Posted: March 17, 1999 at 15:50:41: by Davewise
: : Re-reading book 4 of LotR recently I found myself wondering about Gollum. In the journey through the dead marshes he is described as being pale and white. When the Hobbits meet Faramir, he is described (by one of Faramir's troops I think) as "an ill-favoured black fellow" or something similar. There are a number of other contradictory descriptions, if memory serves.: : Most illustrations show him as having brown skin but as a Hobbit (albeit one 'twisted' by bearing the One Ring for 900 or so years) I would presume that he had white skin to start with. He avoids the light so he wouldn't have a tan. : : Can anybody add any more information? : Hmmm, if he would have been white, he would have been far more easily spotted in the dark.
: Maybe, but this is really a daring hypothesis, he had chameleon-like abilities?
: Doc His natural pigmentation would probably have been pale because he avoided the sun and even the moon whenever possible. If he was described as being dark colored I think it was because he usually was covered in filth and grime.
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