A creature of spider-shape, of the spawn of Ungoliant, who dwelt in the mountains on the western borders of Mordor.
Notes
1 |
The earliest definite date we have for Shelob is c.1000 (Second Age), because we know that she occupied Cirith Ungol 'before the first stone of Barad-dûr' which was laid at about that time (from The Two Towers IV 9 Shelob's Lair). We also know, from the same source, that she originally came there 'flying from ruin' - this is indefinite, but ties in neatly with the War of Wrath a thousand years earlier. The suggestion here is that she originally occupied Beleriand, probably in the Ered Gorgoroth, and fled southwards to escape its destruction. |
2 |
If 'Shelob' were an Elvish name, the 'e' sound would be short, giving a pronunciation something like 'shehlob'. Her name, though, is a compound of two English words, 'She-lob', so we have assumed a standard English pronunciation. |
See also...
Her Ladyship, Nameless Pass, Shelob’s Lair, Spiders, The Great, The Watcher, Torech Ungol, Ufthak, Under-way, Undergate, Ungoliant, Westron
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