Shelob

According to Tolkien, “Shelob is a word of English origin ... meaning“ she “( she ) +“ spider “( lob ) =“ spider “. This word is a translation of the elven Ungol - "spider". " Tolkien proposes to consider this word orcish and not translate it ^[1] .

In the First Age, Shelob lived in Nan Dungorteb. When the cataclysms of the wrath that destroyed the elven lands fell upon the lands of Beleriand , she somehow managed to avoid death and move to Middle-earth , where she settled in the mountains of Efel Duat on the western border of Mordor .

Shelob made her lair in the underpass at Kirit У Ungol Pass (translated from Sindarin - па spider pass ’), located high above the Minas Itil Fortress, and since then no one has been able to get to Mordor by this road. Judging by the words of Faramir, an unknown horror (the source of which was Shelob) settled in Kirit Ungol even before the Nazguls captured the citadel of Minas Itil (turning it into Minas Morgul) and the fortifications on the pass leading to Mordor:

“Nothing is known for certain,” answered Faramir. - We, the people of Gondor, have not been across the Southern Route for a long time, not to mention the Mountains of Darkness. We know about them only from ancient legends and tales passed on to us by old people. But all the legends agree that unknown horror dwells on the pass over Minas Morgul. By the name of Kirit Ungol, the elders and connoisseurs of traditions turn pale and silent.

- The Lord of the Rings. Two fortresses. Book 4, chapter 6 “Forbidden Lake” (translation by Maria Kamenkovich, Valeria Carrick)

... As a Shelob got here, into the cave, not a single legend speaks, for few traditions of the Black Years have survived to our time. But since then, she, the one who was here before Sauron and before the first stone of Barad-dur was laid, invariably stayed here.

- The Lord of the Rings. Two fortresses. Book 4, chapter 9 “Shelob's Lair” (translation by Maria Kamenkovich, Valeria Carrick)

Shelob lived in pitch darkness, for she was the brainchild of darkness and all light was pernicious to her. Frodo took advantage of this, driving her off with the radiance of the vial of Galadriel.

Shelob did not have a special life goal, with the exception of devouring everything that falls into her web, and the desire to grow more and more. She loved only herself and her flesh, and everyone else, even Sauron , despised and hated. The Dark Lord himself knew very well about her, and she was useful to him by the fact that she was the guard of Kirit-Ungol; besides, he was pleased with her hatred of all living things.

Basically, the food was served by the orcs of Sauron, constantly falling into her web. And although they were always doing workarounds, Shelob found these passages and set up their nets in them.

Shelob's web was very sticky and strong, and only elven weapons could cut it.

Around the year 3000 of the Third Age, Shelob met with Gollum , released from Barad-Dur in search of the Ring of Omnipotence.

A few years ago, Gollum-Smeagol met her, a great lazun in all the black outbacks, and then, in the days of old, he bowed to her and bowed before her, and was fed by the poison of her anger to all his wanderings, becoming inaccessible to light and repentance. And he promised to make sacrifices to her.

- The Lord of the Rings. Two fortresses. Book 4, chapter 9 “Shelob's Lair” (translation by V. Muravyov)

In 3019, T.E. Gollum, intending to blindly use Shelob as an invincible weapon, brought the hobbits Frodo and Sam to her, heading for the Orodruin volcano to destroy the Ring of Omnipotence . Shelob managed to sting and grab Frodo, but he was rescued by Sam, who succeeded - for the first time in many centuries! - not only seriously injure the monster with the elven blade of its owner, but also take it to flight.

The sounds of the agony of the wounded Shelob crawling into his lair, hears Sam, putting on the Ring. This is the last mention of her in the trilogy. Later, after the fall of Mordor, by order of King Elessar, the fortress of Minas Morgul and the fortifications of Kirit Ungola were destroyed to the ground, but a giant spider was never found.

She had a human appearance and was the Dark Lady of Mordor and the woman of Sauron . However, Sauron betrayed her, and she went into the caves of the Kirit-Ungol pass, taking the form of a giant spider and holding a grudge against Sauron. So Shelob embarked on the path of revenge.

I saw the future of Celebrimbor , in which he was destined to become the new Dark Lord of Mordor and imprisoned his soul after he created the New One Ring. Subsequently, she exchanged Celebrimbor's soul for the New Ring.

• Ungoliant