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Shelob
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Author:  A-U Moderators [ September 12th, 2009, 10:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Shelob
Who was this spider? Why did she leave Gollum alone, if she likes orc-meat? Discuss Shelob here!
Author:  Nurrantiel Mashiara [ January 15th, 2010, 5:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
Sometimes I like to think Gollum was just too thin and not worth the trouble of catching. :lol:

I do think it's really interesting to see the (very, very) backstory on Shelob when reading the Silmarillion and hearing about Ungoliant. But that doesn't tell us much about Shelob herself. Why is she in the pass? She must have been around (or at least a predecessor) when people were living in Minas Ithil. The area wasn't all bad - so did they lose people to a terror in the cliffs back then too? Or was she in hiding deeper in the mountains and only came out through some sort of pact with Sauron? It's an interesting thought.
Author:  Cara [ July 20th, 2011, 2:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
I am fresh after re-reading The Two Towers and I am still under the spell of great Shelob. When I was reading her description, I thought that this huge spider is something so old and something so evil and cruel that its impossible to harm her and only fear her.

I fell in love with this pet :lol:

What is your feel of Shelob? And how you compare movie Shelob with book Shelob? And maybe some thought about giant spiders of Tolkien in general?
Author:  Eä [ August 1st, 2011, 9:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
I hate spiders! Good for Frodo that he was stung from behind so he never saw what got him! But in my eyes it makes Sam's deed so more heroic. The stench alone could have taken a man out and even though he was right underneath Shelob he still had the wits, strength and courage to stab her belly. Well, done Sam!

But I really liked Tolkien's description of her. The little backstory we do get, how he describes her 'feelings', that she is this mighty, invincible creature, so sure of herself, a Queen of the pass of Cirith Ungol and so powerful that even orcs fear her and avoid her.

It's also interesting how she seems to be able to live on practically nothing for weeks.. months, years.. Everyone knows she is there and even though Sauron will feed her a prisoner occasionally, there must have been long periods of time where the place had been deserted before Sauron rose again.
And the ability to heal herself like Tolkien describes - or guesses. That if she were left alone long enough she would be able to heal herself from within.. even her wounded eye which Sam stabbed. After all she managed to create layer on layer of pure malice from all these many years... Quite powerful creature.. Mama Ungoliant would have been so proud of her offspring! :P
Author:  Cara [ August 1st, 2011, 9:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
I was rather sorry for her when she was moaning from pain in her lair ;) Spiders are something than I never feel sorry for but she was never hurted and always was winning so it had to be for her harsh sting.
Author:  Eä [ August 1st, 2011, 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
I'm sure her pride was hurt a lot too - if spiders even feel pride. But yes, for such a creature to be defeated it must have been a shock for her to experience it for the first time in her long life.
Author:  Areanne [ May 6th, 2012, 9:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
I don't think she really liked orc-meat... And Gollum is very thin, almost no meat on him...

They didn't do a good job explaining it in the movie, but in the books it says that he'd been promising to bring her fresh meat if she lfet him alone so that she didn't have to eat the orcs. What's more, Gollum got used to avoiding her webs and scuttling around her holes, he'd be a very hard-to-get piece of prey, and for mostly bones and skin.

Just what I think. :yes:
Author:  The Inkslayer [ May 6th, 2012, 7:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
I think Shelob is one of the more interesting villains in LotR, just for being so complex and fascinating. I hate, hate, hate spiders, but I actually hoped that she survived in the end.

There's a thought! Shelob was clearly long-lived, so if she survived, she could still be lurking out in the modern world somewhere. *Hides under bed*
Author:  Loki [ July 11th, 2012, 5:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
How I lovethis huge spider ^^ I was amazed by how Tolkien described her evil nature and her centuries-like life. She was true terror of the mountains. I am not afraid of spiders usually but have read her chapter with true respect.
Author:  Moist von Lipwig [ May 2nd, 2013, 3:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
I love Shelob, mostly because she is an old, very old being that is afraid of nothing and rules her small realm, seeding fear in all creatures near by.

But I also like spiders in general. I even had the tarantula.
Author:  Nienor Níniel [ January 27th, 2014, 3:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
^^ I got a "stupid" question. Can I count her as a strong feminine character? If so, she's definitely the strongest one I've ever read about. She is so lonely (but she likes being alone, I suppose), and killing everyone nearby, and absolutely cares about no one. I admire her even more than Smaug, if that's possible. (Admiring doesn't mean I want to kill everyone, or turn into her, but well.. you probably get the point.)
Author:  Héalic [ November 13th, 2016, 3:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Shelob
Shelob in the books was fantastic as a villain. I love the description, or implication more like, ofher desperation for food and her endless hunger and ferocity.

The problem I had with movie Shelob is that she was much less personified. She was more of a big monster to be defeated than a real character. She's actually got a lot of depth as a character, and a lot of metaphors for humanity and it's nature could probably be drawn out of her. The movie just kind of passed over her as a quick action scene.

Nienor, I think that's a legit generalization. Like I said, she really is a character that has some depth, and she is certainly a strong one. The fact that she's a giant spider is of passing significance in character analysis :p
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Post subject:  Re: Shelob
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