Summary
There are many questions to ponder in relation to the happenings ofThe Lord Of The Ringsseries. While Hobbits, or at least some pure-hearted Hobbits, seem to have the ability to withstandthe pull of the One Ringlonger than others, it seems that no matter what anyone does, a ring bearer will always succumb eventually. That is exactly what leads many to wonder what would have become of Frodo or Bilbo if they kept the ring.
Ignoring the impending doom of Middle Earth had Frodo kept the One Ring, it’s possible that he could have carried on with the ring for quite some time if he were in safety. Unfortunately, even the most pure-hearted creatures ofThe Lord Of The Ringscan be twisted by the evil and malice of the One Ring, and Frodo and Bilbo are no different. With too much time with the ring, especially closer to Mordor, it’s scary to think what could have become of Frodo or Bilbo.
How Does The One Ring Corrupt People?
The nature of the One Ring is incredibly mysterious. Essentially, it could be considered to be alive thanks to its ability to manipulate itself to achieve its unique goals. One of the most important things to know about the One Ring is that it has a corrupting influence that can impact anyone within a relatively close radius. This is evident through the fact thatBoromir became corrupted by the ringat the close ofThe Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ringand confronted Frodo, and that’s despite only having held the ring a single time. The wiser characters of the series know that they can’t be near or even touch the evil artifact for too long for fear of potentially losing themselves to it.
Aragorn is a key figure who understands this, with that consideration certainly being a part of his calculation tolet Frodo continue his journey on his own. As soon as the One Ring is within someone’s possession, it amplifies their feelings of greed and desire in relation to the ring alone, making it the only thing the person cares about. This is exactly why Gollum cares only for the ring and not other important things like safety or proper nutrition. All of this is made even worse by the fact that the ring extends the life of the bearer, meaning Gollum was left to fester and rot for hundreds of years longer than any Hobbits manage to live.
How Did Smeagol Turn Into Gollum?
Much like Frodo before his adventure, At one time, Gollum was the Hobbit Smeagol, though the ring transformed him into something much more monstrous. By every metric, it seems like Smeagol was an ordinary and happy Hobbit, although likely one with more negative traits than the average furry-footed being. On one of his birthdays, Smeagol was out fishing with his cousin when the two would stumble across the One Ring. His cousin, Deagol, claimed the ring, but that would quickly turn into a struggle thanks to the corruption both Hobbits faced.
Smeagol would kill his unlucky cousinto take the ring, eventually finding himself cast away from the Hobbits altogether. He would make his home within the Misty Mountains and live there for over four hundred years, allowing the ring to continually corrupt him until he was an unrecognizable shell of his former self. The isolation and the One Ring fractured the creature’s mind until the little that remained of Smeagol was stuck contending with the monstrous and corrupt Gollum each and every day of his existence. Gollum was such a distinct creature from Smeagol that he couldn’t even manage to stomach the Hobbit food he once ate each day something thatLord Of The Ringsfans will know is basically blasphemy for Hobbits.
Would Frodo Or Bilbo Have Turned Out Like Gollum?
It’s kind of sad to think about, but realistically, both Frodo and Bilbo had the potential to turn out exactly like Gollum. If there’s one thing that is made perfectly clear throughoutThe Lord Of The Rings, it’s that there isn’t a single person in existence who can resist the corrupting nature of the One Ring. Frodo even refuses tocast the ring into Mount Doom, and though he does initially give up the ring willingly, Bilbo also gets a bit unhinged when he sees the ring again in Rivendell.
Many fans of the series have gone as far as to point out that Gollum represents everything that Frodo is not while also showing off everything he has the potential to become should the One Ring get the better of him. ConsideringFrodo was planning on keeping the ringat the close of his adventure, only not being able to do so thanks to the greed of Gollum, it’s safe to say that Frodo would have tried to go into hiding to be with the ring. While that might have been a way to keep it out of Sauron’s hands, that would have relied on Frodo surviving his journey out of Mordor and then not being found by any of Sauron’s dark forces.
On the other hand, Bilbo actually shows off a more violent side directly to Frodo. While he is able to reign in his violent urge to take back the ring that he feels is his, it’s clear that even the well-intentioned and lovingBilbo is capable of being corrupted. It’s likely that the only thing that kept him from becoming more like Gollum despite having the ring for such a long time was a combination of his pure-hearted nature and the fact that he and the ring were both far from danger and far from the influence of Sauron.
The Lord Of The Ringsis available to stream now on MAX.
