Tolkien and the Monsters

[davem]

Originally Posted by Bethberry

More seriously, many ancient mythologies have figures of disgust similar to Shelob, perhaps not in spider-form, but certainly carrying all the imageries of loathesome appetite and revolting physicality and this gender attribute. Shelob is simply another example of how Tolkien extends old mythologies in very well done ways. After all, consider the Lilith--Eve distinction.

Yet Tolkien's stories are full of monstrous spiders - from Hobbit, through Roverandom through to monsters like Ungoliant & Shelob. I think its in the notes to Roverandom that its mentioned that its one of Tolkien's sons - Michael?? who was terrified of spiders, so Tolkien put them in & described them with especial relish.

I do see the 'Loathly Lady'/Kundrie/Ceridwen/Morrighan symbolism - the 'Black screaming Hag'/'Sow who eats her own farrow. Its very common, as you say. The Goddess has a 'dark' aspect. In fact, in the Irish myths Sovereignty, the Goddess of the Land first appears as a Hag, etc. I can see this symbolism in Shelob, certainly, & there is a 'Twin-Goddess' thing going on with her & Galadriel But Tolkien does what he often does - whereas in the original myths these were two aspects of the same deity, he splits them off into separate figures - he does the same with the figure of Odin, whose 'positive' aspects are given to Gandalf, & whose 'negative' ones are split between Sauron & Saruman - there's an interesting essay on this in the Tolkien's Legendarium collection.

So, yes, mythologically Shelob/Galadriel are both aspects of the primal Goddess - Shelob as the Crone, Galadriel as the Mother (with Arwen as the Maiden) - confirmed in the fact that they are all 'weavers', which also ties them in with the Fates/Norns. The Spider was a creature associated with the Goddess as weaver - links to Arianrhod ('Silver Wheel') in the Mabinogion, & Ariadne in Greek myth.

Whether this is deliberate on Tolkien's part is the question - maybe it came through unconsciously (maybe he was part of some Christian conspiracy to 'twist' Pagan sacred symbols ).

To me all this is part of a deep undercurrent to the Legendarium - I'm just not sure that in the case of Shelob (as opposed to Lembas, for instance, which I think is a deliberate reference to the Host) that its intentional, or even conscious on Tolkien's part. I suspect that he just wanted something really terrifying, & being stuck in a pitch black tunnel with a giant spider is pretty terrifying. Plus there's the whole 'Spider in the Starlight' symbolism of the light of Earendel overcoming the last child of Ungoliant.

And I wonder how many people have followed all that! (And how many still think I'm a 'bible basher'!)