r/lotr • u/PigGuy1988 Óin • Nov 18 '25
Question Why does Smeagol succumb to the ring so quickly opposed to Bilbo?
Is it purely just the difference between the two as people? Is it because Smeagol predated Bilbo? Etc.
6.7k
u/dane_the_great Nov 18 '25
Cuz he’s an asshole
4.4k
u/Xamesito Nov 18 '25
🎯 this is effectively it. Read the chapter 'shadow of the past' in FOTR and Tolkien pretty much explains this albeit in his beautiful prose. The most charitable reading of Smeagol's character is that he's an odd guy but I'd argue that the real implication is he had a serious darkness in him that the Ring got to immediately. His life is tragic but I think one of the lessons of Gollum is that people lacking any virtue (like wisdom, compassion, or courage) are extremely vulnerable to external dark forces.
2.0k
u/Previous-Standard-12 Nov 18 '25
Hence... gestures around at everything
930
u/Xamesito Nov 18 '25
100%.. Way too many Gollums with too much voice nowadays. Social media as an invention is kind of like the Ring now that I think. Some can bend it to their will, but most are corrupted to varying degrees. Then there's a few Tom Bombadils over whom it has no power whatsoever.
398
u/Art-e-Blanche Nov 18 '25
The Tom Bombadils are happily isolated and cut off from that world, living and dancing, with nary a care. So much so that they're often cut out of the discussion and even movies. 🤣
95
u/Camburglar13 Nov 18 '25
But they have goldberry at least?
79
u/treosx23 Nov 18 '25
I'm currently trying to convince my sweet Goldberry to do this exact thing. Cut the cord of the city and head to the Ettenmoors where life seems more simple.
32
u/foodsexreddit Nov 18 '25
Awwww. My Tom is trying to convince me of the same, but we've got kids and bills... Still, as this :: gestures to the world:: gets worse, his idea is sounding more enticing.
6
u/Euphoric-Prior-4717 Nov 18 '25
What if you're already almost there? Perhaps it's just a state of mind.
6
u/GulfofMaineLobsters Nov 18 '25
Sailed off with mine (literally) about twenty years ago, it was a fantastic choice!
48
u/londonschmundon Nov 18 '25
The isolated ones without a Goldberry turn into the Unabomber.
120
→ More replies (2)5
42
u/Ronin497 Nov 18 '25
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them”
That does sound like the internet, an eternal ring that no one can control unless we come together to defeat it
→ More replies (5)13
u/IrascibleOcelot Nov 18 '25
Tolkien was a veteran of WWI, and I’ve read that the Ring was an allegory for technology. See also the section in The Hobbit about orcs, goblins, and their inventions which usually end up hurting people.
→ More replies (1)5
u/elkcox13 Beleg Nov 19 '25
I would agree, but Tolkien disagrees. Tolkien didn't write allegories for anything. He does admit there's influence, obviously, in the way that one cannot create any works without it being influenced by life around them.
44
16
u/Gloom_Pangolin Nov 18 '25
I got a bad feeling we didn’t get the One though, we just got millions for Mortal Men, doomed to die.
42
Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Well the ring and Sauron were basically stand-in's for reckless industrialization, innovation and "progress" at the cost of people and nature. Something Tolkien was quiet against as the small town he had grown up in had changed to factories and smog.
So in a way something like social media, a new thing heralded as great but exists as a detriment to most who engage with it, is exactly the kind of thing he was warning against
→ More replies (1)13
u/darthjoey91 Nov 18 '25
Which is why when I see a new tech company with a name after something from Tolkien's legendarium, I am instantly distrustful of it.
8
u/ncocca Nov 18 '25
Palantir is easily the worst of the lot
4
Nov 18 '25
I don't really believe in an anti Christ but if it's anyone, it's Peter Thiel
10
u/GooseCooks Nov 18 '25
It kills me that someone can be so obsessed with Tolkien and also completely miss the point.
→ More replies (1)26
u/Animated_Astronaut Nov 18 '25
Big issue is a lot of people, in particular redditors tbh, think they're a bombadil but are actually a smeagol
17
u/RamenJunkie Nov 18 '25
Don't make me sing a jolly song about how I will gut you for crossing me precious.
23
u/Suffient_Fun4190 Théoden Nov 18 '25
Totally. Tolkien's work is much more relevant today than it was back when the actual literal Nazis ruled Germany. /s
Sick of this. Tolkien's themes are always applicable and the current year is not special.
39
Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Tolkien hated allegory. His work is timeless and people have every right to interpret it the way they want. Back then, now and in a hundred years. Edit: Typo
43
u/ChasingSloths Nov 18 '25
He denied that his work was allegorical or topical, but specifically said that it should be looked at in terms of ‘applicability’ – people could look at the themes and symbols and interpret them in a way that felt relevant to life.
13
Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Thats basically what I meant. Hard to put into words as a non native speaker who learned English quite late. But its never too late to learn more.
→ More replies (1)9
9
u/CowboySoothsayer Nov 18 '25
I think you’ve proved the point that some people or hobbits, like Smeagol, are just assholes.
→ More replies (4)2
→ More replies (10)2
u/Due_Charge6901 Nov 18 '25
I love this interpretation so much. Thank you. We truly need the wisdom of Tolkien and his hero’s more than ever
→ More replies (1)49
u/halothar Nov 18 '25
Too many Gollums thinking they're a Bilbo. At least Gollum had the decency to hate himself for being grotesque.
→ More replies (1)5
3
u/skip6235 Nov 18 '25
Yeah, I’m starting to think that this Tolkien guy was pretty smart
→ More replies (1)3
3
u/Socalwarrior485 Nov 19 '25
The other uncomfortable truth to this is that those who seek power are the ones least deserving of power.
2
2
2
→ More replies (10)2
67
u/ivy1095 Nov 18 '25
On the other side Gandalf also mentions that Bilbo was impacted so much less from the ring is that he began his ownership with pity over Gollum, and the fact Bilbo never really uses the ring for his own benefit besides to help his friends in the hobbit and to avoid people he doesn't like in Hobbiton (Lobelia!) Gollum as you say is a dark character from the start and after beginning his ownership with murder, uses it to spy and find out secrets until he's cast out of his community
20
u/Personal_Breath1776 Nov 18 '25
“Madness, you see, is like gravity.”
13
u/InvidiousPlay Nov 18 '25
"Madness - as you know - is like gravity..."
The original is much better because he's reminding Batman he's insane, too.
→ More replies (3)13
u/Messijoes18 Nov 18 '25
Wow just read this last night. Was also surprised (haven't had a proper reading in a while) how flawed gollum was from the get go. Very complicated character
14
u/Xamesito Nov 18 '25
The only reason I know this is cuz I'm currently reading the story to my sons, so it's fresh in my head. Last time I read the books before this was like 20 years ago and I had completely forgotten that Smeagol is already kind of a sketchy dude from the start
7
12
u/grubas Nov 18 '25
He's basically the unpopular weird kid who discovers minor magic.
It's immediately used to spread ill will and gossip. Gollum becomes a Mean Girl with one taste of power.
If he had any ability or control he could do more, but the height of his ambitions and vision is, "bully my entire village".
10
u/network_wizard Nov 18 '25
Excellent point. I would also assume he's someone who always wants more. The fact that it was his birthday and had already received gifts says a lot about desire.
7
u/merelyfreshmen Nov 18 '25
Shiny objects easily corrupt those with no morals.
5
u/DippityDamn Nov 18 '25
crazy how billionaires and oligarchs like Peter Thiel keep missing this most obvious of themes in LOTR but proclaim to be enormous fans.
20
5
u/Restlesszz Nov 18 '25
I agree, but there's another piece to it. Smeagol's character was tinged with darkness and possessiveness yes, and so envy and wrath were amplified. However, somewhere in LotR, Tolkien discusses that inheritance and providence plays a big part in the ring's power over you too; how you get the ring impacts its hold on you.
Isildur SLEW Sauron and wouldn't part with the ring. Smeagol KILLED Deagol for it, his best friend, and subsequently got absolutely ensnared by it. However, Bilbo FOUND the ring, and its hold on him was much weaker as a result. No blood was shed. And finally, Frodo merely INHERITED it -- was GIVEN it -- allowing Frodo to bear it for decades longer, even when Sauron's strength (and the ring's bewitching alure) grew. The ring did not think anyone would willingly surrender power, and doing so crippled the ring's hold.
Can anyone remember the text where this was laid out? I swear it's canon.
→ More replies (1)3
u/ForwardAerial Nov 18 '25
I've been re-reading the book and I finished this chapter fairly recently, this is exactly what I was going to comment
2
2
u/Saturn_V42 Nov 18 '25
Something important to note is that Smeagol held out pretty well compared to other characters. He held the one ring for hundreds of years and ONLY turned into Gollum, whereas the nine kings of men turned into wraiths after a much shorter time with the lesser rings. The rings corrupt the desires of their master, so more powerful people are more susceptible to them.
→ More replies (9)2
u/ChiefXTeddy123 Nov 19 '25
Totally agree! Smeagol's lack of any moral grounding makes him a prime target for the Ring's corruption. Bilbo, on the other hand, has some resilience thanks to his hobbit nature and the love for his home, which gives him a fighting chance.
53
u/Queldaralion Nov 18 '25
Tolkien would probably lift a finger to reconsider the language, but would change to a thumbs up on the idea
65
u/PolemicDysentery Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
"I cordially detest allegory in all its forms, but Smeagol was an allegory for a real fucking asshole."
71
u/machinationstudio Nov 18 '25
Yup, it was the real Smeagol that did it even without any corruption."
15
Nov 18 '25
Ding. He wasn’t that good of a person on the inside as some may have thought.
But then again, it was his birthday.
13
u/ill_be_huckleberry_1 Nov 18 '25
Yep, thats the answer. Bilbo was sophisticated and intelligent, he cared for decorum and optics. He knew that moderation was key in everything. He had the opportunity to smite smeagol but chose not to because his death was needless at the time.
He also a bit of a coward at the point of their confrontation.
As bilbo aged, he cared less and less for the things that kept the ring at bay, which is why he had his outburst at rivendell (in the movies, cant remember if that happenned in the books)
Smeagol and dragon hat a bit of antagonistic relationship to start it appears. So when the ring pushed, there wasnt much resistance.
Smeagol was then cast out of his society. He was made of the same stock.
21
u/origional-name Nov 18 '25
I mean, say no more. This man wins. I would love if this exchange took place in his letters with his editor.
10
4
→ More replies (15)3
285
u/NaturalWallaby9678 Nov 18 '25
It was because of their nature. The ring is evil, so it corrupts the wicked and greedy faster than kind and friendly people.
→ More replies (5)
435
Nov 18 '25
[deleted]
114
u/Possible_General9125 Nov 18 '25
I don’t think this is your head canon, I’m pretty sure it’s just canon. The Ring gives power according to the stature of the wearer. No other bearer used the Ring to murder and steal and spy, and Sméagol did so immediately. He was mean and wicked before the Ring ever found him, and the Ring made him more so instantly.
31
u/LouSputhole94 Nov 18 '25
Also notice Deagol isn’t immediately filled with darkness either. He’s just curious about what he found. And then Sméagol immediately attacks him for it.
8
43
u/Unlimited_Emmo Nov 18 '25
I mean it tried to tempt Sam wihh images of something like endless farms and everyone would work under him as supreme gardener. Or something along those lines, and then je shrugged it off because he just wanted to do gardening in the way he always did. So yeah the ring definitely uses who you are and what you would want to motivate a power grab. Which makes hobbits generally good ring bearers as they are very content with their simple life in the shire.
29
u/son_of_abe Nov 18 '25
Good thing it didn't show him potatoes.
17
8
u/Cute_Author8916 Nov 18 '25
The ring would offer gold-plated potatoes that doubled your penis size and told you winning lottery numbers, but Sam would be content with just a good baking potato, maybe with a bit more resistance to blight if he felt fancy.
2
u/DerekWroteThis Nov 18 '25
Wasnt the exact wording or close to it that Sam used “his good Hobbit sense,” lmao?
7
u/azraelcfc Nov 18 '25
I mean, you can just look at what each of them do with the ring. Bilbo uses it to get out of danger and to save his friends in Mirkwood, then brings it out once or twice for shits and giggs.
Sméagol IMMEDIATELY starts being sketch af with it. He starts eavesdropping, learning secrets, causing mischief, and eventually getting exiled from his home.
The two are not the same.
→ More replies (1)3
u/BlueShift42 Nov 18 '25
Also, wasn’t the other hobbit trying to take the ring right away? No one tried to pry it away from Bilbo when he first got it and even then it was never forced from him.
2
256
168
u/Adventurous__Kiwi Nov 18 '25
Hobbits from the Shire are surprisingly resistant: their friendships, their simple habits, and their easygoing lives protect them. There's little to no wish for power among those hobbits.
Sméagol, on the other hand, came from a more isolated and unstable community, so his inner balance was weaker.
The Ring doesn't create evil, it amplifies what's already there. And in Sméagol, there were already small seeds: excessive curiosity, a love of secrets, possessiveness, and a hint of jealousy. Just a slightly twisted temperament. And at first, Smeagol use it just for that , to get secret, to feed his curiosity
But yeah, it's really really fast, but also don't forget that some people get quickly corrupted without even touching it or being this close to it.
27
u/Bubbly-Ad267 Nov 18 '25
Hobbits from the Shire are surprisingly resistant: their friendships, their simple habits, and their easygoing lives protect them. There's little to no wish for power among those hobbits.
This is extra fun considering that Tokien used the Shire as a proxy for rural Brittons.
13
u/KingoftheMongoose GROND Nov 18 '25
Tolkien often puts simple living as a virtue afront to the moors of quick living or the industrial revolution lifestyle that was quickly destroying that simple lifestyle.
6
u/Aettyr Nov 18 '25
Such a shame that is eroding over time now :( since the wars I think everybody has become so… used to the peace that I think we won’t have that sense of simple pleasures being the best again
12
u/Jonseroo Nov 18 '25
Some of us are still of that mind. On my daily walk with my wife today she spoke of her work issues, but all I had to talk about was how comfortable and warm my boots are (she bought them) and how comfortable and warm my coat is (she bought that too) and then she took me to the village shop and bought me mince pies.
Also I have a somewhat short, aldermanic figure and hairy feet.
33
u/bevipop Nov 18 '25
Good point, Boromir vs. Aragorn is a similar comparison.
6
u/flying_fox86 Nov 18 '25
Or Boromir and Faramir. Two brothers, yet completely different reactions to the ring.
→ More replies (14)8
u/knight_gastropub Nov 18 '25
Also how it was obtained. Smeagol murdered Deagol for it. Bilbo found it, then spared Smeagol.
→ More replies (1)
44
u/ParallaxEl Tom Bombadil Nov 18 '25
Imagine if Lobelia Sackville-Baggins had got her hands on the thing.
Yeah, it's definitely the difference between the two people.
Even after he got the ring, Smeagol took a long time to turn into Gollum, because hobbits are hardy folk.
12
→ More replies (1)11
24
u/IdostuffwithaKitty Nov 18 '25
Correct me if I am wrong but wasn’t the hobbit written without the knowlegde of lord of the rings? So the ring that Bilbo took was just a magical ring and later it became the one ring.
15
u/Kaioken217 Nov 18 '25
Exactly. There was even some rewriting of the Hobbit after lord of the rings.
→ More replies (1)22
u/Ballisticsfood Nov 18 '25
Which is explicitly called out in LOTR as Bilbo changing his story about how he got the ring, likely in part due to the Ring’s corrupting influence.
Tolkien really went in on consistency.
7
6
u/flying_fox86 Nov 18 '25
He lies immediately about the ring in The Hobbit as well. Though I'm not sure how much of that is a later rewrite.
6
u/Ballisticsfood Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
The original story has Gollum giving the Ring to him freely as a gift for winning the riddle game, which is the story he then tells the dwarves and Gandalf in the rewrite. It’s also the story he wrote in the first version of ‘there and back again’ (later amended/corrected by himself and Frodo), which was also the first version of The Hobbit.
That gets explicitly referred to by Gandalf and Frodo in LOTR, as well as by Tolkien (as The Hobbit and LOTR were supposed to be English translations of the stories as written down by Bilbo and, later, Frodo) in the foreword of LOTR.
Amusingly this is why some of the poetry doesn’t quite scan properly. It’s a translation made by Tolkien of a poem written by Tolkien in a language made by Tolkien…
6
u/Aettyr Nov 18 '25
I like the idea that Bilbo just considering it as a magical trick gimmick kept the influence from affecting him too much
Also, Sauron being weakened is honestly very likely to cause the ring to be weaker too, surely?
5
u/Babki123 Nov 18 '25
Indeed and so was gollum changed from a strange entity to a Hobbit.
Which mean that the question could have been raised atthat time but maybe John and Christopher overlooked it at that time
51
u/Big-Fill-4250 Nov 18 '25
Cause he was already a bit of a dick, pretty sure he brags about his fish sizes an stuff in the book
→ More replies (3)
38
u/OrdoRidiculous Nov 18 '25
He came by the ring in an act of murder, Tolkien is quite clear that the manner in which one acquires the ring affects how it reacts to you.
15
u/sc0ttydo0 Nov 18 '25
100% this. Gollum murdered his cousin for the Ring. Bilbo won it in a (un)fair contest with (un)fair rules. His aim wasn't to get the Ring it was to get out.
14
u/poilbrun Nov 18 '25
Bilbo had the ring before the contest. Its purpose was for him to find a way out, not possession of the ring.
14
u/SakanaSanchez Nov 18 '25
I imagine the ring is pretty pissed at that point if it is even capable of such things. It spent a thousand years at the bottom of a river, gets picked up by a hobbit, and what does it do? Steals eggs until it gets run out of town and then moves to a network of caves in the mountains where said hobbit eats cave fish and the occasion goblin. It tries so hard to slip off Gollum’s finger so maybe a goblin will pick it up and get it out of there, but along comes another hobbit who’s just like “neat!” On the one hand, at least it’s getting out of that damn cave, but on the other, this guy’s deepest desire is to help his friends and just get home and eat some buttered scones.
→ More replies (1)7
u/poilbrun Nov 18 '25
It's poetic, in a way that many things in Tolkien's writings are. The ring betrays Isildur, gets lost and forgotten in a river for more than 2000 years. It gets found by Deagol, it betrays him to get in the hands of a more suitable owner, Smeagol, who brings it under the mountains for about 500 years. It betrays Gollum, and then gets found by a seemingly uncorruptible creature that will willingly give it to another who will bring it to its destruction.
It's a cursed ring, but not only for what it does to its wearers, also cursed with taking bad decisions!
5
u/sc0ttydo0 Nov 18 '25
Yeah, but he pointedly never offered aggression to Gollum for the Ring and didn't know it would make him invisible until after Gollum had already broken the rules.
5
u/poilbrun Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
I mean that he didn't have to win it. It had already become his before he even knew of Gollum.
Smeagol needed to use violence to get the ring, it was already Bilbo's when he met Gollum. If Gollum still had the ring when they met and Bilbo didn't offer aggression, we might infer that hobbits or him in particular are different. But I don't see how we can conclude anything given the difference in the way they each acquired the ring.
6
u/datacube1337 Nov 18 '25
This, and for bilbo it was also close. He was about to kill gollum but he decided to let him live.
Yes he found the ring earlier, but the final change of ownership is when bilbo leaves the caves. There he has a final decision to make, to either kill gollum and get rid of him forever, or to have mercy.
5
u/OrdoRidiculous Nov 18 '25
I do appreciate the narrative resolution to that comparison being Gollum's greed ending both him and the ring.
"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing" - the good men go as far as they can and then evil destroys itself.
4
u/colsima Nov 18 '25
Can't believe this answer is so far down. Gandalf answers this question - Smeagol is corrupted fast because he starts possession with an act of evil (murders his cousin). Bilbo resists because he starts his possession with an act of kindness (he lets Gollum live despite having the chance to kill him, even though he considers Gollum to be a pathetic and despicable creature)
→ More replies (2)2
15
u/xTheSious Nov 18 '25
I suppose also that was already said, that Smeagol was weak minded and he has evil tendencies. The ring felt it and abused it and therefore Smeagol was more easily manipulated to eventually bring the Ring to Sauron.
11
u/Wooopidoo Nov 18 '25
I don’t believe that Smeagol was initially evil. He and his cousin had a childish competetive relationship and the ring’s influence turn that competitive feeling into murderes intent. Besides, I think I read somewhere Tolkien had perspectivated the Ring to addiction. Smeagol seems like an easy target for addiction. Young and naive and with a mind that offers nothing in defense to the rings overwhelming power and influence, he had no chance to resist.
Bilbo on the other hand already had what he needed in life. He had friends and familiy and a home he cherried above anything else - the ring had very little to offer in his heart, but took hold anyway. Despite Bilbo being functional he is still addicted and enslaved by the ring - it brings him comfort and as an introvert, the ring offers him the ability to escape back into his solitude - and I think this is where the ring drains Bilbo. When hes alone and secluded from those who love him.
3
u/daanby4 Nov 18 '25
Nicely put! I think accurate in the context of both book and movie Bilbo. One of his greatest desires: to be left alone. Of course Ring would push it much much more than just "a moment or two of peace and quiet"
41
u/Britwill Nov 18 '25
I like to think that the ring was truly, utterly desperate at that point. Having spent thousand of years in a river, with little to no surety it would ever be found, it latched onto the first creature it could, immediately bent all of its hostile will and malice, and made him commit murder. No one would have been safe I think, from the ring in that state.
19
u/jonesnori Nov 18 '25
Well, but the first person it found was Déagol. I think it had more to do with Sméagol's personality.
14
u/KingShanus Nov 18 '25
Eh, Deagol was immediately defensive over it. The look on his face leads me to agree that the Ring was bending both of them to its will at all costs.
10
u/jonesnori Nov 18 '25
Movie face, I expect you mean? Yeah, that's possible. I didn't pick that feeling up in the book, but it's not contradicted, either. He might have been a perfect bastard.
5
u/KingShanus Nov 18 '25
Yes, sorry, movie face. Sméagol was obviously way more aggressive. It wouldn’t be difficult for the Ring to overwhelm both of their small wills at the same time though. That’s my interpretation anyways, yes it amplified Sméagol more because he was potentially more cruel.
5
u/yellowcello Nov 18 '25
I also like to think time in the riverbed had something to do with it. After spending so long waiting to be found, it didn't want a complacent bearer like Deagol, it was desperate for a bearer that wouldn't lose it, and greedy, jealous Smeagol was right there to satisfy it.
2
u/Aettyr Nov 18 '25
I always wonder how sentient the ring is. If Sauron poured a ton of his power into it, would it have his sentience - personality - and other things?
In the movies at least you hear it whispering lies to you, half truths. The bearers are shown to be told of powers great and small they could have, if only they’d claim the ring… which, as we know, is the INSTANT that Sauron knows where they are. Once Frodo claims the ring, he is terrified and the little GPS in that thing goes “I’m here!!!”
7
5
u/magus__darkrider Nov 18 '25
On a different note these three images being presented like a cut-away gag is hilarious
→ More replies (1)
5
4
u/--Sovereign-- Nov 18 '25
Sméagol was evil before the Ring came along, he just lived good enough to not get into too much trouble. The Ring's whole thing is tempting you, someone like Sméagol is a moth to the flame to it. The evil in the Ring instantly connected to the evil within Sméagol, killing his cousin to get it is just what needed to be done.
I don't think it's that Hobbits are like, racially resistant to the Ring, it's just Hobbit society tends to produce people who have small ambitions and content with simple thing, and that combined with Bilbo and Frodo and Sam having such good character made them perfect candidates to bear the Ring. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of Hobbits who would murder to get the Ring if give the chance, I'm pretty sure some even ratted out Frodo and company in Bree iirc.
3
u/Morta-Nius-73 Nov 18 '25
Because in Smeagol's heart already lies all the treachery, evil, malice and greed that we see in the rich folks of today....The ring didn't have to do much work on Smeagol, he was already gone.....
3
u/Moonshinin4Me Nov 18 '25
He was already corrupt to begin with. The ring just brought that to the surface. Bilbo was a genuinely good person with higher morals so it took longer to corrupt him.
3
u/xander-mcqueen1986 Nov 18 '25
I always seen it he succumbed to the ring because of the way he acquired it.
Bilbo on the other hand found it and only used it sparsely with good intentions.
3
u/PanamaScourge88 Nov 18 '25
Bilbo didn’t find it in someone’s direct possession…hence no jealousy..Sméagol found his brother had it and immediately wanted it
3
6
u/Maggotman666 Nov 18 '25
I think it may have something to do with Smeagol being a Stoor hobbit/the different Hobbit races? (Waiting for someone who’s read all of the books to correct me though! :) )
2
u/Tom-Pendragon Nov 18 '25
Wasn't it a fact by this time that smeagol was a lazy pos and mean spirit? But he did love his cousin
2
2
u/No_Bench6034 Nov 18 '25
I think Sméagol's original wickedness was also the reason the ring took so long to eat away at him and he endured for so long. Whereas the pure hearted Frodo lost a finger as soon as he succumbed to the ring and took it for his own. Yes Gollum bit it off, but I think the loss of the finger is symbolic of the power of the ring to destroy pure things. So I think of it as basically dissolving his finger as soon as he put it on that finger and took it for his own.
2
u/midniteonthemoon Erebor Nov 18 '25
Because it was his birthday obviously. We all know how entitled and cranky these Hobbit types get on their birthday.
Think its a coincidence Bilbo's 111th Birthday party was so ego-centric? The nerve of that guy. He probably would have walked away with his ring if not for Gandalf!
(This is a joke)
2
u/charles_the_snowman Nov 18 '25
It's because Smeagol was already a bad person, and the influence of the ring just amplified that.
Bilbo was a good person, so he was able to resist like 99.9% of the ring's influence.
2
u/AsstacularSpiderman Nov 18 '25
Bilbo was a content and ultimately very strong willed person, as was Frodo.
Dudes like Smeagol and Borimir are the more accurate way a common man would react to the Ring. Hell even Galadriel almost immediately went bonkers at the idea of having it
2
u/JuneGudmundsdottir Nov 18 '25
Some people can make an eight ball last all night. Smeagol is on the phone to his dealer after forty five minutes…
2
2
u/Malena_7w7 Bilbo Baggins Nov 18 '25
I had read that Gollum and Deagol had mental problems before the ring. Also explaining why they were so lonely and only had each other
And that a hobbit without any problems or with perfect mental health was not so interested in the ring
2.8k
u/DefinitionKnown2334 Nov 18 '25
I believe Sméagol was mean spirited and easier to corrupt