The Hunt for Gollum: What Tolkien Actually Wrote | LOTR Deep Dive

The Hunt for Gollum spanned seventeen years as Gandalf and Aragorn searched for the creature who had possessed the One Ring for five centuries. Aragorn walked in sight of the Black Gate, tread the deadly flowers of Morgul Vale, and ranged across the darkest corners of Middle-earth. What Tolkien actually wrote reveals far more than an adventure story. Captured by Sauron and tortured in Barad-dur, Gollum proved paradoxically indomitable - his obsession with the Ring left no room for the Dark Lord to fill. He deliberately misdirected Sauron about the Shire's location, buying precious time for Frodo. When Aragorn finally captured Gollum in the Dead Marshes, the brutal 900-mile march to Mirkwood became what the Ranger called the worst part of his journey. Yet the hunt's deeper significance lies in mercy: Gandalf foresaw that even this wretched creature might play some part before the end, and that pity, offered without calculation, could change everything.