Gollum as "a small slimy creature" (in "The Hobbit"), and emaciated and gaunt, but possessing a vicious, wiry strength. In "The Fellowship of the Ring", Aragorn states "his malice gives him a strength hardly to be imagined." In "The Two Towers", Gollum's grip is described as "soft, but horribly strong" as he wrestles with Sam. Besides his appearance, in personality Gollum is described by Tolkien in the chapter "The Taming of Sméagol", after he had been captured by Sam and Frodo: As mentioned in the quote Gollum maintained two mindsets, one displaying a marked childishness such as engaging in riddle competitions
The Fellowship of the Ring the decision to publish "The Lord of the Rings" in three volumes was made, Tolkien had hoped to publish the novel in one volume, possibly also combined with "The Silmarillion". However, he had proposed titles for the individual six sections. Of the two books that comprise what became "The Fellowship of the Ring" the first was to be called "The First Journey" or "The Ring Sets Out". The name of the second was "The Journey of the Nine Companions" or "The Ring Goes South". The titles "The Ring Sets Out" and "The Ring Goes South" were used in the "Millennium