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The Hunt for the Ring - Gollum

Eledhwen

Cumbrian
Joined
May 11, 2002
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Aragorn's journey ...binding Gollum to a log he swam across with him, and continued his journey north by tracks as westerly as he could find, through the skirts of Fangorn, and so over Limlight, then over Nimrodel and Silverlode through the Eaves of Lorien...
So Aragorn took Gollum through the eaves of Lorien. How come none of Lorien's elves (unquestioningly good eyesight) recognised Gollum when he returned to stalk the fellowship?
 
Maybe different elves saw him at different times? Even if they did recognize him, so what? Were they expected to talk about remembering him? Doesn't matter too much.
 
They should have recognised him and captured him; he was dangerous to the fellowship.
 
Maybe Gollum-in-binds looks a bit different to Gollum-sneaking-through-the-trees? ;)

FotR: Lothlórien
Immediately afterwards Haldir came climbing swiftly up through the branches. `There was something in this tree that I have never seen before,' he said. `It was not an orc. It fled as soon as I touched the tree-stem. It seemed to be wary, and to have some skill in trees, or I might have thought that it was one of you hobbits.
'I did not shoot, for I dared not arouse any cries: we cannot risk battle. A strong company of Orcs has passed. They crossed the Nimrodel-curse their foul feet in its clean water!-and went on down the old road beside the river. They seemed to pick up some scent, and they searched the ground for a while near the place where you halted. The three of us could not challenge a hundred, so we went ahead and spoke with feigned voices, leading them on into the wood.

Haldir may not have been an Elf who saw Gollum beforehand, and may not have been able to recognise him from possible descriptions from others.
The chance that he may have been an Orc was too great. And even if it were Gollum, his cries could have triggered a battle- something that Haldir didn't want.
 

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