Which giant spider attacks Frodo near Cirith Ungol?

Which giant spider attacks Frodo near Cirith Ungol? Shelob. She is one of Tolkien’s most memorable monsters in The Lord of the Rings, an enormous spider living in Torech Ungol, a tunnel beneath the pass of Cirith Ungol on the edge of Mordor.

Gollum deliberately leads Frodo and Samwise Gamgee into Shelob’s lair, hoping she will kill them so he can reclaim the One Ring. Shelob paralyses Frodo with her venom, but Sam fights her after believing Frodo dead. The Phial of Galadriel’s light drives her back, and Sam wounds her with Frodo’s sword, Sting.

A common mix-up is confusing Shelob with Ungoliant. Ungoliant is the ancient spider-like being from Tolkien’s earlier mythology and is described as Shelob’s parent, while Shelob is the creature encountered by Frodo and Sam. Shelob’s ultimate fate is not stated in the story.