What was gollums birthday present

He suddenly realized the true answer to Bilbo's last riddle— "What have I got in my pocket? Bilbo inadvertently stumbled across the Ring's power of invisibility as he ran, allowing him to follow Gollum to the back entrance of the cave.

There, Bilbo at first thought to kill Gollum, but was overcome with pity, so he jumped over him to escape. As Bilbo ran, Gollum cried out, "Thief! Thief, Baggins! Curse it and crush it! We hates it forever! Gollum eventually left the Mountains and pursued Bilbo a few years later, but the trail was cold. He made his way south to Mordor where all evil was being drawn at the time, discovering the secret Stairs of Cirith Ungol located near Minas Morgul and surviving an encounter with Shelob.

Gollum was then freed, as Sauron had learned all he needed from him and sensed he might draw out the Ring. He was then subsequently caught by Aragorn , then interrogated by Gandalf , who placed him in the care of the Silvan Elves living in Thranduil 's kingdom in Mirkwood.

Assisted by Orcs he escaped them, and set off looking for the Shire. He passed through Moria , but could not make it out of the Doors of Durin. Seemingly he then just waited there until he got lucky when the Fellowship passed through. However, as Frodo was a ring-bearer he might have foreseen the passing of the ring. Alternatively, some of Saruman 's or Sauron's spies may have revealed to him the Fellowship was heading towards Moria. Gollum met and started following the Fellowship of the Ring in Moria, and was spotted and heard by Frodo on several occasions.

On January 15 , , the Fellowship was divided when Gandalf disappeared while fighting a Balrog though he later returned. Gollum continued trailing the remaining members. Gollum followed their boats down Anduin floating on a log to Nen Hithoel and pursued Frodo and Sam across the Emyn Muil when they struck out on their own towards Mordor. Gollum followed them, but after a confrontation in which he bit and nearly strangled Sam for the Ring Frodo subdued him and threatened to kill him with Sting , the Elvish blade that Gollum had apparently recognized by its former owner - Bilbo.

Sam tied an Elven Rope around Gollum's neck for a leash, which inflicted great pain on Gollum. Taking pity, Frodo made Gollum swear to help them. Agreeing to the oath, Gollum swore by the "Precious" itself as the ring was treacherous and would hold Gollum to his word, so Frodo released him to show them the way to Mordor. The unlikely company, guided by Gollum, made its way to the Black Gate of Mordor. Along the way, it was revealed that Gollum, having lived in a cave for hundreds of years, feared both the Sun and the Moon , calling them the 'Yellow Face' and the 'White Face' respectively.

The two had a strange sort of bond from both having been Ring-bearers; in Gollum, Frodo saw his possible future, and so wanted to save him so he could save himself. Apart from Gandalf and Bilbo, Frodo is the only person known to have shown kindness towards Gollum, who is hated instantly by everyone he meets, being perceived as filthy, slimy, sneaky and suspect by groups as different as the Orcs of Cirith Ungol and the Rangers of Ithilien.

When the Black Gate was reached and found to be well guarded, Gollum convinced them not to go that way, saying that they would be caught and Sauron would regain the Ring. Gollum said he would lead them south, where he knew of another entrance into Mordor, in which Frodo complied, despite Sam's suspicions.

Frodo and Sam were caught by Faramir , and Gollum followed them. When Frodo allowed Faramir to briefly take Gollum prisoner, however, he felt betrayed, allowing the "Gollum" personality to take total control. Faramir found out that the place Gollum was taking them was called Cirith Ungol.

He then warned Frodo and Sam of the evil of that place. Gollum visited the great spider Shelob , child of Ungoliant , because he was planning to betray the hobbits by turning them to Shelob for food and then take the Ring for himself.

The fact that Gollum managed to forge an alliance with Shelob is also remarkable, as she was otherwise known for devouring and killing everything on sight. As noted in the bit you quoted, the gift was expensive from the perspective of a young hobbit, probably something equivalent to Deagol's disposable income for a few weeks worth of work, most likely.

This could seemingly be anything such as a modest pocket watch, a novel, a wheel of imported cheese, or even some small livestock like a piglet or goat kid. It's probably not the answer you were looking for, but it's probably the best you'll find. If Tolkien ever did mention what the original gift was, it's beyond the material I've looked at.

Indeed, he seems to have made much about hobbit birthday customs up on the spot as he was writing the bit about Smeagol's past, so it's very likely the man himself never defined it past simply being Deagol's gift.

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Ask Question. Asked 5 years, 6 months ago. Active 4 years, 8 months ago. Viewed 1k times. What was that object? But those things pale when placed next to Saruman's covetousness, or Boromir's desire to have armies under his command in order to "drive the hosts of Mordor," or even the average dwarf's desire for material goods.

Even the S-B's are amateurs at greed when compared to other inhabitants of Middle-earth something they learn to their sorrow when they come up against professionals. And from what Tolkien says, it seems most hobbits place such a high importance on wills and other documents not because of greed but out of a fondness for having things set down in an ordered and clear manner. The most important kind of possessiveness when it comes to the Ring, however, is that related to power.

There are individual exceptions, but a look at life in the Shire tells us that hobbits in general don't care much about having power over others. Although other people consider the Shire backward--if they've heard of it at all--it's actually the most technically advanced society in Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. It may not be the "greatest," as it has no impressive cities or military might, but that's because the inhabitants have chosen to live that way rather than because they don't have the necessary ability.

Instead of walled fortresses and standing armies, they have mantel clocks, modern for that time agriculture, food and shelter for even the poorest, and an efficient postal system. It's revealing that it takes Men to turn the postal system into a support for the enforcement of power. Even political power is unimportant in the Shire except in times of extreme need. How many human "heads of state" would be content with presiding at fairs?

This lack of desire for power seems to be what gives hobbits their resistance to the evil of the Ring. And one who is even less possessive and power seeking than hobbits is Tom Bombadil, who lives in harmony with nature in his corner of Middle-earth and who, as Goldberry says, simply "is. After the Party of S. Why Tolkien chose the autumnal equinox for the date isn't clear, but he does designate autumn as a wandering time for elves and others. Bilbo takes his final leave of Bag End on his birthday, and Frodo obeys Gandalf's warning to leave the Shire no later than his birthday.

And, Tolkien notes, when Frodo leaves Bag End he follows the same route Bilbo had taken on their birthday 17 years earlier, although Frodo is unaware of it. One year after Frodo leaves Bag End, he and Bilbo are again together on their birthday, this time in Rivendell. Some days later, after presenting a few gifts to the other hobbits, Bilbo dozes off for a bit and then wakes up to say, "Now where were we? Yes, of course, giving presents. Which reminds me: what's become of my ring, Frodo, that you took away?

In his mind it is still the birthday present he had given to Frodo. Finally, in the Bagginses' ultimate wandering, the date takes on an even broader significance as the Keepers of the Rings travel to the Havens. On that birthday, Bilbo has nothing left to give and Frodo becomes the benefactor.

As Bilbo gave all he had to his chosen heir, Frodo, on their shared birthday, so on that same date Frodo gives everything material and otherwise to his chosen heir, Sam.

Frodo reclaims his openhandedness, giving up first his home and then his life in Middle-earth, both on his birthday. Bilbo does the same, although by the time he leaves Bag End, and then Middle-earth, he has already let go of them emotionally.

Some readers have said that by the end of LotR , Frodo and Bilbo have become more similar to elves than to hobbits, and in some aspects that may be true.

But in some ways, perhaps they've become the highest expression of hobbit simplicity, nonpossessiveness, and lack of desire for power. Interesting in itself is that the Ring is destroyed on the same date the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar celebrates the Incarnation of Christ, and the date on which some early European societies believed Christ was crucified or resurrected.