In J.R.R. Tolkien’s fiction, what creature is Gollum originally?

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s fiction, Gollum was originally a hobbit.

Gollum was born Sméagol and belonged to a hobbit-like people living near the Gladden Fields. On his birthday, he saw his relative Déagol find the One Ring. Sméagol killed Déagol to take the Ring, and its influence gradually transformed him into the isolated creature later known as Gollum.

The character appears in The Hobbit and becomes central to The Lord of the Rings. He survives for centuries because the Ring prolongs his life, but its power also deepens his obsession and physical deterioration. His repeated “my precious” refers to the Ring.

Gollum is often mistakenly classified as a separate species or as an ordinary monster. Tolkien instead presents him as a corrupted former hobbit, making his history an important part of the Ring’s moral and psychological story.