Grendel, fictional character, a monstrous creature defeated by Beowulf in the Old English poem Beowulf (composed between 700 and 750 CE). Gollum, fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Gollum is a vaguely reptilian creature who is obsessed with the ring that is the focus of much of the action of the books. Source: Britannica