Such an amazing character. It invokes distain, pity, laughter, rage, solidarity, and other emotions I can think of now. The fact that Gollum is responsible to the ring's destruction if only by the desire to unite with it once again even if he dies with it in the process - is absolutely genius.
Is it possible that over the years Golum slowly killed off the Stoors that had shunned him and forced him into exile...I can see him "sneakin" into their rooms and strangling them in their sleep...to the point the Hobbits were frightened of the strangeler and ultimately deserted the settlements
We know that later he bowed to She-Lob, meaning he had no fear of the spider-kin; with the close proximity of Murkwood... the possibilities of the downfall of the Stoors are truly terrifying.
@@toastedjawa3620 nothing to correct here. He never said that Shelob lives in Murkwood, he pointed out Gollums affinity/tolerance towards giant monster spiders in general.
I like to think that Saruman and his orc legions wiped out the Stoors. I could imagine him locking and interrogating the Stoors, asking about the whereabouts of the one ring, and when they claimed they have no idea about the one ring he commanded his orc armies to wipe them all out
Now i imagine a scene of an armourless Sauron just calmy sitting by the river, fishing as Aragorn walks by. Aragorn sees Sauron but does not know who he is for all he sees is a tired man with a look of longing on his face.
@@philleW12 Knowing Aragorn, who at times tends to be pessimistic and a know-it-all, he would probably say "Yo, you won't catch anything with THAT dwarf-made lure!"
I think the most horrifying thing about the Ring is that we all know it would use us and corrupt us, too -- and we would let it. Who hasn't done something they knew was wrong, and watched their own actions with dismay?
The ring’s will is not absolute either though, some are more susceptible than others. Aragorn eschews the ring’s power and influence, something his ancestor Isildur could not do, as does Faramir in addition to a handful of others (albeit most of those characters bordering on the supernatural, like Gandalf, Galadriel, Bombadil). Bilbo was capable of giving up the ring with some encouragement from Gandalf. I think the ring brings out a being’s inner corruption, but not all beings are corrupted to begin with, at least not to the same extent. So a person with a pure heart and a resilient mind will be able to stave off the ring’s influence, potentially for years on end (remember Frodo in the books holds onto the ring in the Shire for decades without incident before he sets off on the journey). I think that’s what gave Frodo a great resiliency against the ring, his simple and carefree life isolated in the Shire combined with a personality which is both curious and able to pity others. Sméagol went to murdering his cousin at first sight of the ring which tells me he already had burgeoning darkness in his heart before he possessed it. Various characters possessed the ring for a time before it started to influence them negatively, but for Sméagol he jumped right into the pool of darkness without much hesitation, the depiction in the film seems fairly accurate to what’s told in the books. This isn’t to say Sméagol was irredeemable (though the summation of his actions rendered him such in the end nonetheless), but i think it’s safe to say he was probably erring towards some threshold of villainy with or without the ring.
Constant source of anxiety for me. I still remember shitty things I did like 15 years ago that weren't even that bad and I have to make an audible sigh.
1. I genuinely believe Hobbit folk are Eru Illuvitar’s secret project mix of Man, Elf and Dwarf after seeing the value of each (even their earliest location is in a territory crossed frequently by all three). 2- This guy’s Gandalf was played by Sean Connery XD
And if the northern Hithaeglir are volcanic, that could explain: 1: How Sméagol, Frodo, and Sam didn't suffocate in the Sammath Naur, and 2: How Hobbits can smoke without ill effect.
Actually.....hmmm, they're not generally bound to anyone else's will like much like dwarves. They are proud but corruptable like men, And they live a long time for a mortal race, with a respect for nature....that's pretty elfvin. You might be onto something here actually. That's kinda cool and never occured to me
I just realised how much of a massive coincedence it is that the two people who found the ring by total accidental chance, post Isildur, were both hobbits
One of the rare humanoid races in Middle Earth and both times the Ring was "lost". Very improbable without a confounding factor e.g. a will of its own.
It's the age at which Jesus was crucified. At 33 both Frodo and Gollum received the ring.... Which was to become their death. This is just my hypothesis... Could be entirely wrong. Lol
Is it possible that Gollum was smart enough the realize where the party was going that Gollum crossed the bridge of Khazad-dûm first and just waited for the ring to come to him?
That is entirely possible. If he was being clever enough, which he usually was, he could have hung back and seen the danger approaching. Then he could have bugged out before the fellowship even knew what was coming. Good thought!
@@argreetha Maybe could have snuck through knowing that the dwellers within the mountain were likely much more preoccupied by the large party with weapons make lots of noise fighting.
@@mattnorris7124 Also, the orcs would have at some point realized that one of that party wielded the sword Glamdring aka the Beater, originally wielded by the dreaded Turgon of Gondolin.
7:00 man i knew gollum was pretty twisted but i never knew it was to that extent, just goes to show you how much effect the ring's power has on mortal minds.
Gollum is probably the most complex of Tolkien's characters. You get the sense that Tolkien has a love/hate relationship with Gollum. On some levels, it is hard not to feel pity for him because he is corrupted by the ring, but on a deeper level, he had murder in his heart, which made him an easy mark for the ring to corrupt. He has a genuine conversion when Frodo restores a bit of dignity to him but in the end his addiction gets the best of him. I get the feeling Gollum represents a lot of the vets from WWI who were traumatized by their time in the trenches. He brings out the best in Frodo, as Frodo does his best to reform him but Sam sees him for who he is. In the end, he is destroyed by his addiction, just like a lot of poor souls were lost to drug and alcohol addictions following the Great War. I never met Tolkien, and I'm not that well versed on his life-story, but as an author, I know I put a bit of myself into every character I develop and I'm pretty certain there is a piece of Gollum that represents some darker side of Tolkien. Sometimes I create a character simply to work out my own stuff. Maybe Tolkien did a bit of that with Gollum. I always say, writing is great because it's cheaper than a shrink and twice as effective. I enjoy you channel by the way. I'd like to see a series based on the stories as they are presented here. Keep up the good work.
I think that if Bilbo had killed gollum in Moria, he may well have turned into Gollum. It was a moment of pity that stayed his hand, and that moment of pity kept him human. Gollum was overcome with lust for the ring, and killed, and the killing broke him, which allowed the ring to quickly turn him into a monster
I'm sure Sauron was able to see how Gollum would/could play a big part in retrieving the ring and that's why he released him. And he was aware that he played a high risk game, because, as it turned out, Gollum was instrumental in the downfall of Sauron.
Interesting idea. I hadn't considered the foresight Sauron had of the future, since he participated in the Song of the World. Perhaps he knew that Gollum would help return the One to Mordor, which was true, but not the complete story.
Would like an explanation at 8:38, "unable to open the doors of Durin from the inside." Gandalf says explicitly (in the book at least) that you didn't need a password to get out, but just pushed them open. The "watcher" could have kept the doors shut from the outside of course, waiting for the Fellowship to arrive, but that sounds like a lot of intention from a creature that doesn't really seem to be part of any actual plot, other than being scary.
Good question -- Gandalf himself passed westward through Moria and exited through those gates. The only reference I could find was the Appendix B, where it said "but when he discovered the way to the West-gate, he could not get out." Was he not strong enough? One of the Unfinished Tales mentioned it usually took two dwarfs to open the gate, and a wizard probably has a way to summon that amount of force. Maybe Gollum was just too weak? Seems suspicious.
They are still two large blocks of rock. I imagine you'd still need some amount of strenght to move them, no matter how well the hinges were designed. Gollum might have been too weak.
@@ianwestc I know this is an old post yet I think the answer lies in the text itself; "but when he discovered the way to the West-gate, he could not get out" could be interpreted literally in the sense of discovering the "way" to the west-gate, but perhaps not reaching the west gate itself. Considering the many orks, goblins, and other things living in Moria it's possible he found the path obstructed by something/someone else.
My gf and I got to the part in Two Towers where Gollum joined up with Frodo and Sam. Already the key difference I see is that Frodo pities Gollum but clearly doesn't trust him an inch. Much better than how the movies did it, since it just made Sam out to be a dick to Gollum and Frodo having to protect him.
Maybe so, but I do recall Frodo yelling "DON'T TOUCH ME," when Gollum was pawing at him... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-a6YKD5hCShI.html
@@mattnorris7124 yes, same. Frodo doesn’t trust him initially at all but pities him, and Sam does neither. But as the Ring corrupts Frodo more, he can be easily manipulated by Gollum.
Gollum the founder of the ring after it lost for so many years. Also he is bound to the ring as sauron. He also perished with the ring. We always appreciate your time and hard work to make these videos.
It always bothered me that Hobbits GIVE birthday presents on their birthday. But Smeagol insists upon receiving one, and Deagol even says he's already been given one.
Déagol handled it and fell under its influence, a little but Gollum was of bad, greedy character to begin with. Unlike in the movie, Boromir and the Fellowship didn't handle it.
After reading the books and then watching the movies I felt there could have been a story about the life of Gollum/Smeagol. It may have not been a pleasant story and really lacked a protagonist you could get behind since from Gollum's point of view the elves, Aragorn, Bilbo, Frodo and Sam were all enemies and thieves. Would he be the tortured soul that Gandalf sees him as or is he the heartless killer that finds cradles? What is the story of him finding orcs who rescue him from the elves while he was at the top of the trees? Does he ever regret killing Deagol? What does he endure while being tortured by Sauron? Would he then, by today's viewpoint, be declared to be a serial killer who deserved to fall into a lake of lava for his crimes or a person who was not in control of his actions and had no comprehension of right or wrong but only wanted to again possess what had taken over his mind?
Incredibly informative! Thanks, I honestly learned alot and can't believe i haven't watched this video until now! It also reminded me that I turned 33 a few months ago, so if I were a Hobbit, I'd have just come of age lol. Two thumbs way up👍🏻👍🏻
At 8:38 there is a thing I don't understand: why is he unable to open the doors from the inside? Gandalf says about them: '...these doors open outwards. From the inside, you may thrust them open with your hands.'
Perhaps it's but one deed the evil do in Middle Earth that keeps them from repenting under the shadow of Morgoth, as Wormtongue was accused of something similar.
Never heard the detail that Gollum was already in Moria when the Fellowship entered. Makes sense. And while conveniently coincidental for the benefit of the overall story, that is how life can be at times.
If you think, he actually gets his hands back on the ring (in the film at least) even if it is only for a moment, so does that make him the most hardcore?? All the elves, men, wizards, sauron can't get it back but smeagol does, that's after surviving and evading capture and torture from sauron, elves and gandalf!!
The thing about Tolkein's works on power, is that in his works power exists mainly in object form: rings, swords, staffs, armour, blood, etcetera. This is a very difficult thing to compare to power in the real world, because in the real world power comes in the form of abstract concepts like money, love, voter confidence, reputation, religion, authority, education, commodities, applause, news, deeds, psychology, etcetera. These things cannot simply be taken, like how corrupt people try to take power in Middle Earth. They cannot be destroyed by simply throwing objects into fire. And the pursuit of these things don't automatically mean people are evil. Also in the real world, power doesn't wield us, like the ring does, we wield power and it can be either for good or for evil. And for as long as people are capable of believing and valuing things, and people are capable of influencing what other people believe through appearances and appealing to what it is that they value, power will always exist, whatever form that power takes. And if history has proven anything it is that when good people don't have power, inevitably bad people will get it. Nature abhors a vacuum.
Looks like there’s going to be a Gollum video game. Not quite the same, but at least it gives people a chance to see Middle Earth more from his POV. 🤷🏻♂️
He didn't know where The Shire was. Outside of the surrounding area, not many people knew of the Shire or where it was located. Even the ringwraiths had to ask around regarding its location, aside from it being in the North of Middle-earth.
This is actually pretty hilarious that Witch-King had faced hobbits in his destruction of Fornost, but later he didn't know where approximate location of the Shire may be.
@@NerdoftheRings what song did you use when describing the origins of Gollum and the riddles in the dark chapter? I know it’s been 2 years, but I really want to know.
Film Lore: Frodo - “you were not so different from a Hobbit...” Me - wait what? Then what was he?? Aren’t hobbits the same?? I do not see what lies ahead, when sun has failed, and moon is dead...
i could have sworn i remember gollum had actually at one point gotten as far as the borders of bree. But then turned back for some reason...in the fellowship i think it was gandalf who mentions this.
Weird question, haven't been a huge fan of LOTR universe apart from watching the og trilogy and The Hobbit, but after finishing Return of the King I came up with a question. Since they knew the corrupting power the ring had on men, why didn't they try tying the ring around a dog's neck for instance and then walking it to Mount Doom?
Late to the game on this video, lol. But man; if joker was a comic book homage to OG Scorsese films, the Story of Gollum could be done like Requiem for a Dream. It would be a terrifying undertaking with no hope. A series of short stories going through his travesty of a life. Could be wildly nihilistic.
This answers a big question I had. I'm a movie pleb so I was always wondering how Gollum followed them through the door when the Watcher smashed it. Answer: he was already inside. lol
Perhaps I'm a little late to the party, but that's THENGEL, not to be confused with THINGOL. Might wanna insert a disclaimer, as the names are phonetically similar.
in the movie, Smeagol and Aragorn never met. but instead, in this channel mention that Aragorn capture him and travel by foot 900 miles to Mirkwood. this journey alone deserve its own movie.
One minor thing in the film is that Aragorn mentions Gollum being too clever a water-monger. Could just be an observation, but it’s kinda neat know that in the books he crosses the river with Gollum. Thanks for watching! And I agree - I would totally watch a movie - or better get a tv show - centered on Aragorn’s adventures!
It's strange but, the guy doing the voice of Gandalf in your video sounds just like the guy from STUDIO C who does Gandalf. Hmm. I MUST be losing my mind.
@@TheRatsintheWalls There is only Sir Ian McKellen doing any voice work for LOTR but this video was fan made and no, it doesn't at all sound like McKellen. "Studio C" is a comedy group and they have lots of episodes on you tube. Go listen to their "Gandalf"... Same voice.
