Gollum's Guide to Survival: 5 Tactics He Used to Evade Capture

Gollum in The Two Towers and Deagol and Smeagol in The Return of The King
Credit: Credit: Warner Bros. | Link: HBO.com| License: Fair use for promotional, commentary and news purposes

Gollum in The Two Towers and Deagol and Smeagol in The Return of The King
Credit: Credit: Warner Bros. | Link: HBO.com| License: Fair use for promotional, commentary and news purposes

The creature Gollum, as pathetic as it appears in the eyes of Middle-Earth denizens, has punched above its weight in surviving for as long as it has.

With almost everyone hunting it down, Gollum always managed to slip away, often by the skin of its teeth.

Study the impressive set of survival skills that the most wanted creature in Middle-Earth has in its arsenal to escape the claws of hostilities, whether in Mordor or Gondor!

Adapting to stealth

Gollum in disguise in The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King
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Credit: Credit: Warner Bros. | Link: HBO.com| License: Fair use for promotional, commentary and news purposes
Gollum in disguise in The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King

Nothing was ever the same for the creature once known as Smeagol since the power of the One Ring took hold of its sanity. The corruption also deformed Smeagol, severely reducing its weight and having him hunched over while crawling on all fours.

While the creature looks unhealthy in this state, Gollum can easily fit itself in crevices around Middle-Earth that are difficult to reach. It can easily hide in tall reeds and marshes while waiting for the right opportunity to escape potential threats.

Advanced knowledge of Middle-Earth terrain

Gollum on the Dead Marshes in The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King
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Credit: Credit: Warner Bros. | Link: HBO.com| License: Fair use for promotional, commentary and news purposes
Gollum on the Dead Marshes in The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King

Gollum's impressive stealth adaptability also helps him learn the terrain it's in.

From the thick forests of Fangorn to the uninhabitable rankness of the Dead Marshes, the creature Gollum can efficiently traverse the environment far better than even the toughest warriors or the craftiest trackers.

Remarkable resilience

Gollum threatened with a blade in The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
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Credit: Credit: Warner Bros. | Link: HBO.com| License: Fair use for promotional, commentary and news purposes
Gollum threatened with a blade in The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers

For all of its faults, the deplorable creature withstood so much torture from incidents when it got captured, the perilous escapes it made, and ultimately, surviving the environments it hides in.

Gollum draws judgment from the eyes upon the creature, but its scars show that it has survived tougher ordeals.

Feigning trustworthiness

Shelob in The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King
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Credit: Credit: Warner Bros. | Link: HBO.com| License: Fair use for promotional, commentary and news purposes
Shelob in The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King

Gollum has never invested trust in the allies it makes, even if these are the only few chances it could make friends.

The only chance it got was with Frodo and Sam, and if Smeagol took over its body again, maybe it would have trusted the hobbits.

Gollum was almost successful with his deception of Frodo and Sam since the creature entrapped the heroes with the fearsome spider Shelob.

Efficient in elusiveness

Gollum, Frodo, and Sam in The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King
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Credit: Credit: Warner Bros. | Link: HBO.com| License: Fair use for promotional, commentary and news purposes
Gollum, Frodo, and Sam in The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King

Whenever Gollum successfully escapes, the creature ensures its tracks are covered. It submerges itself in water to mask its scent from trackers while also attempting to redirect its hunters to dead ends.

And despite its appearance, Gollum is quite efficient when scaling dangerous cliffs like a Middle-Earth Spider-Man!

Gollum cheated death so many times that it can be impressive when reviewed. While its desire to keep the One Ring for itself, this same drive also led to Gollum's demise. It is the only power that Gollum failed to evade.