Fellowship of the Ring
1-1-1. The History of the Ring
Long years ago, in the Second Age of Middle-earth, the Elven-smiths of Eregion forged rings of great power. Then the Dark Lord Sauron forged One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom in the land of Mordor. This Ring he made to rule the others, and their power was bound up with it, so that they could last only so long as it too should last. And from that time, war never ceased between Sauron and the Elves.
Three rings they hid from him. But the others he gathered into his hands, hoping to make himself master of all things. Then was an alliance made against the Dark Lord, and Sauron was, for that time, vanquished. But at length, his dark shadow stretched forth once more, and he sought again for mastery over the Rings of Power.
One ring had come into the possession of Gollum, a slimy creature as dark as darkness, who kept it secret unto himself in the nether-most depths of the mines beneath the Misty Mountains. There it was hidden, even from the searching eye of Sauron, the Lord of the Rings.
Long years Gollum possessed his ring, before it left him and passed to another. Gollum sought unceasingly to recover it, and without realizing what power drew him on, he made his way step-by-step and mile-by-mile to Mordor.
Precious... precious, we've lost the Precious. After all these agesssss, it's gone.
[He hisses]
It was our birthday present, and it's lost! Curse us and crush us, but we'll never find it again, no, no...
[A horseman rides towards him]
Gollum... gollum...
You!
Us, us, us?
Miserable creature!
[Gollum hisses]
Why are you lurking here?
No, not lurking, precious, looking, yes looking for our birthday present. Aren't we, Precious? Yes, that's all.
The Lord Sauron has no liking for those who pry and spy.
Spying? Prying? We meant no harm, precious! Did we? No.
None come or go here without the Lord's Sauron's leave!
[Gollum hisses]
If you will not answer here, you shall answer in Mordor.
Nothing to answer! Is there, Precious? Nothing, no, no, nothing, nothing...
There are devices in Barad-dûr to loosen the lying tongue.
[Gollum cries out]
Come!
[Gollum screams]
No, precious! No, precious! Puts us down! Puts us down!
[A torture device turns and Gollum screams in pain]
No! No!
[He cries]
Why come you to the Land of Mordor?
We were only looking for our Precious, weren't we? Our Precious which we lost.
Precious?
Yes...
What is this Precious?
It was ours, and the nasty noser stole it from us!
What was stolen?
[Gollum mumbles to himself until the device turns again. He screams]
We only used it to catch our food with, precious, didn't we? Silly goblinses couldn't see us when we wore the Precious, gollum...
[He hisses]
We would have died of hunger in those mountains, we would, we would, if it hadn't have been for Precious.
Where did you get this thing?
[Gollum cries out in pain as he is tortured]
It was given to us, precious, as a birthday present. And we kept it safe, oh yes, very safe for long agessss, ‘til the thief took it from us!
Who took it?
We don't know, do we? No, no, we don't.
[He screams]
Nasty noser he was, wasn't he Precious? And tricksy too, tried to cheat us, he did. Lost in the mountians, he was, lost. Came nosing around our pool, he did. Asked us riddles, it did. Cheated, it did! Stole it, it did!
Who stole it?
We've said, haven't we, Precious? We don't know, do we, Precious?
[The torture device begins to rotate quickly and Gollum screams]
Who?
Baggins! Baggins he said it was! That's all we know, isn't it, Precious? Yes, yes, yes.
When was this?
Long ago. Yes, yes, years, years ago, and we've been looking for it ever since, haven't we? Yes. Little cheating thief! We ought to have squeezed it!
[He hisses and spits]
Squeezed it we ought.
Where is Baggins now?
Don't know, don't know, do we, Precious? No, we don't know where the Baggins is... Came from the Shire, didn't he! Yes, yes, but we don't know where that is, do we? No, no.
You lie!
No!
My master demands the truth!
No, no, precious, we don't lie! Do we? No.
[The torture and screams of Gollum fade away]
We told the master all we know! Haven't we? Yes, yes! Yes!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And who was Baggins? He was Mr. Bilbo Baggins. And Mr. Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit. He had once lived at Bag End on the Hill, in the village of Hobbiton across the Water, in the Shire, in the peaceful Northwest of Middle-earth. Now, however, Bilbo was no longer the occupant of Bag End, and sinister shadows lengthened in the Shire.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Next