Ungoliant is the monstrous spider-like being that created Shelob’s line in J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium.
Ungoliant appears in the First Age account told in The Silmarillion. She allies with Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, and helps him destroy the Two Trees of Valinor by draining their light. She then consumes the jewels stolen by Morgoth and demands more treasures from him.
After Morgoth refuses her demands, Ungoliant attacks him, but Balrogs drive her away. Tolkien describes Shelob as one of Ungoliant’s descendants, linking the spider in The Lord of the Rings to the much older mythology of the First Age. Ungoliant is not another name for Shelob: Ungoliant is the ancient progenitor, while Shelob is a later descendant living near Cirith Ungol.