Spider of Cirith Ungol. Shelob was the largest and nastiest of the Great Spiders to survive the destruction of Beleriand. Through the Second and Third Age, Shelob the Great and her lesser offspring lived in the Mountains of Mordor and forests of Mirkwood. By the end of the Third Age, her offspring had taken over large parts of Mirkwood, while Shelob largely kept to her den in Cirith Ungol, where she fed on anyone of any race who attempted to enter Mordor via that pass through the mountains. In the year 3000 she captured Gollum, but released him so he might bring more victims. In 3019 Gollum brought Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee to her lair. Shelob paralyzed Frodo the Ringbearer, and would have consumed him but for Sam who first blinded Shelob with the light of the Phial of Galadriel, then severely wounded her with an Elf blade. She appears to have crept away to die in her lair.
