# Gollum's eyes



## kohaku (Oct 1, 2002)

Gollum's eyes are often described as having a green light in them, especially when he thinks about the ring. I was wondering what everyone thinks... is that literal, like an actual green glow? Or is that figurative to symbolize greed or lust, like the green-eyed monster?


----------



## HLGStrider (Oct 1, 2002)

After all that time in the dark I always imagined that Gollum's eyes developed a sort of luminiscent glow... also they were probably catching the light from the ring and anything else around.


----------



## YayGollum (Oct 2, 2002)

Yes, it's an actual green glow. This one evil thief (Bilbo) from The Hobbit could follow Gollum through lots of superly dark tunnels because of the glow.


----------



## kohaku (Oct 2, 2002)

many nocturnal animals do have a shine to their retinas (called the tapetum) to enhance their vision... if this is the case for gollum, why would they shine for particular emotions?
of course, with the magic prevelant in middle earth not everything would have to be biologically sound


----------



## YayGollum (Oct 2, 2002)

Yes. Most probably magic. Argh! Evil One Ring! oh well. Poor Smeagol.


----------



## Popqueen62 (Oct 2, 2002)

yeah, well you know how cats have sort of glowing eyes? And if you've ever seen an owl up close, their eyes glow too. Well, i agree it's a night vision thing.


----------



## GandalfTheWhite (Oct 3, 2002)

I say it's a night vision thing too as he says to Sam and Frodo that it doesn't like the sun and so he travels at night and to do that he needs night vision.


----------



## kohaku (Oct 3, 2002)

i guess my point is why do his eyes glow at certain times like when he thinks about the ring?


----------



## Ceorl (Oct 3, 2002)

Throughout his works JRRT uses the eyes as a way of showing the reader emotions, characteristics and feelings for his characters. You can nearly always tell the mood of a character from the way his eyes are described. Is not Boromir described as having a glint in his eyes just before the madness of the ring took him? Are not the stern grim knights of Dol Amroth not described as having grey eyes? and probably the best example is probably Treebeard with pools of knowledge in his eyes. Tolkien has always been able to utilize a characters eyes so as to give the reader a good impression of that character. In my opinion Gollum's glowing eyes are just another example.


----------



## LadyGaladriel (Oct 3, 2002)

I thoguht the best descrition of emotive eyes was Gandalf when Bilbo said "My precisou" he had a flicker in them. 



On the whole Gollum thing , they are rather like Cats eyes because after being in the dark for that long everything has adjusted around him.


----------



## EverEve (Oct 6, 2002)

I think its both. His eyes have probably adapted for night vision, yet green is sorta the color of greed and envy and stuff. So why not combine the two?


----------



## Anárion (Oct 6, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Ceorl _
> *Throughout his works JRRT uses the eyes as a way of showing the reader emotions, characteristics and feelings for his characters. You can nearly always tell the mood of a character from the way his eyes are described. Is not Boromir described as having a glint in his eyes just before the madness of the ring took him? Are not the stern grim knights of Dol Amroth not described as having grey eyes? and probably the best example is probably Treebeard with pools of knowledge in his eyes. Tolkien has always been able to utilize a characters eyes so as to give the reader a good impression of that character. In my opinion Gollum's glowing eyes are just another example. *



Good point.
Think of Bilbo when he tried to take the ring from Frodo in Imladris.
I think he had a glow in his eyes......I dont remember....its not like I watch the movie every day...like SOME people I know... 

Anyway, Its probably gotten a glow because he spent a long time in the Misty Mtns. and he adapted, although, it could have also been, like Ceorl said, just another way of describing things.....


Its kind of like how many licks to the center of a tootsie pop.....the world may never know...


----------



## Anamatar IV (Oct 6, 2002)

i always thought they just GLOWED. no reason. just DID. but i could be wrong. *walks away muttering how people always want an explanation *


----------



## Mithlond (Oct 7, 2002)

Well Gollum's eyes didn't glow _before_ he acquired the ring, so i guess thats why people want an explanation.


----------

