What If Gollum hadnt died ?

[EG]

Saw this discussion on TORN and thought it would be interesting for us to discuss too!

"'What if Gollum had lived?'. At the climax of the Return of the King, Frodo claims the ring for himself, Gollum grabs him and bites off Frodo's finger. The Precious is his! But as Gollum holds up both ring and finger triumphantly, he slips, dropping both the Ring and Frodo's finger into the fire. Yet he doesn't fall in himself. What happens next?"

[K8 Fairy Princess]

Ahhh i just reread the question and wrote out a whole answer to that....grrrr.....!

Anyways, i think that he probably would have thrown himself in after it. I mean, his whole life has been devoured by the ring - without it, has he really got anything left? Even when he didn't have the ring himself (i.e. Bilbo/Frodo had it), his whole life was devoted to getting the ring back.

[EG]

yes, but if Gollum bit off Frodo's finger and the Ring fell in with it.

I dont honestly see that Gollum would have fallen in with it.  I know he was dedicated to it, but I cant see him purposely ending his life.

I think he may well have become all mournful... and crouched down with his hand in his head etc.   and that Frodo and Sam would probably have risked their lives to try and save him as Mount Doom collapsed around them

[K8 Fairy Princess]

I think he may well have become all mournful... and crouched down with his hand in his head etc.   and that Frodo and Sam would probably have risked their lives to try and save him as Mount Doom collapsed around them

I think that Frodo and even Sam would have tried to save him at the last if Mount Doom was crumbling around them. I think that Frodo learn his lesson about the whole 'pity' thing, and Sam hasn't got it in him to hurt a fly, even if he doesn't trust the fly!

Another thought has just occured to me though, as unlikely as it is, it's a possibility - would gollum not feel liberated? As gandalf said, gollum both loves and hates the ring. As the ring was destroyed, would the blind devotion that gollum felt be lifted? If it was, would gollum not feel relieved to finally be rid of the burden?

....just a thought....

[Beleriel]

Yes, that is a thought, and it is one I had myself too. 

If the ring was destroyed and Gollum had lived, I reckon he would have devoted himself to Frodo and been his faithful servant for the rest of his life... or something like that.  Once the evil influence of the ring was gone I think he would have been fine.

Mind you, he would also have been VERY old wouldnt he?  Perhaps he would have had to h ave gone to a nursing home!   

[Lessa]

He may well ahve just faded away without the ring to give his life meaning.

Lessa

[EG]

well Bilbo faded pretty fast, without the Ring.

But then, Gollum didnt have the Ring anyway all through the Lord of the Rings.. he was getting older by the minute.

I dont think he would have devoted himself to Frodo, because he only became Frodo's "servant" because Frodo was Master of the Ring.

I could see him wandering ME and well, biting people who got in the way... and hiding himself back in his cave perhaps

[Lessa]

I think he would definitely avaoid all contact with the sun and the moon and like you said EG retreat to caves and basically just fade away.

Lessa

[K8 Fairy Princess]

well Bilbo faded pretty fast, without the Ring.

But then, Gollum didnt have the Ring anyway all through the Lord of the Rings.. he was getting older by the minute.

Maybe he didn't die, again, because of his devotion to the ring.

I would imagine that, directionless, gollum may have died fairly quickly, absorbed in self-pity...but with the prospect of getting the ring back, maybe that's what kept him going, and kept him alive throughout the 50 odd years that he didn't have the ring.

[Kaaliel]

i think he'd just fade away through not having the ring, and dwelling on what would have happened if he could have saved it.

[Jezebel]

I reckon he would have just....died or something.  I don't know, it's kind of hard to tell what would have happened if he didn't die in the first place...

But yeah, I think he would have thought there was no purpose of living and probably kill himself...

[Boromir]

i think he would have just jumped in after it..

in the chaotic moment he wouldnt really be thinking too clearly and would just lunge to try and save the ring not realising that he and the ring would both be destroyed

[GG]

Gollum, just like Bilbo and Frodo, was given un-naturally long life because of the Ring.

Gollum, just like Bilbo and Frodo, would suddenly find his age catching up with him, maybe more rapidly than what happened to Bilbo and Frodo.

I suppose being out from under the Ring's spell, (I am thinking the curse of the Ring would die with the Ring), Gollum would remain with Frodo...though I doubt Sam would have much use for him.

I imagine Gollum would be old-Smeagol again.. same old greedy and mischievous creature.

[Theo]

I suppose being out from under the Ring's spell, (I am thinking the curse of the Ring would die with the Ring), Gollum would remain with Frodo...though I doubt Sam would have much use for him.

  That occurred to me also, that if Gollum (possibly now Smeagol again) had lived and was still devoted to Frodo that Sam wouldn't take that too well..  It was Sam's devotion and love for Frodo that got them so far in the first place..

[Anne]

I'm not sure he would be suddenly healed from the curse of the Ring.  Frodo had been fighting it and had never used it for ill.  Gollum had fought for it, had used it with evil intent and was totally consumed by it.  If he hadn't gone mad straight away with the loss, I think he would still have been too twisted by it to ever get back to anything like a normal life (even allowing for the sudden aging effect).

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