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shelob?

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Angela KAY Rolling

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Dec 5, 1992, 10:10:51 AM12/5/92
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I thought that shelob was a member of the same speaces of gient spider
that Bilbo and the dwarves incountered in The Hobit.??

Elf-Kin

Louis E. Keiner

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Dec 5, 1992, 3:12:57 PM12/5/92
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Probably same genus, different species. :) All the giant spiders in Middle-
Earth were probably descended from Ungoliant. Shelob was most likely a refugee
from Dungortheb, through which Beren had to pass coming to Doriath. I got the
impression that Shelob was a lot bigger than the spiders Bilbo encountered.

Lou


Igor Pankevich

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Dec 7, 1992, 10:27:33 PM12/7/92
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I think she might be one of the children of Ungoliath of the First Age...
Any comments?

--Igor

sam...@zeus.tamu.edu

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Dec 8, 1992, 1:44:00 PM12/8/92
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In article <Byx89...@cs.columbia.edu>, ig...@cs.columbia.edu (Igor Pankevich) writes...

She is definitely mentioned as the 'last child of Ungoliant to trouble the
world' (or something to that effect...) I was under the impression that
the Mirkwood spiders might have been her offspring (lesser than her in the
same way that she was lesser than Ungoliant). It does mention her 'miserable
mates', I believe...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Steven A. McCluney |"Strange women lying in ponds |
| sam...@zeus.tamu.edu | distributing swords is no basis |
| I'm a grad student, so my opinions | for a system of government!" |
| are worthless anyway | Dennis, to King Arthur |
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Alaric Tekiahyn

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Dec 8, 1992, 8:50:13 PM12/8/92
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In article <Byx89...@cs.columbia.edu>, ig...@cs.columbia.edu (Igor Pankevich) writes:

] In article <BysKu...@news.iastate.edu>, tx...@isuvax.iastate.edu (Angela KAY Rolling) writes:
] > I thought that shelob was a member of the same speaces of gient spider
] > that Bilbo and the dwarves incountered in The Hobit.??
]
] I think she might be one of the children of Ungoliath of the First Age...
] Any comments?

There are references (I can't quote page and line, but they exist) in the
Silmarillion and/or the Unfinished Tales, not to mention a few suggestive
comments in LotR itself, which make it abundantly and inescapably clear
that Shelob was one of the spawn of Ungoliant. (Hopefully, one of the
last.) Whereas the giant spiders encountered by Bilbo and the dwarves
in 'The Hobbit' were no more than that - just giant spiders. (Possibly
they got giant with some help from the Necromancer, who later of course
turned out to be Sauron; but that's speculation.)


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