But Shelob has been in Ephel Dúath since before Sauron laid the first stone of Barad-dûr-that's how old she is. No one knows exactly how Shelob arrived at this particular place near Cirith Ungol, but her kind have been around in Middle-earth since the beginning: Beren fought similar spider-shaped monsters in the Mountains of Terror in Doriath, and so did Lúthien Tinúviel. He calls her his cat, though of course, she in no way belongs to him. In fact, he sometimes commands that prisoners be driven into her hole, and he can certainly spare an orc or two to feed her. In fact, he quite likes having such an excellent guard.

Sauron knows that she lives in the tunnels leading to Cirith Ungol, but he leaves her there. She is shaped like a spider, but she has a short neck and a giant, swollen body. She is the last child of Ungoliant, also a giant female spider, so it's in her genes to be, well, nasty. Shelob is an ancient evil so strong that even the light of Galadriel's jewel can only put her off for a time.

Once again, this book gives us tons of proof that Tolkien was a huge nerd for languages. Shelob lives under Cirith Ungol: Spider Pass, in Torech Ungol-Shelob's Lair.

Shelob means, literally, 'female spider.' 'Lob' is an old word for spider, and 'she,' of course, means 'she.' Tolkien also comments, in a letter to Naomi Mitchison on April 25, 1954, that Ungol is Elvish for 'spider' ( source, pg.

Lord of the rings gollum shelob