A major draw in many J.R.R. Tolkien stories is the creatures he put onto the pages. Whether it be trolls, eagles, or the golem known as the Balrog, they added so much to this medieval fantasy realm. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is using some of them from the source material, while also creating new ones.

A familiar face pops up as Season 2 begins: the scary spider, Shelob. While she’s not as big or as old, she does come off a lot more terrifying. In the process, Shelob sets up potential for her own origin story outside of Sauron’s tower at Barad-dûr.

What Is Shelob’s History in Lord of the Rings?

Shelob Was an Unwitting Guard Dog Outside Mordor

When Sauron operated from Mordor, he had many prisoners, and sometimes, his own orc soldiers that he wanted to be punished. He would feed them to Shelob, the guardian of the pass known as Cirith Ungol. She was the “last child” of Ungoliant: a mammoth spider in the First Age. As Shelob grew older, the spider would even feast on her own children, proving she had a sadistic appetite growing around the Second Age of Middle-earth.

Sauron viewed her as a pet by the time the Third Age came around. He knew anyone who trespassed would be eaten. She occupied this territory for thousands of years by then. Shelob laid traps via her web. Outside the sticky threads she wove, if she saw prey running away and worth pursuing, she would show her apex predator skills and hunt them. That is, once they didn’t take her too far away from her rocky conclave.

In time, Gollum would stumble across her, but he was able to broker a deal. Apart from being too bony to eat, he promised he would deliver her a better meal. This laid the foundation for him to eventually bring Frodo and Sam to the lair. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King detailed this by pushing it back from the Two Towers lore. Gollum’s plan was for them to die and for him to steal the One Ring.

Shelob would web up Frodo and prepare a meal. But luckily, Sam used Frodo’s sword, Sting, and a magical phial Galadriel gave them to defeat enemies. Sam stabbed the monster, and it’s implied that once their ring ordeal was over, the spider died. Coincidentally, her descendants also fought Frodo’s ancestor, Bilbo Baggins, years before, creating an intrinsic link to the Hobbit clan. In Season 2 of Rings of Power in the Second Age, audiences see the younger version of Shelob in action.

Rings of Power’s Shelob Tries to Kill Isildur

Shelob Wants Human and Orc Flesh In Season 2

Rings of Power Season 1 left Isildur near-death in the Southlands after his army tried to fight off Adar’s orcs. Isildur wakes up webbed, however, it’s not just men around. There are orcs, too, confirming Shelob is feeding on anything in sight. Whether people are alive or dead, she doesn’t discriminate against any species. Isildur has to fend off an orc first, and gets help from his horse, Berek, only for more havoc to break loose. Infant spiders attack the horse, but the real threat is Shelob. The spider jumps out of the shadows and tries to bite Isildur.

She uses her pincers and claws to try to tear Isildur apart. It’s very frenetic, giving the series a true horror feel. It’s not as big a spectacle as when an older, bigger Shelob fought Sam and Frodo. But in this smaller, claustrophobic zone, there is a more suffocating feeling. Shelob has that energy of a Facehugger and a small Xenomorph from the Alien movies. She’s faster, more agile, and leaping around. She stalks him from the shadows, uses the rocky walls of the cave, and jumps on his back. No matter what, he can’t fling her off.

Thankfully, after dragging and flailing him around, he’s able to retrieve a blade and stab the creature. The monster hisses and scurries off. Isildur races to his horse to get out and avoid being killed. The wounded Shelob tries to pursue, but she won’t leave her boundary zone and doesn’t want to go into the light. Darkness is her friend, so she will have to make do with the people already in her possession as prisoners of war. All in all, it’s a quick fight that lasts no more than five minutes. This is one of the most intense sprawls the show has ever had.

Rings of Power’s Shelob Highlights a Big Franchise Strength

Shelob Proves Rings of Power Is Getting the Monsters Right

Rings of Power’s second season is doing right by all these monsters. It shows more of the kaiju that attacked Sauron’s boat, devoured people, and sent him off to become Halbrand. That flashback is a pristine example of how impeccable this show’s character design and CGI are. Sauron later meets a wolf-like beast in Adar’s internment camp. He enchants the monster to help him escape — a talent he showed when he seemed to ward the kaiju off, too.

Then there is the Eagle that helps people believe Pharazôn should rule Númenor. In addition, the giant troll, Damrod, shows up at Adar’s spot for an alliance. All of these sequences look polished and add to the escapist energy of the series. It’s most welcome at a time when even Marvel and DC content sometimes get practical and special effects wrong. Rings of Power, on the other hand, mixes both to aplomb, further evidenced by the orc mother and child.

This gives the young Shelob more character and personality than in Peter Jackson’s movie. She comes off a lot more cerebral as she clearly wants to taste Isildur. Admittedly, trailers and marketing should have done a better job of keeping the spider a surprise. While some critics think she has been shoehorned in, her presence teases that she is close to Mordor. She could find the passageway and create the home people saw on the big screen.

Rings of Power’s Shelob Could Meet Sauron

Sauron Could Find and Enchant Shelob In Season 2

Sauron is now disguised as Annatar at Celebrimbor’s Forge in Eregion, but he will be multitasking. He has to ensure no messengers come from Elrond’s Lindon to the Forge. He also has to secure more space around Mordor for his inevitable coup. Thus, he is set up to be around Shelob.

This could see Sauron domesticating the beast, as the series is fiddling heavily with Tolkien’s canon. With continuity being reshaped, Sauron could find more heroes and villains to throw at the spider. He could easily shift her to her haven and what would become a death trap for his enemies. This way, the Prime Video series, even if it goes about it in a roundabout manner, does pad the gap to the Jackson movies.

It would make Sauron more conniving and stealthy, while giving Shelob extra potential scenes to eat and be intimidating. Ultimately, this is what most fans want to see. Building blocks are laid down to inform the movies, retcons and all. It helps connectivity and the overall world-building to a tapestry where fans want the histories, origins and motivations for all these iconic figures: both good and evil.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 debuts new episodes Thursdays on Prime Video.