Why Did Faramir Sentence Gollum To Death? | Tolkien Explained

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:10]Go go go.

[00:00:28]destroy a place.

[00:00:32]>> On the thin line between life and death, how much is a promise worth? On the night of March 7th, 3019, in a hidden cave behind a majestic waterfall, Phamir delivered a verdict that could have changed the entire course of the War of the Ring. The intruder was Gollum, and the penalty was death. But behind the readied arrows of the Rangers of Ethylion lies a long history of sacrifice and secret bases built in desperation to resist the darkness of Mordor.

[00:01:08]Why was Henith Anon the longest standing outpost? What secrets hide behind the name Window of the Sunset? We will find the answers right now.

[00:01:21]We are introduced to this location after Frodo and Sam meet Phamir, captain of the Rangers of Ailion and son of Steward Denithor of Gondor. The hobbits are brought by the Rangers to the outpost of Henith Anon, which lies northeast of K Andros in northern Ethylion. It mainly consists of a cave behind a waterfall, at the base of which is an ovalshaped pool. Here on the night of March 7th, 3019, Frodo is awakened by Phamir because a visitor has come to the pool. Phamir leads them to the window, the opening behind the waterfall, which is its namesake. For Henneth, Anon translates to window on the west or window of the sunset. They make their way down to see a shadowy figure plunging into the pool.

[00:02:17]The hobbit's guide, Gollum, Phamir says.

[00:02:21]I sent my keenest huntsmen to seek him, but he slipped them, and they had no sight of him till now, save Anborn here once at dusk yesterday evening. But now he has done worse trespass than only to go connaring in the uplands. He has dared to come to Henneth Anon, and his life is forfeit.

[00:02:46]Phamir asks Frodo about the creature before one of his rangers chimes in. Now I have him at the arrow point, said Anborn. Shall I not shoot, Captain? For coming unbidden to this place, death is our law.

[00:03:01]But why such a harsh penalty for entering the pool? And how did this hidden outpost come to be? The answers come from the time of Denithor's greatgrandfather, Steuart Turin II. By the late 2800s of the Third Age, orcs from Mordor had increasingly been entering Gondorian lands, specifically the lands of Ethylon. This led to many Gondorans abandoning Ethylon in favor of safer lands west of the Anduin and closer to Minus Tith.

[00:03:36]However, the lands of Ethylon would not be wholly forsaken.

[00:03:42]Steuart Turin had many secret bases constructed throughout the land of Ethylon. And it is from these outposts that the Gondorian Rangers would operate, seeking to fight against Sauron's forces as best they could over the years to come. We are told that Phamir's outpost in the two towers, Henneth Anon, was constructed in 2,900 quarter 1 TA and would be the longest guarded and manned.

[00:04:11]By the time Frodo and Sam came to Henathan, it was 118 years old and Faramir was its latest captain.

[00:04:21]As one can imagine, the usefulness and success of such a location greatly depended upon its secrecy. As such, Frodo and Sam had been led there blindfolded, just like when the fellowship had been led through Laurian.

[00:04:37]Later, after Gollum is captured by Phamir's men, the two sides converse about the forbidden location and their errand.

[00:04:47]The wine was brought and then Anbornne came carrying Gollum. He removed the cover from Gollum's head and set him on his feet, standing behind him to support him. Gollum blinked, hooding the malice of his eyes with their heavy, pale lids.

[00:05:04]A very miserable creature, he looked, dripping and dank, smelling of fish, he still clutched one in his hand. His sparse locks were hanging like rank weed over his bony brows. His nose was sniveling. "Loose us. Loose us," he said. "The cord hurts us." "Yes, it does. It hurts us. And we've done nothing."

[00:05:28]"Nothing," said Phamir, looking at the wretched creature with a keen glance, but without any expression in his face, either of anger or pity or wonder.

[00:05:39]"Nothing. Have you never done anything worthy of binding or of worse punishment?"

[00:05:45]However, that is not for me to judge happily. But tonight you have come where it is death to come. The fish of this pool are dearly bought.

[00:05:59]Gollum dropped the fish from his hand.

[00:06:01]Don't want fish, he said. The price is not set on the fish, said Phamir. Only to come here and look on the pool bears the penalty of death. I have spared you so far at the prayer of Frodo here, who says that of him, at least you have deserved some thanks. But you must also satisfy me. What is your name? Whence do you come and wither do you go? What is your business?

[00:06:30]We are lost, lost, said Gollum. No name, no business, no precious, nothing.

[00:06:40]Only empty, only hungry. Yes, we are hungry. A few little fishes, nasty, bony little fishes for a poor creature. And they say death.

[00:06:52]So wise they are. So just, so very just.

[00:06:56]Not very wise, said Phamir. But just, yes, perhaps, as just as our little wisdom allows. Unloose him, Frodo.

[00:07:06]Phamir took a small nail knife from his belt and handed it to Frodo.

[00:07:13]With Gollum freed from his bonds, Phamir goes on to question him regarding Henith Anon. And here we see Phamir's focus shift from Gollum's business to what he knows of this secret location and whether he could betray it to others.

[00:07:31]Come hither, said Phamir. Look at me. Do you know the name of this place? Have you been here before? Slowly Gollum raised his eyes and looked unwillingly into Phamirs. All light went out of them, and they stared bleak and pale for a moment into the clear, unwavering eyes of the man of Gondor.

[00:07:54]There was a still silence. Then Gollum dropped his head and shrank down until he was squatting on the floor, shivering.

[00:08:03]"We doesn't know and we doesn't want to know," he whimpered. "Never came here, never come again. There are locked doors and closed windows in your mind and dark rooms behind them, said Phamir. But in this I judge that you speak the truth.

[00:08:22]It is well for you. What oath will you swear never to return and never to lead any living creature hither by word or sign?

[00:08:33]Master knows, said Gollum with a sidelong glance at Frodo. Yes, he knows.

[00:08:39]We will promise, master, if he saves us.

[00:08:42]We'll promise to it. Yes. He crawled to Frodo's feet. Save us, nice master, he whined. Smegel promises to precious.

[00:08:51]Promises faithfully. Never come again.

[00:08:54]Never speak. No, never. No, precious.

[00:08:57]No. Are you satisfied? said Phamir.

[00:09:01]Yes, said Frodo. At least you must either accept this promise or carry out your law. You will get no more. But I promised that if he came to me, he should not be harmed and I would not be proved faithless.

[00:09:18]While the pool itself is called forbidden, the issue at hand is more a matter of the secrecy of the outpost of Henneth Anon. The waters themselves held no special power or significance, save only that it was considered part of the rers's base. Thus, coming to the pool would be seen as trespassing upon their outpost and a grave threat to its secrecy.

[00:09:43]Therefore, Phamare is left with yet another choice, whether to allow Frodo, Sam, and Gollum to depart Henith Ananon and risk its location being discovered by evil forces.

[00:09:56]"Then I will declare my doom," said Phamir. As for you, Frodo, in so far as lies in me under higher authority, I declare you free in the realm of Gondor to the furthest of its ancient bounds, save only that neither you nor any that go with you have leave to come to this place unbidden. This doom shall stand for a year and a day and then cease unless you shall before that term come to minus tth and present yourself to the lord and steward of the city. Then I will entreat him to confirm what I have done and to make it lifelong. In the meantime, whomsoever you take under your protection shall be under my protection and under the shield of Gondor.

[00:10:49]In the end, Phamir trusts his judgment and allows the trio to leave on their quest. And while the secrecy of Henneth Anon could have been threatened as a result, this outpost would not be used by the Rangers much longer. For the very next day, the Rangers would leave the refuge. Three of the soldiers would accompany their captain to Minas Tith to report to Denithor, and the others would make their way to Osgillith. all had roles to play in the war to come.

[00:11:21]As for Henneth Anon and the Forbidden Pool, they remained abandoned for the remainder of the War of the Ring. We are not told of this location coming into play in the days after Sauron's defeat and beyond. We do know, however, that Phamir would be made prince of Athlon by King Aragorn Elisar, and that Ethylion would not only become home to Gondorans once more, but also to a colony of elves under Legal. And thus, this land of forests and rivers with such incredible sights as the window on the west became the fairest of all the westlands of Middle Earth.

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