Questions on Gollom's decision to follow the Fellowship

[The Wizard from Milan]

Gollum starts to follow the Fellowship in Moria. Why?
He knew already Gandalf and Aragorn (and Legiolas?); they had not been kind to him before. Why following them?
When and how did Gollum realize that the Fellowship had the ring? When and how did he realize that Frodo had the ring?

[crickhollow]

I don't have the books in front of me at the moment, but Gandalf says something about Gollum being drawn to the ring. He can't help himself, and he can't stay away.

Here's a question that I have, though. Do we ever find out how Gollum ended up in Moria? I guess i always assumed that after he left escaped from Mirkwood he just kind of wandered aimlessly...but it must have been more than that if he had help escaping from the elves.

hm.

[The Wizard from Milan]

I don't have the books in front of me at the moment, but Gandalf says something about Gollum being drawn to the ring. He can't help himself, and he can't stay away.
Yes, but if he did not know that the ring was with the Fellowship he must have been very sensitive to it to be drawn to it

[Lotesse]

Well, of course he was sensitive to the Ring, silly goose! Gollum had that blasted ring for ages and ages, long enough to almost completely transform him into a pathetic "thing," or "it," and stuff like that, poor Smeagol. I don't have the stats on the exact number of years, but it was a bloody awful long-ass time. So, of course he's going to be able still to follow it around like a heat-seeking missile. I don't think anything could have kept Gollum from that Ring.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I agree with crickhollow and Lotesse, yet I think wheere is more than that to it. The only hobbit Gollum had seen since he left his family was Bilbo, a Baggins who stole his precious Ring. Suddenly he is being questioned about the Ring and he sees four hobbits travelling through Moria. He probably made a connection.

[CrazySquirrel]

Here's a question that I have, though. Do we ever find out how Gollum ended up in Moria? I guess i always assumed that after he left escaped from Mirkwood he just kind of wandered aimlessly...but it must have been more than that if he had help escaping from the elves.

hm.
It is in the Unfinished tales. He escaped both elves and the orcs and was pursued by both, especially the elves. And he was trying to get on the other side of the Misty mountains, because he supposed that the Shire was there.

in July -September 3018 Sauron sent the nazgul first up the Vales of Anduin both 1. to look for the Shire and Baggins and 2. to look for Gollum. Gollum has hidden from them in Moria and stayed there for several months. He made his way to the West Gate, but couldn't open it. He grew quite desperate when the 9 walkers arrived.

[Findegil]

Porberbly the answer is much simpler: to follow the fellowship was Gollums only chance to survive. He had been in Moria for some time, and he was not able to open the Westgate even before it was blocked by the Watcher in Water (it istold that it needed two dwarves to push the gate open). Thus he was already straving. The fellowship opened him a chance to find a way out, and maybe also he looked for a chance to get some food from them (stealing or mordering or searching their rubish, if you like).

By the way, in "Unfinished Tales"; "The hunt for the Ring" we are told that Gollum escaped the Orcs that helped him escape from Thranduil's Elves at once. He fled into Moria when the Nazgul searched in the dale of Anduin for the Shire.

Respectfully
Findegil

[crickhollow]

thanks for the background info, Findegil and CrazySquirrel. I guess it is now time for me to hunt down a copy of UT, and read up on Gollem.