Giant Spider of Mirkwood

Since the evil "necromancer" had set up the strong hold at Dol Guldur in the southern part of Greenwood the Great, an evil presence had gradually permeated the forest, corrupting and twisting the very trees themselves, and spreading such palpable fear, that men renamed it Mirkwood.

Many hideous creatures took up abode in the forest, amongst the worst of which were the giant spiders, terrible creatures who spun their giant webs across paths and branches, webs strong enough to trap and hold even a man. Once caught the victim would be made unconscious by an injected poison from the spider's abdomen, cocooned in a shroud of more threads, and hung from a branch to dry. Later on the spider would eat the desiccated body.

Though smaller in size than the terrible spider Shelob of Mordor, the giant spiders of Mirkwood were still huge spanning an average of 15 ft or more.