Lembas: Part of a Balanced, Evil-free Diet

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Gollum hates all things good. Elvish things are "very good", if you forgive the phrasing. He hates them even more than the Sun. He couldnt stand the rope and spat out the lembas.

Interestingly, Gollum shunned the lembas and was burned by the rope without foreknowledge of where they'd come from. So, it couldn't have been a mere hatred of "good" that caused his reactions. I wonder if it wasn't the lasting influence of the Ring, beyond his own personality, that had a hand in that. The Negative tends to be more affected by the Positive than vice-versa. For instance, Merry and Pippin could drink the orc-draught, disgusting though it was, but could Orcs have drunk miruvor?

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I think that the bread, having some elven "magic" in it (as is made obvious by the amount of energy it gives to the eater), would help Smeagol get rid of the Gollum side. But if it was forced into his mouth and rammed into his throat, all it would do is build up his hatered for all. He had to take it himeslf, and he wasn't ready for that yet, as Frodo points out.

I'm leaning toward that also; that lembas might have empowered the Sméagol persona and strengthened it against the Gollum side. But for how long? And how well?

Originally Posted by blantyr

It might also be a magical allergy. Gollum might react poorly to the boats the Fellowship was given, the Phial of Galadriel, or any other product of elven craft where the maker has put something extra in the making.

Then again, Gollum did touch one of the boats with no apparent effect.

A long whitish hand could be dimly seen as it shot out and grabbed the gunwale; two pale lamplike eyes shone coldly as they peered inside, and then they lifted and gazed up at Frodo on the eyot.

FOTR The Great River

Originally Posted by blantyr

I could only attribute it to corruption caused by the Ring. While perhaps it might have been possible to recover from such an effect after having borne the Ring so long, I would be dubious.

I can't see lembas ultimately allowing Gollum the strength to completely conquer the Gollum personality indefinitely. After all, that persona was basically the Ring itself, and lembas did not prevent the Ring from mastering Frodo when it came down to it. And Frodo was from the start much more inclined toward "good" than Sméagol ever was.