Why Did Watcher in the Water go for Frodo?

[Aldarion]

So I tried writing an article on the topic, but even after finishing it I am no smarter than I was. So why do you think Watcher went for Frodo? Was it because he was the closest tasty morsel, or because the Watcher was drawn in by the malignant energy of the One Ring?

 

[Hisoka Morrow]

Sorcery, as JRRT had never mentioned it's limit, it's possible that no matter it's Sauron or Saruman's remote mind control.

 

[m4r35n357]

Incidentally, the Watcher in the Water is often described as Lovecraftian, after the works of H.P.Lovecraft. Here is why:

Out from the water a long sinuous tentacle had crawled; it was pale green and luminous and wet. It's fingered end had hold of Frodo's foot . . .

and

Twenty other arms came rippling out. The dark water boiled, and there was a hideous stench

Perhaps the film version is not so accurate in this case

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

The name alone could easily be the title for a Lovecraft story.

 

[m4r35n357]

True. I think I only noticed the fingers on my most recent read. Yuck!

 

[m4r35n357]

So I tried writing an article on the topic, but even after finishing it I am no smarter than I was. So why do you think Watcher went for Frodo? Was it because he was the closest tasty morsel, or because the Watcher was drawn in by the malignant energy of the One Ring?

I think the idea is that some agent or other dammed the river and caused a flood to join with the underparts of the Misty Mountains, which enabled the Watcher to rise to the surface and remain there. This was done to trap Balin's expedition from the West so they could be attacked from the East, as in the Book of Mazarbul: "we can't get out!".

So, this is speculation, but I think you need to look outside the Ring story for an explanation. I don't think Sauron knew or cared about Balin, but perhaps the Balrog did. In that case the Watcher was to stop any movement in or out of Moria. He might have wanted to go first for anyone who had already entered Moria, Gandalf then Frodo I think, so Frodo would be the hindmost at the time the Watcher emerged. AIUI all the others were still outside and could be picked off or chased away later. There might have been other Unnamed Things waiting to join in the fun too, especially if Gandalf had chosen the wrong path of the three inside Moria!

OK I didn't expect to write so much

 

[Thorin]

I think it was indeed the power of the ring. Tolkien makes a point on having Gandalf notice that of all the company it went for Frodo first. If it was just a matter of easy convenience, Tolkien wouldn't have made Gandalf notice, making it seem like it was a suspicious occurrence.