The appearance of the biggest cobwebs he’s ever seen gives Sam some hope that he’s at least dealing with something he understands, and fortunately cutting through them is easy enough with the right tools (such as an ancient Elvish sword from Gondolin). But soon Frodo is wild with (false) hope of his own, and rushes headlong into what Sam knows can only be more danger. We dig deeper into Shelob’s history and her mutual understanding with Sauron, learn how much of an arachnophile Gollum really is, and discuss how the One Ring is — and is not — like a palantír.
Recommended Reading:
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings (Mariner Books, paperback) “Shelob’s Lair”, pp. 705-10
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit (Mariner Books, paperback)
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Christopher Tolkien, ed.) The Silmarillion (Mariner Books, paperback)
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Baillie Tolkien, ed.) Letters from Father Christmas (Mariner Books, paperback)
On the worshipping of Shelob by Gollum, what does it say about the cleverness and genius of Gollum that he convinced a wholly gluttonous and murderous being to not kill him and eat him not just immediately but ever?