Why does Bilbo age so fast?

Bilbo aged rapidly when the One Ring was destroyed, not when he gave it to Frodo. When the One Ring was destroyed, Bilbo aged rapidly to the appearance he would've had, if he had never found the ring.
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Did the Ring stop Bilbo aging?

One of the virtues of the ring is the fact that when you have it, you stop aging. Bilbo still looked young at his 111th birthday, and Gollum had the ring for something like 500 years without any noticeable aging. All the changes that did come over him were mostly from living in a cave for all those years.
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Why did Bilbo grow old?

It prolonged his life and he seemed to retain his strength. In comparison, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) did not have the Ring for nearly as long as Gollum, but after giving it up he grew older and weaker relatively quickly. At least, that's how it happens in the Lord of the Rings movies.
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Why did Bilbo Baggins face change?

Gollum was weaker than Bilbo; the ring completely controlled him from the get-go. So, the major differences were Gollum's weakness, and his living conditions which made him anti-social and changed his appearance due to the absence of light. Bilbo definitely was affected by The Ring, just not to the same extent.
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Why did the Ring not affect Bilbo?

Hobbits are simple creatures and do not wish for much, so there is nothing for the Ring to use against a hobbit. Frodo is the hobbit that is corrupted the most next to Gollum and Bilbo, which is why he is unable to throw the Ring into the fire.
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The Complete Travels of Bilbo Baggins | Tolkien Explained



Why can't Gandalf touch the Ring?

Though someone could start out with good intentions, the Ring would eventually corrupt them. And that is why Gandalf can't touch it. He is afraid that if he did, it would corrupt him and make him just as bad as Sauron since Sauron put so much of himself and his evil into the One Ring.
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What if Tom Bombadil took the Ring?

From that same discussion it mentions Bombadil having withdrawn himself into "a little land, within bounds he has set", and that "if he were given the Ring, he would soon forget it or most likely throw it away." He would not have left his "world", so would have been no use in destroying it, and would not have used the ...
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Why did Smeagols eyes get bigger?

During his time, Gollum was exposed to very little light, which meant that his eyes had to adapt to the darkness. Luckily for him, the changes in his body allowed him to develop eye-sight far beyond most characters in Tolkien's series.
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Why was Gollum so skinny?

He didn't eat much, or particularly well, which may have caused his extreme skinniness (especially relative to other hobbits). He never saw a dentist or brushed his teeth, so most of them fell out. He is centuries old and has a terrible diet, hence his baldness, perhaps.
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Why did Sméagol become Gollum?

Because of this new diet, Sméagol eventually came to hate “normal” food like Elf or Hobbit food. Living underground without contact with anyone or without sunlight, Sméagol became sickly. He would produce a gurgling cough almost like he was choking. The sound of the cough was what led to him being known as Gollum.
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Does the One Ring make you immortal?

A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness.
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Why is Gollum so old?

Gollum had his life largely extended because he possessed the One Ring. He appeared to be an old, deformed, and twisted creature. According to this list, he had the Ring for 478 years. His loss of the Ring and the events of The Lord of the Rings are separated by around 77 years.
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Did Frodo stop aging?

Frodo also showed signs of good 'preservation': outwardly he retained the appearance of a robust and energetic hobbit just out of his tweens. So, in the books, Frodo would continue to appear 33, and Bilbo would continue to appear 50, since they essentially stop aging when they possess the Ring.
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Why didnt the Ring affect Sam?

As for Sam, his resistance likely has to do with his innate goodness and loyalty. His love for Frodo helped him to overcome the pull of the Ring and his inner pureness was never fully pierced by the Ring.
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Why can't Sam carry the Ring?

He realises he can't make Frodo part with the ring without doing great psychological/physical harm to him. At the very end, instead of carrying the ring, he carries Frodo on his back to the doors of Mount Doom.
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Did Sam ever wear the Ring?

Sam never put on the Ring in the movies, but in the books, he actually carried the Ring for two days, even putting in on a few times to hide from Orcs.
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How did Frodo know Gollum's name?

In the movies, when Frodo first spies Gollum stalking them in the Misty Mountains (Moria) he informs Gandalf who tells him a little of Gollum's history.
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How did Gandalf know about Sméagol?

As the other answers have said, Gandalf knew about Gollum from Bilbo. He suspected that Gollum's ring was powerful. By catching Gollum and interrogating him, Gandalf began to suspect that the Bilbo's ring might be the One and discovered where Gollum had found it.
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What was Sméagol before Gollum?

Gollum was a Stoor Hobbit of the River-folk who lived near the Gladden Fields. In The Lord of the Rings it is stated that he was originally known as Sméagol, corrupted by the One Ring, and later named Gollum after his habit of making "a horrible swallowing noise in his throat".
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Is Gollum bipolar?

A group of UCL medical students, led by Dr. Liz Sampson, concludes that Gollum was actually suffering from schizoid personality disorder. In the paper, Sméagol is described as a single, 587 year old, hobbit-like male of no fixed abode.
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Was Sméagol a hobbit or human?

'" Gollum, also known as Sméagol, was a creature (originally a Stoorish Hobbit) who bore the One Ring. He lived in the Misty Mountains for most of his life. In T.A. 2941 he lost the Ring to Bilbo Baggins.
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Is Tom Bombadil a God?

Tom Bombadil Is God

Though he's not mentioned in The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, Tolkien's world is presided over by a God known as Eru. This primordial entity shares many traits with the monotheistic gods of the real world, and was responsible for creating all life with the help of his first children, the Ainur.
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Who is more powerful Gandalf or Tom Bombadil?

More powerful than Gandalf and more ancient than Galadriel, Tom Bombadil is actually Lord of the Rings' most powerful being. When it comes to powerful beings in Lord of the Rings, characters such as Gandalf, Saruman, Galadriel and, of course, Sauron are discussed at great length.
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Why is Tom Bombadil so powerful?

Proclaimed to be "the oldest in existence," Tom Bombadil was apparently immortal and possesses a range of enigmatic powers able to give full control over his domains, seen by Goldberry that described Tom as being "Master of wood, water and hill". He was also referenced as being impossible to capture or imprison.
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