And in mere moments, he had strangled his cousin and taken the Ring for his own. Sméagol demanded that Déagol give it to him as a gift for his birthday but was met with refusal - and instantly flew into a murderous rage. The innocent and simple-minded cousins were no match for the object's malevolent power, and the overpowering desire to possess it took hold of them. Déagol then stumbled across the One Ring at the bottom of the river, where it had been lying for over 2000 years after abandoning its previous bearer, Isildur. Their idyllic outing was rudely interrupted when a large fish suddenly pulled the Hobbits overboard.

It was Sméagol's birthday, and he was celebrating with an afternoon of boating and fishing on the river with his cousin Déagol. But all of that changed when tragedy struck one fateful day on the River Anduin. In this early part of his life, he was known as Sméagol and was, by all accounts, an ordinary, unremarkable member of his community.

He was originally a Stoor, one of the three breeds of early Hobbits (the other two being the Fallohides and the Harfoots), who favored flat riverside lands and made their living by fishing. But Sméagol returned alone and he found that none of his family could see him, when he was wearing the ring.Gollum was born late in the Third Age of Middle-earth, though still hundreds of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. 'No one ever found out what had become of Déagol he was murdered far from home, and his body was cunningly hidden. ''Oh, are you indeed, my love,' said Sméagol and he caught Déagol by the throat and strangled him, because the gold looked so bright and beautiful. 'I have given you a present already, more than I could afford. ''Because it's my birthday, my love, and I wants it,' said Sméagol. ''Give us that, Déagol, my love,' said Sméagol, over his friend's shoulder. But Sméagol had been watching him from behind a tree, and as Déagol gloated over the ring, Sméagol came softly up behind.

The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, The Tale of Years: The Third Age ' washed the mud away, there in his hand lay a beautiful golden ring and it shone and glittered in the sun. About this time Déagol the Stoor finds the One Ring, and is murdered by Sméagol.

Gollum the lord of the rings age