Gollum

What do you think would have happen to gollum if Frodo dropped the Ring in the fire? Do you think he would have died or do you think the gollum side of smeagol would have passed away and he would just be smeagol?

Is this even making since? [img]smilies/confused.gif[/img]

[Finwe]

Don't worry. You're making sense to me. If Frodo had destroyed the Ring on his own (which he probably wouldn't have), I think that Gollum might have reverted back to his old Smeagol self, and stayed like that. Although, since he had been Gollum for so long, some of the more Gollum-ish traits might have become instincts for Smeagol. It's really hard to tell.

[Aragorn2002]

Well, I think he would eventually go back to his old Smeagol being, but it would take a while, mabey a few days to a week, either that or he would just go into a mad frenzy and kill himself.
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HONDA AIRPORT SPECIFICATIONS

[Lily Bracegirdle]

I think Gollum would leap after the Ring into the fire.

-Lily

[Legolas]

If he didn't jump in after the Ring, there's still a great chance that he would burn to death anyway with Mt. Doom erupting. He probably wouldn't have stayed with Sam and Frodo (since he would be quite angry with them), thus not picked up by the eagles that brought Gandalf. Perhaps he would've attacked one of the two, followed by death at the hands of Sam.

[ May 28, 2003: Message edited by: Legolas ]

[Aule]

If he did manage to survive and get rescued by the Eagles, i reckon he would be allowed to go into the west. Even though he had done evil in his life, i think Gandalf and and Galadriel, Elrond etc... would show great pity on him for the hardships he had suffered just like Frodo had.
No one would have been cruel enough to just let him go on suffering for the rest of his life.

[Afrodal Fenyar]

I believe Gollum's life would have ended very soon after the destruction of the Ring anyways. Remember, Bilbo was already nearly sleeping away, and he was "only" 130 years old - compare it to Gollum, who was over 500 years old. He wouldn't have lived long enough to get into Valinor, I think.

[Legolas]

Indeed, without the Ring, he would've died soon - his great age would've caught up with him.

[Helkahothion]

Wow, I was almost thinking that you would forget the age he had. Considering that Hobbits age reaches about 130 tops, and he being 500, I think he would almost die at the spot. So for Gollum, it would not matter if he jumped after the ring, it would only be a quicker death. I think that is the most logical reason why he tried everything to retrieve the ring. Even if common sence would win it from the power of the ring, he still needed the thing.

Suilad,

Anuion

[Orofaniel]

I think he would have died anyway. He would either have died when he jumped after the ring, or died as a result of his high age...That's my opinion. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[ June 16, 2003: Message edited by: Orofaniel ]

[Balin999]

There was almost the same thread a few months back. Try the search function to find more thoughts to the subject.

Who cares?! Gollum is nothing but a bald monkey thing that needs to be killed and put out of his misery. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

Mithadan's Edit: Our friend's ability to post has been terminated.

[ June 16, 2003: Message edited by: Mithadan ]

[GaladrieloftheOlden]

I_HATE_LOTR: I'm sure that nobody else finds this very witty.

Just to put a bit of topic into this post, I think that Gollum would have gone crazy, letting his Gollum side show completely.

~Menelien

[Gorwingel]

Interesting question [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]
I have to agree with many of you that he probably would have died because of old age almost immediately, or have been killed by a giant wave of lava. He would have a hard life if he made it through all that though. For him that ring was everything, and when it was gone forever there was really nothing out there for him. But I don't think that he would have reverted to his old Smeagol ways either. He was too far gone.

[mordor136]

The most logical answer is to have him go in after it. However I wonder if he might have "died on the spot"?

[MLD-Grounds-Keeper-Willie]

Balin999 is right. Bilbo, Gollum and Sam is the thread where this has been discussed.

[Balin999]

Gandalf a Madman?
This is another thread which first discusses Gandalfs decisions and then gets off topic by discussing what could have happened. Read through it and you may find many answers to your questions.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

sorry, too hasty to read all messages well but my opinion is that yes, gollum would have died soon.we have to remember that the ring poisoned his mind.i can't believe that gollum had gone away and sméagol had stayed(you know...).gollum/sméagol would have gone mad.if he left his dear caves to find the ring it must have been very precioussss!think how he hated the sun and the moon.
yet another vote for the "diving into mt. doom"-theory

[Amanaduial the archer]

There is only two solutions, either Gandalf was a genius, who could predict the future, and knew what was going to happen (and this he couldn't), or he was raving mad.

*cheesy Russian accent* There is a very thin line between madness and genius...

[Helkahothion]

A one liner? I'm surprized Aman. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Wow, it is surprising that Forum record banners still exist. I thought those guys died out a long while ago.

But to get back, if Gollum survived old age and lava, I think he WOULD have gone back to his old self if he would have lived long enough. Of course, he was bittered, but he hated the dark places and the only thing keeping him there was the ring. Maybe he would swim a bit, but since the ring was gone, the effects would slowly, and I say very slowly, wear of in my opinion.

It's sort of like drugs. You will go trough dirt for it, but when it is out of reach, the needs for it will slowly wear off and you will start acting normal again. That is the main theory of rehabilitation. Do you think Tolkien was bringing a message about drugs through the ring? It sure as hell resembles drugs in every way.

Suilad,

Anuion

[Amarie of the Vanyar]

I don't think that Gollum could recover after having lost the Ring, it doesn't work like that ... Remeber that neither Frodo nor Bilbo could ever recover from its losing [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Definitively, the Ring was not an allegory of drugs ... [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

In my opinion Gollum was not able to live without the ring at all. He had turned into a real "ring addict". If Frodo destroyed the Ring, Gollum would have died out of sorrow. He would have lost his sense of living, so there would have been nothing in Middle Earth that made his life worth living.

[Helkahothion]

Maybe not. He was a weird man. And remember that Hobbits were quite strong. The question remains: Was there still a bit of Hobbit left in Gollum?

Suilad,

Anuion

[Cameron Waite]

If Gollum would have escaped the original explosion i dont suppose he would have left the mountain alive. Even if he had attempted to get off the way Sam and Frodo did, Gandalf only sent Gwahir(who was burdened by Gandalf already) Landroval and Meneldor(sp?)The last two were for Sam and Frodo and even if they were willing and able to bear Gollum, (he might have to hang onto one of the hobbits legs like Bilbo did to Nori long before)still i doubt very much that he would allow them to carry him. He would fear them and perhaps choose death before trusting them. Just some thoughts

Personally i wish Frodo, after having lost the ring off his finger, had come to his senses in time to give Gollum a nice swift kick off the edge. That would be much more exciting and dramatic than him just slipping but thats just my opinon [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Helkahothion]

That would have never happened. Frodo pitied Gollum. He knew what terrible force the ring posessed and how Gollum felt. In a way, Frodo started to regocnized himself in Gollum.

Suilad,

Anuion

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

sam could have given a nice kick to gollum but frodo not.and after all gollum helped in many ways to "save the world" so maybe he didn't even deserve it [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Helkahothion]

Well, Sam would only be doing Gollum a favour. Gollum was in a lot of pain and the loss of the ring would have been unbareble. And I don't think Sam would mind kicking Gollum into the hot boiling lava [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

But I don't think Sam would have done that. He spared Gollum already on the slopes of Mt. Doom. So, I figure he would do it again. But maybe his master's loss would make him mad. And he might tumble over and fall into the lava together with gollum [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

Suilad,

Anuion

[Cameron Waite]

When i spoke of Frodo kicking Gollum, i was originally joking. But after thinking about it and reading the last few posts im not so sure he wouldnt have done it. When i first wrote of it I said he would do it after having his finger bitten off and the ring was still in existence only in Gollum's hands. IF and only if frodo had been momentarily released from the full strain of the temptation for the ring, and been allowed to think clearly in his hobbit sense, I am positive he would have kicked Gollum or sent him over in some way. After his finger was bitten off, the world still needed saving, and i am sure that if it meant saving Galadriel, Gandalf, Sam, the rest of the company, and the rest of the world, frodo would not have hesitated to kill Gollum, no matter how sorry he felt for him. But of course this is the pure speculation and rambling thoughts of new Downs member so pay little heed if you totally disagree.

[Helkahothion]

No, just not touching the ring does not set the control of the ring over that person away. Look at Gollum. But he might come to his sences. If he didn't, Sam would. Gollum bit Frodo's finger off, so that should be more than enough for him to send Sam in to a frenzy. Then I wonder, would Frodo have stopped Sam?

Suilad,

Anuion

[Arwen Melian]

I agree with Lily Bracegirdle. Gollum, in my opinion, was so obssesed with the Ring that he would have jumped in after it.....if Frodo would have thrown it in (even if that meant death). [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Little_My*]

I think so to...and I dont think gollum could be saved eaven ifhe dint die in the flames...he was to far away already, to nuts.

[Finwe]

I think the same thing that happened to Bilbo after he gave up the Ring would happen to Gollum. His body would start ageing as it naturally would have done from the time that he found the Ring. I think that since he was so old, he probably would have quickly died anyway, so there is no point in discussing his fate. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]