Darker and more sinister still.
The proverbial dirty, nasty, wet hole, full of the ends of worms and the oozy smell of musty water combined with the remains of stolen or killed meat, this lake was the dead end of a road tunneled by the Orcs of Gong-Goi in ages past. In utter contrast to what was proper for a Hobbit, the deranged and mutating Smeagol, in his witless wandering, sought solace here from the dreadful (to him) Yellow Face in the field of heaven. Exploring and soon settling with his few wretched belongings, Gollum lived on a slimed and craggy island near the center of this two-acre wide, 3 fathom deep, half-frozen lake near the roots of the mountains. On that island, if not directly on Gollum's person, lay concealed and cherished his sole possession of note: the One Ring, personal creation and spiritual conduit of Sauron the Dark Lord, temporary heirloom of the House of Elendil, and the most coveted item in Middle-Earth, at least for its era. Struggling to bear its burden but unable to part with it, Gollum could do naught but wallow in his madness and chew on the bones of his victims, muttering to the Ring all the while. The ring did not grant more life, simply immortality. Thus his life came to be as "too little butter spread over too much bread" as it were. Every now and again the Great goblin of Goblin Town got an urge for fresh fish and sent some hapless minion to the lake. Sometimes they returned with catch in hand, other times the hunter became the prey.