So how do dark, evil creatures come to be in Tolkien? What are the origin stories of the evil monsters Ungoliant, Shelob, and Carcharoth? Ungoliant, the oldest of the three, is the mother of all giant spiders within Tolkien’s cosmology. The more realistic an aspect of literature appears to be, the more relatable and effective the literature is, especially for totally fictional worlds like Tolkien’s. Looking at how Tolkien paints evil and darkness is important because the issue affects how readers receive his work as a “romance that takes things seriously” and as something that “is to resemble reality” in some way. This work is simultaneously an investigation into Ungoliant’s fundamentally paradoxical relationship with light, which supplies further insights into Tolkien’s realistic and Boethian depiction of evil. These interactions are strongly associated with the theme of mystery and the theory of diminishing power within Tolkien’s cosmology. The relationship between light and darkness is naturally intertwined with these monsters. This paper explores this “fear and horror” by expounding upon the natures and narratives of the creatures Ungoliant, Shelob, and Carcharoth, while focusing primarily on their respective interactions with physicalized light. “Evidently I have managed to make the horror really horrible, and that is a great comfort for every romance that takes things seriously must have a warp of fear and horror, if however remotely or representatively it is to resemble reality.” Here Tolkien comments on the importance of his “horrible” inventions, his monsters, his creatures of darkness, that exist within his created Legendarium. If you have a Theology essay that you would like published that received a grade of an A- or higher, please be sure to contact us. It has been edited and approved by Christopher Centrella.

The following was a college essay written by Mary Biese.

The darkness within shadow of mordor