Bilbo Baggins meets Gollum in the goblin tunnels in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
After becoming separated from Thorin’s company beneath the Misty Mountains, Bilbo finds a golden ring and encounters Gollum beside an underground lake. The two compete in a riddle game, with Bilbo eventually asking what he has in his pocket. Gollum’s ring is the answer he seeks, but Bilbo has already picked it up.
In The Hobbit’s original 1937 version, the episode presents the Ring and Gollum differently from the later mythology. Tolkien revised the chapter for the 1951 edition so Bilbo’s account would fit the One Ring’s corrupting nature and Gollum’s unwillingness to surrender it.
Gollum was once Sméagol, a hobbit-like river folk member. The Ring transformed his life and personality over centuries. He later becomes essential to the conclusion of The Lord of the Rings.