What if Gollum had lived?

[IxnaY AintsaY]

Originally Posted by Moonraker

If it was of no use, then why did Galadriel ask Frodo to look into it?

I very much doubt the Mirror was of no use, but she never really asks Frodo to look in it.

‘Do you advise me to look?’ asked Frodo.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I do not counsel you one way or the other. I am not a counsellor. You may learn something, and whether what you see be fair or evil, that may be profitable, and yet it may not. Seeing is both good and perilous. Yet I think, Frodo, that you have courage and wisdom enough for the venture, or I would not have brought you here. Do as you will!’

Why does she invite him to use it then? That's a good question. At a guess, I'd say she was trying to learn more about what kind of person the Ringbearer really was.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by IxnaY AintsaY

Why does she invite him to use it then? That's a good question. At a guess, I'd say she was trying to learn more about what kind of person the Ringbearer really was.

This is rather off-topic, but the Mirror could indeed have been a literal mirror, in the sense that its visions might have reflected hopes, fears, and inner conflicts of the viewer. Curiously, Boromir never got a crack at it, but then Galadriel already suspected what she might see in him.

[Moonraker]

Originally Posted by IxnaY AintsaY

I very much doubt the Mirror was of no use, but she never really asks Frodo to look in it.

‘Do you advise me to look?’ asked Frodo.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I do not counsel you one way or the other. I am not a counsellor. You may learn something, and whether what you see be fair or evil, that may be profitable, and yet it may not. Seeing is both good and perilous. Yet I think, Frodo, that you have courage and wisdom enough for the venture, or I would not have brought you here. Do as you will!’

Why does she invite him to use it then? That's a good question. At a guess, I'd say she was trying to learn more about what kind of person the Ringbearer really was.

The Moonraker seeks to push the realms of possibilities to the limits to reach new heights of truth, but not fact. But the Mirror could have been used to track Gollum years before he was actually caught. Could it have been also commandeered at Rivdenell during the Council of Elrond? Or did Galadriel have sole power in turning it on and off? Again it might have helped track Gollum's progress, and it could have aided Gandalf in seeing where Frodo and Sam had got to. I doubt it could reveal Gollum's ultimate fate, however, be it death, recovery, or insanity.