<Tr> <Th> Race </Th> <Td> Spider </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Book (s) </Th> <Td> The Two Towers (1954) </Td> </Tr> <P> Shelob is a fictional giant spider from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle - earth legendarium . She appears at the end of the fourth book, second volume (The Two Towers), of The Lord of the Rings . Her lair lies in Cirith Ungol ("the pass of the spider") leading into Mordor . Gollum deliberately leads Frodo Baggins there in hopes of recovering the One Ring when Shelob attacks Frodo . The plan is foiled when Samwise Gamgee greatly injures Shelob with Frodo's Elvish dagger, Sting, and the Phial of Galadriel . </P> <P> Shelob was an "evil thing in spider - form...(the) last child of Ungoliant to trouble the unhappy world", living high in the Ephel Dúath mountains on the borders of Mordor . There are numerous references to her predating the events of The Lord of the Rings by many ages . Although she resided in Mordor and was unrepentantly evil, she was independent of Sauron and his influence . </P>

Who is the spider in lord of the rings