What is the difference between Gollum and Smeagol?

What is the difference between Gollum and Smeagol?

River-dwelling hobbit Gollum is originally known as Smeagol in the books, before he is corrupted by the Ring (his 'precious') and re-named Gollum after “a horrible swallowing noise in his throat”.

Is Gollum Sméagol alter ego?

In Tolkien's story Sméagol is corrupted by the One Ring, forged by Sauron, the embodiment of evil in the fictional world of Middle Earth. He constantly battles with Gollum, his evil alter ego, as he assists the hobbits Frodo and Sam in their quest to destroy the ring.

Why is it called Gollum?

Gollum's precursor in Tolkien's writings was a creature named "Glip." Gollum got his name from the sound he made when he spoke, "the horrible swallowing sound in his throat." The hypothesis of Douglas Anderson, who annotated The Annotated Hobbit, is that Tolkien got the name Gollum from gull or goll, the Old Norse word ...

Why did Gollum betray Frodo?

In Gollum's mind Frodo was actually the first to betray him. As his master, Frodo was responsible for Gollum and that was a mutual understanding. So when Frodo lied to Gollum to lure him to Faramir's men – with the intention of saving his life – Gollum took this as a betrayal from Frodo's side.

Why was Gollum so affected by the ring?

Gollum was possibly already evil or had a tendency towards evil. The ring, being an evil object, created with an evil purpuse conferred power on smeagol to match his stature. Gollum held the ring for 600 years and only used it to hunt and kill for food. Bilbo tricked gollum about having the ring.

Is Gollum a good guy?

Gollum is a tragic figure because he is basically cursed by his mental and moral weakness and his dependence on the One Ring, but he is evil and has never been particularly good.

Why did Smeagol keep saying Gollum?

Smeagol began his life a simple hobbit. ... One way in which he was transformed was constantly making a horrible gurgling and swallowing sound, which sounded like the word "gollum." As he began to change, his friends and family mocked him and cast him out of his home, calling him Gollum. The name stuck.

What are the riddles Bilbo asks Gollum?

Gollum: What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up, up it goes, and yet, never grows?

Can Gollum be good?

Gollum is a tragic figure because he is basically cursed by his mental and moral weakness and his dependence on the One Ring, but he is evil and has never been particularly good.

Why did Smeagol want the Ring?

And Gollum, in the end, wants the Ring, because he knows it has destroyed him and, to exist, he must have the Ring. And the only real way to have the Ring forever, is to destroy it and to destroy himself with it.

Should Gollum be considered a sympathetic creature?

• That being said, while Gollum is theoretically deserving of our sympathy, he is generally not portrayed in a sympathetic way. Even the stories he tells of his life before the Ring do not endear us to the hobbit he once was.

Was Smeagol a hobbit?

• Smeagol was a man of Hobbit-type who committed homicide to get the One Ring. The Ring have the body and his mind, and he became the creature called Gollum , but a part of his former self-lived.

Is Smeagol a hobbit?

• Gollum , originally known as Sméagol or Trahald, is a creature of Hobbit-like origin and a major antagonist in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth legendarium.

What species is Smeagol?

• Smeagol (gastropod) Smeagol is a genus of small air-breathing sea slugs of the upper intertidal zone. They are pulmonate gastropod mollusks related to land slugs and snails.