Gollum
      Gollum was a Hobbit of the Stoor strain. About 2463, his cousin Déagol found the One Ring while fishing, and Gollum murdered him for it. Soon he became odious to his family and was driven out of the Stoor community. Gollum hid in the Misty Mountains, falling more and more under the control of the Ring until 2941, when he lost it. Bilbo Baggins found the Ring and took it with him to the Shire. Gollum, suspecting that Bilbo had the Ring, came out of the Misty Mountains to search for Bilbo, his need for the Ring overcoming his hatred and fear of the sun, the moon, and other living things.

Gollum
      Gollum originally looked like a normal Hobbit, but his long years in darkness and dampness under the influence of the Ring drastically affected his appearance. The descriptions of him given in the Lord of the Rings vary somewhat, but he seems by the time of Bilbo and Frodo to have been extremely thin and wiry, with black skin, flat feet, long thin hands, and pale large eyes. Although his sight was poor, his hearing was acute, and he could move silently and climb like an insect. Because of his long domination by the Ring, Gollum pathologically feared all things Elven; Elven ropes burned his flesh and lembas tasted like dust. He hated all creatures and was, due to the influence of the Ring on his naturally somewhat nasty character, generally despicable.

Gollum
      A few years before the War of the Ring, Gollum was captured by Sauron, who thus discovered about Bilbo. Sauron released Gollum in 3017 and he was captured by Aragorn, who turned him over to Gandalf. The Wizard learned that part of the story of the Ring which he had not previously known, and then gave Gollum over to the Elves of the Woodland Realm. In June 3018, Gollum escaped during an Orc-raid, and immediately went off in search of the Ring.

Gollum
      After escaping from the Elves of the Woodland Realm during the Orc-raid, Gollum caught up with Frodo and the Company of the Ring outside the West-gate of Khazad-dûm, and followed them through Moria. Gollum was captured by Frodo and Sam in the Emyn Mull. Out of fear of the Ring-bearer and to ensure that Sauron did not recover the Ring, Gollum led the Hobbits faithfully to Cirith Ungol, the only unguarded route into Mordor. However, there he betrayed Frodo and Sam to Shelob, hoping to recover the Ring when Shelob discarded their clothing. His plan failed, and so he followed the Hobbits to Orodruin. There his last ambush of Frodo failed, but when the latter claimed the Ring as his own Gollum attacked him once more. In the struggle, Gollum bit off Frodo's ring-finger and thus got the Ring, but in his joy fell into the Crack of Doom, destroying both himself and the Ring.