Shelob
Encyclopedia
Shelob is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
legendarium
. She appears at the end of the fourth book, second volume (The Two Towers
), of The Lord of the Rings
.
form," living high in the Ephel Dúath mountains that border Mordor
; the “last child of Ungoliant
to trouble the unhappy world.” There are numerous references to her being ancient, and predating the events recalled in The Lord of the Rings
by many ages. Although she resides in Mordor and is unrepentantly evil, she remains independent of Sauron
and his influence.
This creature was first introduced in the chapter "Shelob's Lair," but is actually featured and is referred to long before she is properly introduced: "But still she was there, who was there before Sauron, and before the first stone of Barad-dûr
; and she served none but herself, drinking the blood of Elves
and Men
, bloated and grown fat with endless brooding on her feasts, weaving webs of shadow; for all living things were her food, and her vomit darkness."
She occupied Torech Ungol beneath Cirith Ungol ("Pass of the Spider"), and may have once lived in Beleriand
. Also called the "Spider of Darkness," Shelob's brood (upon whom she would often feed) and descendants include the Giant Spiders who captured Bilbo Baggins
's Dwarf
allies in Mirkwood
in The Hobbit
.
Shelob's lair was along the path that Sam Gamgee and Frodo Baggins
took while travelling to Mount Doom
. Her spider-silk, which was spun in both rope and cobweb form, was strong and cleverly made, trapping those who walked into it. Shelob had encountered Gollum
during his previous trip to Mordor, and he apparently worshipped her after his fashion. The Orcs
of the Tower of Cirith Ungol called her "Shelob the Great" and "Her Ladyship," and knew of Gollum's relationship with her (they referred to him as "Her Sneak"). Sauron himself was aware of her existence, but left her alone, as she was a useful guard on the pass. He occasionally sent her prisoners for whom he had no further use.
Gollum led the Hobbit
s into her lair so that he could get the One Ring
after she consumed them, as she had no use for it. She attacked and stung Frodo, paralyzing
him, while Gollum looked on and tried to strangle Sam. An enraged Sam fought off Gollum and then battled Shelob desperately using his master's sword. After hewing one claw from her leg and putting out one eye (the latter being the only soft part of her body), he ultimately defeated her when she impaled herself upon Sting while trying to crush him. She fled into her lair, significantly wounded. The story makes a point of saying that her final fate will remain unknown to the people of Middle-earth. It also makes a point — and even the Orcs remark on it — that it was the first time anyone had "stuck a pin" in Shelob.
Thinking Frodo dead, Sam took the Ring from his friend and left his body behind, but discovered by listening to a pair of Orcs that Shelob could inject a dose of venom that was not intended to kill its victims, but only to render them unconscious and keep their meat fresh, as with lesser spiders. In the text, she was attempting to kill Sam outright, however.
's film trilogy
, Shelob's appearance is held over until the middle of the third movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
. In the movie, Shelob can be seen to have a retractable venomous stinger
at the rear end between the spinnerets, resembling a wasp
's stinger. This is very much unlike real spiders, which inject venom with their fangs. Shelob also appears to have a gaping mouth, whereas real spiders can ingest only liquid. (Tolkien describes "her beak drabbling a spittle of venom".) In a DVD
commentary, Jackson says Shelob's appearance is mostly based on the tunnel-web spiders
of New Zealand
, which he hates. In the film there is no indication that Shelob may be anything more than a simple giant spider, with no reference to the supernatural terror of her parent, Ungoliant
.
In the film, Shelob 'stings' Frodo in the chest, while in the book, she penetrates him in the neck, above his mithril
shirt. This is a possible plot incongruity
, since, in a later scene, Sam witnesses two Orcs arguing over his unblemished mithril shirt (though the stinger could simply have hit him just above the shirt's cover, but just below his neck).
In the video game The Return of the King
, which is based on the film, Shelob is one of the bosses
and her defeat is required to beat the level "Shelob's Lair". In The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
, Shelob is a hireable hero-unit of the Goblin
faction.
In Marvel Comics
's Spirits of Vengeance #11, Ghost Rider
and John Blaze battle an evil spider-like entity called Shelob.
In the videogame Borderlands
the player must battle a giant Spiderant called 'Helob'
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
legendarium
Legendarium
Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...
. She appears at the end of the fourth book, second volume (The Two Towers
The Two Towers
The Two Towers is the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. It is preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring and followed by The Return of the King.-Title:...
), of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
.
Literature
Shelob was an "evil thing in spiderSpider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
form," living high in the Ephel Dúath mountains that border Mordor
Mordor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor or Morhdorh was the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of northwestern Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. Orodruin, a volcano in Mordor, was the destination of the Fellowship of the Ring in the quest to...
; the “last child of Ungoliant
Ungoliant
Ungoliant is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, described as an evil spirit in the form of a spider. She is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings, and plays a supporting role in The Silmarillion. Her origins are unclear, as Tolkien's writings don't explicitly...
to trouble the unhappy world.” There are numerous references to her being ancient, and predating the events recalled in The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
by many ages. Although she resides in Mordor and is unrepentantly evil, she remains independent of Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
and his influence.
This creature was first introduced in the chapter "Shelob's Lair," but is actually featured and is referred to long before she is properly introduced: "But still she was there, who was there before Sauron, and before the first stone of Barad-dûr
Barad-dûr
Barad-dûr is the fortress of Sauron in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Mount Doom in the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
; and she served none but herself, drinking the blood of Elves
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
and Men
Man (Middle-earth)
The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender...
, bloated and grown fat with endless brooding on her feasts, weaving webs of shadow; for all living things were her food, and her vomit darkness."
She occupied Torech Ungol beneath Cirith Ungol ("Pass of the Spider"), and may have once lived in Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
. Also called the "Spider of Darkness," Shelob's brood (upon whom she would often feed) and descendants include the Giant Spiders who captured Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist and titular character of The Hobbit and a supporting character in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of J. R. R...
's Dwarf
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
allies in Mirkwood
Mirkwood
Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. In the First Age, the highlands of Dorthonion north of Beleriand were known as Mirkwood after falling under Morgoth's control. During the Third Age, the large forest in Rhovanion, east of the Anduin in ...
in The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
.
Shelob's lair was along the path that Sam Gamgee and Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
took while travelling to Mount Doom
Mount Doom
Mount Doom is a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. It is located in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Barad-dûr, it is approximately high. Alternative names, in Tolkien's invented language of Sindarin, include Orodruin and Amon Amarth...
. Her spider-silk, which was spun in both rope and cobweb form, was strong and cleverly made, trapping those who walked into it. Shelob had encountered Gollum
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
during his previous trip to Mordor, and he apparently worshipped her after his fashion. The Orcs
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
of the Tower of Cirith Ungol called her "Shelob the Great" and "Her Ladyship," and knew of Gollum's relationship with her (they referred to him as "Her Sneak"). Sauron himself was aware of her existence, but left her alone, as she was a useful guard on the pass. He occasionally sent her prisoners for whom he had no further use.
Gollum led the Hobbit
Hobbit
Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction.Hobbits first appeared in the novel The Hobbit, in which the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is the titular hobbit...
s into her lair so that he could get the One Ring
One Ring
The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...
after she consumed them, as she had no use for it. She attacked and stung Frodo, paralyzing
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
him, while Gollum looked on and tried to strangle Sam. An enraged Sam fought off Gollum and then battled Shelob desperately using his master's sword. After hewing one claw from her leg and putting out one eye (the latter being the only soft part of her body), he ultimately defeated her when she impaled herself upon Sting while trying to crush him. She fled into her lair, significantly wounded. The story makes a point of saying that her final fate will remain unknown to the people of Middle-earth. It also makes a point — and even the Orcs remark on it — that it was the first time anyone had "stuck a pin" in Shelob.
Thinking Frodo dead, Sam took the Ring from his friend and left his body behind, but discovered by listening to a pair of Orcs that Shelob could inject a dose of venom that was not intended to kill its victims, but only to render them unconscious and keep their meat fresh, as with lesser spiders. In the text, she was attempting to kill Sam outright, however.
Name
As Tolkien admitted in a letter to his son, Shelob "is of course only 'she + lob'," - lob being an archaic English word for spider, influenced by Old English loppe or "spider". The word is not related to "cob" nor "cobweb". Old English attercoppe (meaning "spider") is derived from atter meaning "poison" and coppe meaning "head"; Tolkien used "attercop" as well as "cob" and "lob" in The Hobbit, where Bilbo Baggins sings songs taunting the giant spiders in Mirkwood: "Attercop, Attercop, Old Tomnoddy" and "Lazy Lob and Crazy Cob".Adaptations
In Peter JacksonPeter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
, Shelob's appearance is held over until the middle of the third movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
. In the movie, Shelob can be seen to have a retractable venomous stinger
Stinger
-Biology:* Stinger, an organ or body part found in various animals that usually delivers some kind of venom.* Stinger , a minor neurological injury suffered by athletes.-Sports and entertainment:...
at the rear end between the spinnerets, resembling a wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
's stinger. This is very much unlike real spiders, which inject venom with their fangs. Shelob also appears to have a gaping mouth, whereas real spiders can ingest only liquid. (Tolkien describes "her beak drabbling a spittle of venom".) In a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
commentary, Jackson says Shelob's appearance is mostly based on the tunnel-web spiders
Porrhothele antipodiana
The black tunnelweb spider, Porrhothele antipodiana, is a spider found throughout much of New Zealand and the Chatham Islands in bush and gardens. Males are often found indoors during spring and summer when they leave their burrows to find mates. When found inside, they are typically near a source...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, which he hates. In the film there is no indication that Shelob may be anything more than a simple giant spider, with no reference to the supernatural terror of her parent, Ungoliant
Ungoliant
Ungoliant is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, described as an evil spirit in the form of a spider. She is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings, and plays a supporting role in The Silmarillion. Her origins are unclear, as Tolkien's writings don't explicitly...
.
In the film, Shelob 'stings' Frodo in the chest, while in the book, she penetrates him in the neck, above his mithril
Mithril
Mithril is a fictional metal, originally used in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. It is described as silvery and stronger than steel but much lighter in weight. The malleability, lack of tarnishing and use of the metal in jewellery suggest some similarity to the non-fictional metal...
shirt. This is a possible plot incongruity
Plot hole
A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot...
, since, in a later scene, Sam witnesses two Orcs arguing over his unblemished mithril shirt (though the stinger could simply have hit him just above the shirt's cover, but just below his neck).
In the video game The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 cross-platform third-person hack and slash video game based on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The game was published by EA Games and developed by EA Redwood Shores and...
, which is based on the film, Shelob is one of the bosses
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
and her defeat is required to beat the level "Shelob's Lair". In The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, abbreviated BFMEII, is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It is based on the fantasy novels The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien and its live-action film trilogy adaptation...
, Shelob is a hireable hero-unit of the Goblin
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
faction.
In Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
's Spirits of Vengeance #11, Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (comics)
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...
and John Blaze battle an evil spider-like entity called Shelob.
In the videogame Borderlands
Borderlands (video game)
Borderlands is a science fiction based first-person shooter with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine...
the player must battle a giant Spiderant called 'Helob'