Ah, Daddy Long Legs! I remember thinking that those waving legs were sending some sort of code to their brethern when I was young, and that hoards of spiders would seek me out if I harmed one of their comrades. Funny that the description of Shelob didn't affect me quite so badly as those fragile spiders of my youth!
But the mammoth spiders of Florida! I remember when I was staying with Ealasaide's family one summer, I was talking on the phone when one of the fiendish things ran across my lap!
I became convinced that they got some sort of sinister joy out of shocking people, dropping from the ceiling or nestling in the bed clothes.
But living in India cured me of such phobias in a hurry.....
