Middle-Earth Tours

Tour 1: The People of Middle-Earth

Gollum

detail of Gollum, by Alan Lee



detail of Gollum, by Ted Nasmith



Gollum, by Inger Edelfeldt 		Lurking by a stagnant mere, peering in the water as the dark eve fell, I caught him, Gollum. He was covered with green slime....I was glad to be rid of his company, for he stank.' --Aragorn describes his first encounter with Gollum, FotR, "The Council of Elrond"

Down the face of a precipice, sheer and almost smooth it seemed in the pale moonlight, a small black shape was moving with its thin limbs splayed out. Maybe its soft clinging hands and toes were finding crevices and holds that no hobbit could ever have seen or used, but it looked as if it was just creeping down on sticky pads, like some large prowling thing of insect-kind. And it was coming down head first, as if it was smelling its way. Now and again it lifted its head slowly, turning it right back on its long skinny neck, and the hobbits caught a glimpse of two small pale gleaming lights, its eyes that blinked at the moon for a moment and then were quickly lidded again.
     ...They could hear him snuffling, and now and again there was a harsh hiss of breath that sounded like a curse. He lifted his head, and then they thought they heard him spit. Then he moved on again. Now they could hear his voice creaking and whistling.
     'Ach, sss! Cautious, my precious! More haste less speed. We musstn't rissk our neck, musst we, precious? No, precious -- gollum!' --TTT, "The Taming of Smeagol"


detail of Gollum, by Alan Lee


I particularly like Inger Edelfeldt's depiction of Gollum, to the left here. You can really see the lost humanity (hobbitity?) in him; and you begin to understand how first Bilbo, then Frodo, then Sam, could find pity enough to spare his life.

I can't believe that Gollum was connected with hobbits, however distantly,' said Frodo with some heat. 'What an abominable notion!'
    'It is true all the same,' replied Gandalf. --FotR, "The Shadow of the Past"

Gollum Held Captive, by Inger Edelfeldt
Gollum, by Nicholas Bayrachny
detail of Gollum, by Ted Nasmith
The movie Gollum is a CGI creation voiced by Andy Serkis, who also plays Sméagol and served as a "body double" for Gollum.
Déagol Finds the One Ring,
by Ted Nasmith

Andy Serkis as Sméagol, image
from the Cannes film booklet
available on the official movie site
image from DVD Town

image from DVD Town

 At once Gollum got up and began prancing about, like a whipped cur whose master has patted it. From that moment a change, which lasted some time, came over him. He spoke with less hissing and whining, and he spoke to his companions direct, not to his precious self. He would cringe and flinch, if they stepped near him or made any sudden movement, and he avoided the touch of their elven-cloaks; but he was friendly, and indeed pitifully anxious to please. He would cackle with laughter and caper, if any jest was made, or even if Frodo spoke kindly to him, and weep if Frodo rebuked him. --TTT, "The Taming of Sméagol"


For more on Gollum, take the specialty tour From Sméagol to Gollum.

Full-size versions of these pictures are on display at Rolozo Tolkien, theonering.net, and other sources listed on this page.