

He called it his "Precious" or his "birthday-present," the latter as a replacement in his mind for killing Déagol. The Ring's malignant influence twisted his Hobbit body, as well as his mind, and prolonged his life far beyond its natural limits. Sméagol was quickly corrupted further by the Ring and banished by his people turned by his grandmother out of her hole, he was forced to find a home in a cave in the Misty Mountains in around TA 2470. When Déagol refused, Sméagol promptly flew into a rage and fought with Déagol over the Ring, choking him to death and taking the Ring as his own. Almost immediately, Sméagol fell to the power of the Ring, demanding it as a birthday present. It was there that Déagol found a gold Ring in the water, after being pulled out of their boat by a large fish. Déagol was his cousin, and on Sméagol's birthday, they went fishing in the Gladden Fields.

Around the year 2463, Sméagol became the fourth Bearer of the One Ring, after Sauron, Isildur, and Déagol. Originally a Stoorish hobbit, born in TA 2430, Sméagol spent the early years of his life living with his extended family under a Matriarch, his grandmother.
