10 Greatest Lord Of The Rings Villains

10. Shelob

The giant spider who guards the stairs of Cirith Ungol.

Getting to Mordor isn't easy, there are only two entrances into the black land: one is a huge gate guarded by hundreds of orcs, the other is a flight of stairs cut into a mountain. The second way might sound easier but it's also where a giant spider happens to live.

Shelob is an instant deterrent for anyone who hates spiders. She's also pretty effective against anyone who doesn't, spinning webs as thick as ropes and stickier than chewing gum, she's far superior to any guard dog.

Frodo and Sam encounter her when they try to get into Mordor through her lair. They had been led there by Gollum who'd conveniently forgotten to mention Shelob in the hope he would be able to get the Ring from Frodo once she'd dealt with him.

Shelob managed to sting Frodo, paralysing him and leading Sam to think he was dead, he took the Ring to complete the quest on his own. When Frodo was carried off by a patrol of orcs he realised he'd made and big mistake and set off to rescue him.