Gollum's Fashion Sense

[FrodoFriend]

I was just reading the Gollum/Balin's Diary thread and it made me wonder.

Does Gollum wear clothes? I've never pictured him that way, but . . . well, wouldn't he die from exposure otherwise? On the other hand, where would he get them from? Aaah!!

[Ñólendil]

I think it says somewhere in the Lord of the Rings that he had tattered clothing, I'm not sure. He could have just kept his clothes from his early days when he was still recognizable as a Hobbit.

[luinilwen]

he could take clothing from his prey. in th ehobbit it talks about how he catches stray goblins who come to the water. what if he took their goblin garb?

[FrodoFriend]

I'd hate to see what state his 500-year-old clothes would be in! But I guess he could take Orc clothes. Was he wearing anything in the movie? I got the impression he wasn't, but then, he didn't have much screen time.

[luinilwen]

well i don't think he did wear clothes, personally. in every illustration i've seen he's been naked as adam and eve and if memory serves, the same goes for the movie. if he could take the garb of orcs he would probably take their weapons too, and i don't think there are any mentions of gollum ever being armed. gollum most likely only took their flesh.

[ragamuffin92]

I also vaguely remember reading somewhere that Gollum wore some tattered clothing. But do you think I could remember where I saw it? :p

[Feraway Hawkbriar]

...all I can say is that if he's nekkid in the movie they better make up for it by leaving the nekkid Frodo tower scene in. J/K

[FrodoFriend]

:D :D :D Maybe he'll have a pink umbrella.

[coolismo]

hello

[Menelvagor]

I think the elusive reference to clothes is at the end of the dead marshes chapter in TTT. They are looking down at the black gate and it describes him looking like an old thin hobbit in tawdry rags, or something like that. Aw, dang it, I guess I might as well find it:

Not even and eagle poised against the sun would have marked the hobbits sitting there, under the weight of doom, silent, not moving, shrouded in their thin grey cloaks. For a moment he might have paused to concider gollum, a tiny figure sprawling on the ground: there perhaps lay the famished skeleton of some child of men, its ragged garment still clinging to it, its long arms and legs almost bone white and bone thin: no flesh worth a peck.

Hmm... it's actually in the chapter The Black Gate in Closed, but now that I think about it, it might just be talking about his skin.

[barrelrider110]

I think the "ragged garment" in the quote refers to Gollums flesh.
Gollum did put on the Orc mail shirt that Sam discarded in Mordor. Regarding other clothes, artists have mostly interprested his garments as nothing more than a loincloth. Although completely under the power of the ring, Smeagol/Gollum retained most of the basic Stoor behaviour, (e.g., "Riddles in the Dark") one of which would probably been the habit of wearing some sort of clothing. I'm sure, 500 years put a lot of holes in his lederhosen, but I'm sure he could have picked up some sort of rag from a misty mountain orc or other prey as luinilwen postulates. If not for modesty sake, at least for some creature comfort.

[aldesign]

he deffinatlly carries around a pink umbrella, im shure!!!

and girls....... no!, we wont have a naked Frodo scene in the films!!!
so stop getting all hot.




btw truthfully
im shure it mentions what gollum is/isn't wearing when Bilbo first meets him in the Hobbit

[luinilwen]

haha postulate sounds like a naughty word *childish grin* :D

and as for gollum's clothes being mentioned in the hobbit, from memory i don't think it does, as poor bilbo can't see anything save gollum's eyes!

methinks he's "nekkid" :) :) :)

[FrodoFriend]

Ummm . . . why the picture of Galadriel, coolismo?

Ha ha, Gollum in a loincloth! I wonder if it's leopard spotted . . .

[luinilwen]

"loincloth" sounds like a naughty word too... maybe it's goblin skin ... ewww! :eek:

[Peregrin Took]

Originally posted by Luinilwen
well i don't think he did wear clothes, personally. in every illustration i've seen he's been naked as adam and eve

Really? I'm pretty sure that every single illustration I've ever seen of Gollum, depicted him WITH some type of clothing. Usually some form of old, tattered breachcloth or tarzan-like thing, or even just shorts. We should trade illustrations. (So I can see what you're talking about, NOT because I enjoy nude Gollum pictures)

~Peregrin

[Ñólendil]

The Hildebrandts (my favourite Tolkien artists) never depict Gollum with clothes. Here's the two pics by them I can find with Gollum in it: Gollum (http://www.timefold.com/brosimages/gollum.jpg) and City of the Ringwraiths (http://www.timefold.com/brosimages/ringwraithcity.jpg).

[Araethirion]

Well, in the beginning of the movie where Galadriel summerized the Hobbit, it seemed that Gollum didn't wear clothes, and in the book I had always pictured Gollum without clothes... erm... ew.

[luinilwen]

well here's (http://www.geocities.com/luinilwen/gollumpocketses.jpg) one of him completely nude and looking very evil (and hungry!) and here's (http://www.geocities.com/luinilwen/gollum.jpg) one of him in a rag covering his personal parts.

another theory - he wouldn't wear clothes considering he has reverted to animalistic behaviour, such as eating raw prey. animals don't wear clothes, last time i checked. :) (except when people put those stupid reindeer horns on their pets)

[luinilwen]

*carp* stupid geocities! sorry guys you won't be able to view those pics...

[luinilwen]

*sigh* try this! (http://www.geocities.com/luinilwen/pics)

[FrodoFriend]

Some of those pictures are not at all what I picture Gollum looking like. The loincloth looks right though, somehow . . . I wonder if he made it himself? Poor Smeagol, only has old dirty rags to cover himself with . . . why, if he has his Preciousss, he will have a beautiful newsss loincloth, made of mithril, yesss, preciouss . . .

[Legolas_BowKing]

I dont think that he would of worn any clothes he spent alot of time in the water and was almost fish like. Although he probably still would of had a item of clothing around his waist. Im sure Sam would of complaind if he didnt. But if he didn't have any clothes on it would explain why he always had his head in between his legs when sleeping. :D

[Lightice]

Well, at least he had pockets...
When having riddles with Bilbo he thinked what he had in his pockets and then what other people might keep in theirs.
He had quite a lot of stuff in his possession in that island of his.
He was propably some sort of a collector...

[Mithrandir]

I would think that Gollum would wear clothes. He came from a pretty high class family amongst the Stoors that he lived with. I'm sure he still wanted to keep his dignity :p

[Peregrin Took]

You're right, Lightice! I completely forgot about that part of the Hobbit. If he has pockets, then he most likely has some sort of clothing.

[Feraway Hawkbriar]

or....




HE A MARSUPIAL MONGOOSE O_O

...nevermind...

[FrodoFriend]

There ya go, Feraway! Gollum is actually a corrupted koala bear!

[luinilwen]

*speculates on pocket evidence in riddles in the dark*

wellll tolkien may have intended gollum to be at least semi-clad, although in the movie gollum is nude, probably all but a rag around his essentials. at least that's how they dressed the cave troll, who is even more animalistic then gollum. but this forum is about the books and not the movie so it doesn't really matter :) :) :)