10 great female characters from The Lord of the Rings

Shelob, offspring of Ungoliant

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: Shelob is a monster, a giant terrifying spider who tries to murder Frodo and Sam, our heroes, in The Lord of the Rings. To that I answer: Yes, that’s true. But Shelob is also a towering icon who has been horrifying people since the 1950s. Why shouldn’t she get her plaudits?

Also, like everyone else in The Lord of the Rings, Shelob has an extensive backstory that’s only barely touched on in the books, but is there if you want to go looking for it. Shelob is the distant descendent of Ungoliant, a primordial spider as old as time. Back before the dawning of the First Age, Ungoliant teamed up with Morgoth to destroy the Two Trees of Valinor, and Ungoliant became so engorged on their light that she was able to tie Morgoth down and make him cry out in pain with a scream so loud it echoed for thousands of years. And remember, Morgoth is basically the most powerful being in all of LOTR mythology; Shelob’s grandma means business.

Shelob is Ungoliant’s last living descendent, which I guess might be sad if they weren’t a family of ravenous spider monsters. The Shelob we meet in The Lord of the Rings may not have much characterization, but she makes up for it in stomach-churning iconography. She isn’t just a giant spider monster; she is the giant spider monster all horror movie imitators aspire to be, and that’s worth celebrating.