Gollum says “My precious” in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings when referring to the One Ring.
Gollum was once a hobbit-like river person named Sméagol. He obtained the Ring after his relative Déagol found it in the Anduin, then murdered Déagol to keep it. The Ring’s influence and his long isolation beneath the Misty Mountains transformed him physically and psychologically.
In The Hobbit, Gollum is a mysterious creature who plays a riddle game with Bilbo. Bilbo takes the Ring after finding it in the cave, although Gollum does not initially understand exactly what has happened. In The Lord of the Rings, Gollum becomes essential to the Ring’s journey toward Mount Doom.
“Precious” is not the Ring’s official name; it is Gollum’s possessive term for it. The character’s divided identity is expressed by the contrast between Sméagol and Gollum, a distinction Tolkien uses to show the Ring’s destructive effect.