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Shadow of War content
The Monolith games, Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, are confirmed to be non-canonical in the Middle-earth cinematic universe and therefore take place in their own timeline adjacent to the movies. See Canon for more information. |
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Shelob was one of the descendants of Ungoliant. A Maia that could take the form of a Great Spider.
History[]
Betrayed lover of Sauron[]
"Last child of Ungoliant, let us master this unhappy world." - Sauron
Shelob after slaughtering Súladan's men
Shelob was the last daughter of the infamous Ungoliant and was able to assume the visage of a ravishing human woman, apparently being one of the angelic beings that were before the world was conceived: a Maia. Drawn to Sauron in the early Second Age, she became one of his closest servants as well as his lover, staying by his side in the towering fortress of Barad-dûr. His "cat" he called her and she indulged him.
Sauron began corrupting the Kings of Men with his Rings of Power and when approached by King Súladan, he retreated and abandoned Shelob. Surrounded by Súladan's men, she angrily slaughtered them and was forced into the mountains where she remained in Cirith Ungol, plotting her revenge against Sauron.[1]
Shelob began upsetting Sauron's operations shortly after his return to Mordor, sending her offspring to harass his Orcs and Uruks in Nan Ungol. In response, Sauron entrusted his "Mouth" with delivering a message to her and her children: as they were no longer his servants, their pestering defilement had to end: they would not lay any more eggs within the borders of Mordor and they would be confined to the tunnels of Cirith Ungol, for the Dark Lord's tolerance had all but worn out. Despite the threatening embassy of the Mouth of Sauron, Shelob was undeterred in her goal. At some point she made a pact with the creature Gollum and coerced the Olog-hai warrior Ar-Baruk with her beauty into her employ, using them both to harry Sauron's resurgent forces. She was known as the Spider-Queen Shelob by all during this time.[2]
Weaver of Fate[]
"I am Shelob and I deal only in truth." - Shelob
Shelob sensed the Forging of the New Ring during the War for Mordor in the Third Age and had a vision of Talion and Celebrimbor defeating Sauron and enslaving Middle-earth as the Bright Lord. She wished to prevent this from coming to pass and went to Mount Doom where she uses her sorcery to ensnare Celebrimbor, returning back to Cirith Ungol. Talion was forced to give her the New Ring to get Celebrimbor back. She showed Talion visions of the fall of Minas Ithil, (in the Monolith Timeline, Minas Ithil didn't fall until the Third Age after the events of the Hobbit). Talion continued to return to her for guidance while trying to save the city [1]
Talion failed to stop Sauron from taking Minas Ithil and after using the Palantir, the Dark Lord realized that Shelob had been conspiring against him and sent the Nazgûl to deal with her. Upon being attacked by the Nine, the Spider-Queen took them on before they were repeled by Talion and Eltariel. Shelob was greatly weakened during the battle and returned the New Ring to Talion before retreating into her lair.[1]
Shelob's nightmare did not come to pass: the Dark Lord toppled the Bright One, absorbing Celebrimbor into his own being while Talion captured the fortress of Minas Morgul to use in keeping the armies of Mordor ar bay. In the late War for Mordor, Shelob sent her champion and envoy, Ar-Baruk the Thrall, to join Eltariel in battling Sauron's hosts.
During the War of the Ring, Gollum brought Frodo Baggins with the One Ring into her lair and she paralyzed him before being presumably fatally wounded by Samwise Gamgee.
Relationships[]
Family
- Ungoliant - Mother
- Children of Shelob
Allies
- Gollum (situational ally)
- Ar-Baruk
- Talion (situational ally)
- Celebrimbor (situational ally)
- Eltariel (situational ally)
Enemies
- Sauron (former lover)
- Witch-king of Angmar
- Isildur
- Sûladan
- Helm Hammerhand
Appearances[]
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (mentioned on artefact)
- Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Reference list
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Middle-earth: Shadow of War
- ↑ Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - The children of Shelob are revealed to be at war with the forces of Sauron on the Crushed Spider Egg artefact.