Tolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]

Spiders

2013-04-04T03:52:35Z

Jakegothicsnake:

{{rewrite}}
{{race
|image= [[File:John Howe - Spiders of Mirkwood.jpg|250px]]
|name=Spiders
|dominions=[[Mirkwood]]
|languages=
|height=Various
|length=
|skincolor=Black or Grey
|haircolor=
|feathers=
|distinctions=Spiders in form
|lifespan=Unknown
|members=[[Shelob]]?
}}

'''Spiders''' were small eight-legged creatures, known for capturing their prey in intricate webs. Many spiders of [[Middle-earth]] were known to reach a colossal size.

==History==

There was a more sinister side to the spiders of Middle-earth that entered it with the monstrous [[Ungoliant]] in the years before the [[First Age]]. A gigantic creature of spider-shape, it was she who destroyed the [[Two Trees]] of [[Valinor]], and escaped with [[Morgoth|Melkor]] into the lands of Middle-earth. Though Ungoliant herself disappeared into the far south, she left the northern lands infested with her offspring. During the First Age, the mountains of the [[Ered Gorgoroth]] were infested with these monsters, and became a place of dread.

The most famous of Ungoliant's children, though, lived far to the south and east of the Ered Gorgoroth, on the borders of the land of [[Mordor]]. This was [[Shelob]], who haunted a network of tunnels watching the pass of [[Cirith Ungol]], eking a living on the hapless [[Orcs]] of [[Sauron]]. She had offspring of her own, too, smaller than she but with a cruel intelligence, that spread throughout the [[Ephel Dúath]] and north into [[Mirkwood]]. It was creatures like these that [[Bilbo Baggins]] encountered in ''[[The Hobbit]]'', and through fighting them that his sword acquired its name [[Sting]].

The offspring of Ungoliant differed in several important respects from normal spiders, beside their enormous size. Shelob is said to have had a stinger.<ref>{{TT|IV10}}</ref> Likewise, the spiders of Mirkwood seem to have had stingers as well as "insect eyes" (possibly compound eyes rather than eye clusters).<ref>{{H|8}}</ref>

==Names==

In [[Sindarin]], the word for "spider" is '''''ungol'''''.<ref name=UI>{{HM|UI}}, p. 490</ref> It is found in such names as [[Shelob's Lair|Torech Ungol]], [[Ungoliant#Etymology|Ungoliant]], and [[Cirith Ungol]].

In [[Gnomish]], one of [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]'s early conceptions of an [[Elvish|Elven]] language, the word for "spider" is ''cing'' or ''cingwin'' (a struck out word was ''gung''). A deleted [[Qenya]] word for "spider" was ''ung-we''.<ref>{{PE|11}}, pp. 26, 43</ref>

==Inspiration==
* A common myth is that Tolkien was bitten by a spider when he was young and this fueled his hatred for the species in his works, this is proven inaccurate through the below quotes:
{{quote|...when Ronald [Tolkien] was beginning to walk, he stumbled on a tarantula. It bit him, and he ran in terror across the garden until the nurse snatched him up and sucked out the poison. When he grew up he could remember a hot day and running in fear through long, dead grass, '''but the memory of the tarantula itself faded, and he said that the incident left him with no especial dislike of spiders.'''|''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]''}}

{{quote|I knew that the way [for Frodo, Sam, and Gollum] was guarded by a Spider. And if that has anything to do with my being stung by a tarantula when a small child, people are welcome to the notion (supposing the improbable, that any one is interested). I can only say that I remember nothing about it, should not know it if I had not been told; and '''I do not dislike spiders particularly, and have no urge to kill them.''' I usually rescue those whom I find in the bath!|{{L|163}}}}

* Regarding the spiders in ''[[The Hobbit]]'':
{{quote|I put in the spiders largely because this was, you remember, primarily written for my children (at least I had them in mind), and one of my sons [Michael] in particular dislikes spiders with a great intensity. I did it to thoroughly frighten him and it did!|From an interview of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] on January 15, 1957 by Ruth Harshaw for the "Carnival of Books" radio show. (According to ''[[The Annotated Hobbit]]'')}}

{{quote|Throughout his life, Tolkien’s son Michael had what he called “a deep-rooted abhorrence of spiders.”|''[[The Annotated Hobbit]]''}}

==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Non-player (NPC, computer controlled) spiders are found in a number of areas of Middle-earth. Players can play a spider in the Player-versus-Player (PvP) area of the [[Ettenmoors]] once the player reaches level ten. Spiders in ''The Lord of the Rings Online'' have the ability to root and spit poison from a distance.

:The appearance of spiders vary from zone to zone for NPC spiders and from rank to rank for player controlled spiders. They all look like very large spiders from the size of a cat up to the size of a large elephant.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Images of spiders|Images of spiders]]
{{references}}
[[Category:Spiders]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]
[[Category:Evil]]
[[de:Spinnen]]

User talk:KingAragorn/2013

2013-03-19T04:39:04Z

Jakegothicsnake:

{{talkarchive|2007|2008|2009|2010|2011|2012}}
{{Usertalk}}

== Artworks by Ivanneth ==

Hello! You have changed description of artworks by [[Ivanneth (artist)|Ivanneth]] attributing them to me (I am [[Karolina Węgrzyn]]), but that's misunderstanding. All works by Ivanneth I have uploaded do belong to her. You can always verify it at her website: [http://www.geocities.com/ivanneth63/ Ivanneth's portfolio]. I am moving back the changes, Regards! [[User:Sirielle|Sirielle]] 00:52, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

:Many thanks!--{{User:KingAragorn/sig}} 10:44, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

== Portal:Languages ==

Shouldn't the Portal:Languages be available from the main page?--[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 08:46, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

:I would like that.--{{User:KingAragorn/sig}} 09:30, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

==English grammar==
I need help on adding an English gloss to the wordlist. Tolkien writes that the meaing of T ''can-'' is "to summons or name a person" (PM:362). To my non-native ears, the verb "to summons" sounds strange -- I would write "to summon ...a person". Do you have an explanation? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 19:26, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

:Yes, it does sound odd. The only use of "summons" that I can think of is in relation to a court summons, but that wouldn't really explain it because that would still be a noun. Given that "to summons" appears twice in that footnote it seems intentional. There must be an explanation, but I can't think of one.--{{User:KingAragorn/sig}} 22:44, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

::Thanks. Hm, perhaps it's an archaic or obsolete usage ... I'll leave it at just "summons" in the wordlist.--[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 17:07, 14 February 2013 (UTC)

== References template ==

Hello KA! I've noticed you write <nowiki>{{references}}</nowiki> with all lower-case letters; is there any technical reason why I shouldn't use <nowiki>{{References}}</nowiki>? --[[User:Morgan|Morgan]] 21:18, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

:It doesn't really matter. It's just a consistency thing.--{{User:KingAragorn/sig}} 21:21, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

::I prefer lowercase as well. For the same reason. --{{User:Mith/sig}} 22:45, 2 March 2013 (UTC)

== Spiders profile image ==

Could we maybe change the profile and race image for the spiders?? I mean no offence by the artist's work or anything, but Ted Nasmith's spiders are far too frightening for me. Could we please maybe change the images to one that is not quite as nightmare inducing as the current one? {{unsigned|Jakegothicsnake}}

:Sure, we could change it. Do you have an alternative image in mind?--{{User:KingAragorn/sig}} 09:41, 18 March 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps the Spider image by John Howe?

User talk:KingAragorn/2013

2013-03-18T07:04:21Z

Jakegothicsnake: /* Spiders profile image */ new section