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Elendil
Ungoliant is a creature with unknown origins in the shape of a giant spider. Though she was once a servant of Melkor, she left him to live alone in Avathar. With the power to consume light and spin webs of darkness from it, she both hates light and is drawn by it. Melkor promises to feed her in exchange for her help in destroying the Two Trees of Valinor and devouring their light. Ungoliant is characterized by her all-consuming greed and gluttony; she grows monstrously huge after feeding on the light but is still hungry. When Melkor gives her jewels stolen from Fëanor to eat but refuses to give her the Silmarils, she tries to eat him in retribution. His Balrogs rescue him and drive Ungoliant into the mountains where she mates with lesser spiders and leaves her offspring behind. Though her fate is unknown, it’s possible that she consumes herself in her insatiable hunger.
Ungoliant Quotes in The Silmarillion
The The Silmarillion quotes below are all either spoken by Ungoliant or refer to Ungoliant. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 9 Quotes
Then perforce Morgoth surrendered to her the gems that he bore with him, one by one and grudgingly; and she devoured them, and their beauty perished from the world. Huger and darker yet grew Ungoliant, but her lust was unsated. ‘With one hand thou givest,’ she said; ‘with the left only. Open thy right hand.’
In his right hand Morgoth held close the Silmarils, and though they were locked in a crystal casket, they had begun to burn him, and his hand was clenched in pain; but he would not open it. ‘Nay!’ he said. ‘Thou has had thy due. For with my power that I put into thee thy work was accomplished. I need thee no more. These things thou shalt not have, nor see. I name them unto myself for ever.’
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Get the entire The Silmarillion LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ungoliant Character Timeline in The Silmarillion
The timeline below shows where the character Ungoliant appears in The Silmarillion. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8. Of the Darkening of Valinor
...him since he secretly traveled south of Valinor to the “dark region” called Avathar where Ungoliant lives. Taking the shape of a monstrous spider, she has the power to consume light...
(full context)
Back in his old form of a dark lord, Melkor seeks Ungoliant out and bribes her to help him take revenge on the Valar by promising to...
(full context)
At the hour when the light of the Trees mingles, Melkor and Ungoliant arrive in Valinor as a dark cloud. Melkor stabs each Tree with his spear, and...
(full context)
...of the festival ceases. Manwë, who can see through the dark, notices an impenetrable darkness (Ungoliant and Melkor) fleeing northward and sends Tulkas and Oromë’s hunters after them. But as they...
(full context)
Chapter 9. Of the Flight of the Noldor
Meanwhile, Morgoth and Ungoliant pass through the northern wastes of Araman and cross over a strait filled with “grinding...
(full context)
Ungoliant wraps Morgoth in darkness, and he cries out. The Balrogs hiding in Angband hear him...
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Chapter 10. Of the Sindar
After Ungoliant destroys the Trees and is betrayed by Morgoth, she flees into Beleriand. Melian forces her...
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Chapter 11. Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor
...moon isn’t the same as the light of the Trees before they were touched by Ungoliant—that light exists only in the Silmarils. Morgoth hates the lights and sends spirits of shadow...
(full context)
Chapter 14. Of Beleriand and its Realms
In East Beleriand, Thingol and Melian rule over Doriath, and the offspring of Ungoliant lurk in the Mountains of Terror. South of Doriath are the Twilight Meres and the...
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Chapter 16. Of Maeglin
...companions and, after searching for them, carries on without them. The region is full of Ungoliant’s creatures and the companions return to Gondolin, assuming that Aredhel is dead. Aredhel is welcomed...
(full context)
