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The first time he meets Gollum, Bilbo narrowly avoids death. With a strange creature in front of him and not knowing of its intentions, Bilbo makes sure to hide the ring from Gollum. As soon as Bilbo wins the riddle game, though, and things start looking bad for Gollum, the treacherous creature runs off to its hidey hole to find the ring, in order to “put out [Bilbo’s] eyeses” and eat him. At the first sign that anything is amiss--when the ring is nowhere to be found--Gollum runs back to the shore, determined to go back on his promise and kill the “thieving” Baggins. Gollum later betrays Sam and Frodo to their supposed deaths at the hands of Shelob when he discovers Frodo’s plans for the Ring. In the movies this betrayal is emphasized by having Gollum argue with himself, but in both the films and the novels we cannot help but feel disgusted at just how low Gollum sinks in betraying "master."

Gollum’s betrayals, however, are only the most obvious of many throughout the worlds that Tolkien created. Saruman, trusted confidant and friend of the White Council, happily betrays his old friends in order to gain greater power. Saruman allies himself with Mordor and Sauron and then, in yet another act of betrayal, goes against Sauron’s orders and begins searching the River Anduin for the Ring. His betrayal of his friends carries throughout the Lord of the Rings, as he burns down a large part of Fangorn forest, sends out his Uruk-hai to stop the Fellowship, and “conquers” the shire, reducing its green fields to ash. Though Saruman is eventually stopped and killed at the hands of Grima Wormtongue, the effects of his treachery remain.

 

All of us feel the sorrow of betrayal at some point in our lives. As with Gandalf's disbelief at discovering Saruman's true colors, we often feel shocked that someone close to us could let us down. Just as Frodo grows angry with himself for having trusted Gollum, we often bash ourselves for having not seen our companions for what they were. Whether it’s a trusted friend, a loved one, or even a friendly aquaintance, betrayal is perhaps one of the hardest emotions to bear. We feel everything at once: anger, fear, sorrow, and loss. The "greatest" betrayal however, was not at the hands of Dwarves or Wizards or old, corrupt Hobbits. It was at the hands of Judas Iscariot, standing in for each and every one of us when he betrayed Jesus Christ to His death. Christ felt everything we did, and like the people of Middle Earth, He paid for it.

 

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