaps confusing the two entities.&amp;lt;ref name=guide/&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Mariët Theune - The Crack of Doom.jpg|thumb|right|Mariët Theune - &#039;&#039;The Crack of Doom&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
Years later, [[Samwise Gamgee]] would name the good personality &amp;quot;Slinker&amp;quot; (for his fawning, eager-to-please demeanour), and the bad personality &amp;quot;Stinker&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Other aspects of the Ring&#039;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.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sméagol, as a Hobbit, was perhaps good at heart, and his killing was entirely the Ring&#039;s doing. But it&#039;s also likely that Sméagol was harbouring dark thoughts to begin with. Their argument bases on several points, including...&lt;br /&gt;
# The sight of the Ring at the [[Council of Elrond]] or at many points in the journey of the Fellowship did not cause anyone to suddenly murder someone else.&lt;br /&gt;
# It is possible for Hobbits to be evil; for instance, [[Ted Sandyman]] and [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins]].&lt;br /&gt;
#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.&amp;lt;ref name=shadow&amp;gt;{{FR|Shadow}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Etymology==&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Turner Mohan - The Ringbearers.jpg|thumb|left|Turner Mohan - &#039;&#039;The Ringbearers&#039;&#039;]]&lt;br /&gt;
Sméagol&#039;s (pron. {{IPA|[ˈsmæ͡ɑːɣoɫ]}}) name is [[Old English]] one, from &#039;&#039;sméah&#039;&#039;, and adjective meaning &amp;quot;&#039;&#039;creeping in, penetrating&#039;&#039;&amp;quot;. It is etymologically related to the word [[smials]]. This title was also applied by the Anglo-Saxons to the Biblical Cain, from the story of Cain&#039;s murder of his brother Abel in Genesis. This draws a clear connection between the two.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sméagol is the translation of an actual [[Westron]] name &#039;&#039;[[Trahald]]&#039;&#039;. The meaning of which was &amp;quot;burrowing, worming in&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;apt to creep into a hole&amp;quot;. In both [[Westron]] and Old English, Sméagol&#039;s name is related to [[Smaug]]&#039;s: Smaug&#039;s name in &amp;quot;true [[Dalish]]&amp;quot; was &#039;&#039;[[Trāgu]]&#039;&#039;, and the &#039;&#039;Trah-&#039;&#039; stem in Trahald and Trâgu is thus an analogue of the Germanic stem present in both Sméagol and Smaug.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] explained in his &amp;quot;[[Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings]]&amp;quot; the origin of the name &#039;&#039;Sméagol&#039;&#039; in the lemma on [[smials]]:&lt;br /&gt;
{{quote|&#039;&#039;&#039;Smials&#039;&#039;&#039;. A word peculiar to hobbits (not Common Speech), meaning &#039;burrow&#039;; leave unchanged. It is a form that the Old English word &#039;&#039;&#039;smygel&#039;&#039;&#039; &#039;burrow&#039; might have had, if it had survived. The same element appears in Gollum&#039;s real name, &#039;&#039;&#039;Sméagol&#039;&#039;&#039;.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The name [[Smaug]] which means &amp;quot;squeezed through a hole&amp;quot; is thus related.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{HM|L}}, [[Letter 31]]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Pronunciation===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Pronounce|Anglo-Saxon - Sméagol.mp3|Gilgamesh}}&lt;br /&gt;
In both the 1981 BBC radio adaptation and in Peter Jackson&#039;s films &#039;&#039;Sméagol&#039;&#039; is pronounced as &amp;quot;SMEE-gol&amp;quot;, although the placement of the acute accent suggests that the correct pronunciation is &amp;quot;SMAY-uh-gol&amp;quot;. On the other hand, in [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]&#039;s recordings of &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings]]&#039;&#039; he also pronounced it &amp;quot;SMEE-gol&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;SMEE-AH-GOL&amp;quot;, suggesting that &#039;&#039;éa&#039;&#039; should either be pronounced as a long &amp;quot;i&amp;quot;-sound or as a diphthong &#039;&#039;ea&#039;&#039;, and not as two distinct vowels &amp;quot;e&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;a&amp;quot;. Tolkien had a habit in his writing to put diacritics in varying places, as can also be seen in the name &#039;&#039;[[Eärendil]]&#039;&#039;, which also occurs spelt &#039;&#039;Ëarendil&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Other versions of the Legendarium==&lt;br /&gt;
In the first edition of &#039;&#039;[[The Hobbit]]&#039;&#039;, 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 &#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039;. 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]].&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;Christensen&amp;quot;&amp;gt;[[Bonniejean Christensen]], [[Jared Lobdell]] (ed.), &amp;quot;Gollum&#039;s Character Transformation in &#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039;&amp;quot;, published in &#039;&#039;[[A Tolkien Compass]]&#039;&#039;, pages 7-26&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In &#039;&#039;[[The Silmarillion]]&#039;&#039;, it is mentioned that [[the One Ring]] was found &amp;quot;ere the Kings failed in Gondor&amp;quot;. This can mean that originally, Gollum&#039;s age was intended to be considerably more than six hundred years (further reinforced by certain places in &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings]]&#039;&#039; like Gollum referring to tales about an uncorrupted [[Minas Ithil]] or Gandalf comparing his people to &amp;quot;fathers of the fathers of the [[Stoors]]&amp;quot;). 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.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Inspiration==&lt;br /&gt;
[[John Garth]] has suggested that the character of Gollum carries echoes of the &amp;quot;night-haunting, man-eating&amp;quot; [[Ogres|ogre]] [[Wikipedia:Grendel|Grendel]] in &#039;&#039;[[Beowulf (disambiguation)|Beowulf]]&#039;&#039;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{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&#039;s Beowulf: one man&#039;s passion for the threshold between myth and reality|dated=29 May 2014|website=[http://www.newstatesman.com/ newstatesman.com]|accessed=29 May 2014}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Portrayal in adaptations==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Gallery&lt;br /&gt;
|title=Pictures of adaptations of Gollum&lt;br /&gt;
|height=150&lt;br /&gt;
|width=200&lt;br /&gt;
|lines=3&lt;br /&gt;
|File:The Hobbit (1966 film) - Gollum.jpg|[[The Hobbit (1966 film)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (1966 film)]]&lt;br /&gt;
|File:The Hobbit (1977 film) - Gollum.jpg|[[The Hobbit (1977 film)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (1977 film)]]&lt;br /&gt;
|File:The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) - Gollum.jpg|[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039; (1978 film)]]&lt;br /&gt;
|File:David T. Wenzel - Gollum.jpg|[[The Hobbit (comic book)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (comic book), 1989]]&lt;br /&gt;
|File:The Hobbit (2003) Gollum.JPG|[[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (2003 video game)]]&lt;br /&gt;
|File:The Lord of the Rings- The Treason of Isengard - Concept art Gollum.jpg|[[The Lord of the Rings: The Treason of Isengard]]&lt;br /&gt;
|File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Gollum poster.jpg|[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039; (film series)]]&lt;br /&gt;
|File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Sméagol2.jpg|As Sméagol in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039; (film series)]]&lt;br /&gt;
|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)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring&#039;&#039; (video game)]]&lt;br /&gt;
|File:The Lord of the Rings Online - Gollum.jpg|&#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|File:Lego - Gollum poster.png|Gollum as a &#039;&#039;[[Lego]] mini figure&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|File:Guardians of Middle-earth - Gollum.png|&#039;&#039;[[Guardians of Middle-earth]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
===Films===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;1977: [[The Hobbit (1977 film)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (1977 film)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum is a frog-like green creature, voiced by [[Brother Theodore]]. Here, his &amp;quot;Gollum&amp;quot; noise sounds like muttering instead of swallowing.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;1978: [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039; (1978 film)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum is depicted as a skinny, dark grey creature, voiced by [[Peter Woodthorpe]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;1980: [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|&#039;&#039;The Return of the King&#039;&#039; (1980 film)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Brother Theodore reprised his role from the earlier [[Rankin/Bass]] production. Some footage from &#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; was reused to introduce the viewer to the story. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2001-03: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039; (film series)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum is a CGI-motion capture creature voiced by actor [[Andy Serkis]]. He is barely glimpsed in &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]&#039;&#039;, where he is voiced by [[Dominic Monaghan]] in absence of Serkis. Gollum becomes a central character in &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]&#039;&#039;. The groundbreaking CGI character was built around Serkis&#039;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 &amp;quot;painting out&amp;quot; Serkis&#039;s image and replacing it with Gollum&#039;s. In one such shot in &#039;&#039;The Two Towers&#039;&#039;, Serkis&#039; real spittle can be seen emerging from Gollum&#039;s mouth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:In &#039;&#039;The Return of the King&#039;&#039; Serkis himself appears in a flashback scene as Sméagol before his degeneration into Gollum. This scene was originally earmarked for &#039;&#039;The Two Towers&#039;&#039; 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&#039;s face had to be redesigned for the second and third movies so that it would more closely resemble Serkis&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2012: [[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:[[Andy Serkis]] reprised his role as Gollum.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;PJCasting1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{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}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Radio series===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;1955: [[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039; (1955 radio series)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:The voice of Gollum is provided by [[Gerik Schjelderup]].&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;RT1723&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Radio Times, Volume 133, No. 1723, [[16 November|November 16]], [[1956]]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;1968: [[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (1968 radio series)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:The narrator refers to Gollum (voiced by [[Wolfe Morris]]) as &amp;quot;Galloom&amp;quot;, even though Gollum himself manages to pronounce his name correctly. Gollum&#039;s role is based on that of the second edition of &#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (1968 radio series)]], &amp;quot;[[Riddles in the Dark (episode)|Riddles in the Dark]]&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;1979: [[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039; (1979 radio series)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:[[Gail Chugg]] provided the voice of Gollum.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings&#039;&#039; (1981 radio series)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum, again performed by [[Peter Woodthorpe]], has the first lines of the play (save [[Gerard Murphy|the narrator]]). He is described as &amp;quot;slimy and as dark than darkness&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;&#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)]], &amp;quot;[[The Long Awaited Party]]&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Games===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;1982: &#039;&#039;[[The Hobbit (1982 video game)]]&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
: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.&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring&#039;&#039; (video game)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
: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&#039;s version. He is briefly glimpsed again in [[Moria]], but not more than a dark shape with a green outline can be seen.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)]], &amp;quot;3 Passages&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; 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 &amp;quot;Xiphiidae&amp;quot;, at &amp;quot;[[Aragorn|Ranger]]&amp;quot;. This will become the most deadly weapon in the game, and replaces [[Andúril]] in the weapon slots.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring&#039;&#039; (video game)]], &amp;quot;Amon Hen&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2003: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)|&#039;&#039;The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King&#039;&#039; (video game)]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
: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.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2003: &#039;&#039;[[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|Sierra&#039;s The Hobbit&#039;&#039;]]:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum appears in a cut scene after the level &amp;quot;Riddles in the Dark&amp;quot;. Only Bilbo&#039;s last riddle - &amp;quot;What have I got in my pocket?&amp;quot; - 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 &amp;quot;Gollum&amp;quot; noise is a muttering instead of a swallowing. He is voiced by [[Daran Norris]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|&#039;&#039;The Hobbit&#039;&#039; (2003 video game)]], &amp;quot;Riddles in the Dark&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2004: &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]&#039;&#039;:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum is a &amp;quot;Hero&amp;quot; unit for the Servants of the Enemy, used primarily for scout missions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2004: &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]&#039;&#039;:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum is a &amp;quot;Hero&amp;quot; for the Mordor factions. His health is extremely low and his attacks extremely weak, but has value for the scout missions.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2006: &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]&#039;&#039;:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
: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.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2007: &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]&#039;&#039;:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
: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.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2012: &#039;&#039;[[Guardians of Middle-earth]]&#039;&#039;:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum is a striker-type &amp;quot;guardian&amp;quot; with four abilities: &#039;&#039;Throttle&#039;&#039;, &#039;&#039;My Precious&#039;&#039;, &#039;&#039;Coward&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;We are starved&#039;&#039;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.guardiansofmiddleearth.co.uk/guardians/gollum|articlename=&#039;&#039;Guardians of Middle-earth&#039;&#039;: Gollum|dated=|website=[http://www.guardiansofmiddleearth.com/ &#039;&#039;Guardians of Middle-earth&#039;&#039; official website]|accessed=16 July 2012}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;2014: &#039;&#039;[[Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor]]&#039;&#039;:&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
:Gollum is featured in the game as a supporting character. In the game, set between &#039;&#039;[[The Hobbit]]&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;[[The Lord of the Rings]]&#039;&#039;, Gollum is searching for [[the One Ring]] and encounters Talion, the protagonist of the game and helps him in his Quest.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[:Category:Images of Gollum|Images of Gollum]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==External links==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[http://lingwe.blogspot.se/2012/12/smeagol-whats-in-name.html Sméagol — what’s in a name?] by [[Jason Fisher]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{References}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{seq-start}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{seq-head&lt;br /&gt;
| race=hobbit&lt;br /&gt;
| born=c. {{TA|2430}}&lt;br /&gt;
| died=[[25 March]], {{TA|3019}}&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{seq&lt;br /&gt;
| prev=[[Déagol]]&lt;br /&gt;
| list=[[Ring-bearer]]&lt;br /&gt;
| dates=c. {{TA|2463}} - {{TA|2941|n}}&lt;br /&gt;
| next=[[Bilbo Baggins]]&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{seq&lt;br /&gt;
| prev=[[Frodo Baggins]]&lt;br /&gt;
| list=[[Ring-bearer]]&lt;br /&gt;
| dates=briefly, [[25 March]], {{TA|3019}}&lt;br /&gt;
| nvac=None&lt;br /&gt;
| next=Ring destroyed&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{seq-end}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ringbearers}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Evil]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Hobbits]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Ring-bearers]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Stoors]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Third Age characters]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[de:Gollum]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[fi:Klonkku]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>76.177.207.109</name></author>
	</entry>
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