Gollum's Aging - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

ElanorGamgee · 05-03-2002, 08:21 AM

Ok, I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but this has been bothering me. Gollum was around 500 years old when Bilbo came into possession of the Ring. Yet he does not seem to age at all from the riddle contest to his encounter with the Fellowship, 61 years apart. When Bilbo gives the Ring to Frodo, it takes just 17 years for him to age noticably when Frodo sees him next. By the end of The Return of the King, he seems to have lost much of his memory. It seems like Gollum, who has already lived much longer than he ought to have compared to Bilbo, should have aged more quickly of the two. Was it his malice and lust for the Ring that kept him alive?

05-03-2002, 08:21 AM	#1
ElanorGamgee Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 314	Gollum's Aging Ok, I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but this has been bothering me. Gollum was around 500 years old when Bilbo came into possession of the Ring. Yet he does not seem to age at all from the riddle contest to his encounter with the Fellowship, 61 years apart. When Bilbo gives the Ring to Frodo, it takes just 17 years for him to age noticably when Frodo sees him next. By the end of The Return of the King, he seems to have lost much of his memory. It seems like Gollum, who has already lived much longer than he ought to have compared to Bilbo, should have aged more quickly of the two. Was it his malice and lust for the Ring that kept him alive? __________________ Soli Deo Gloria