LotR -- Book 4 - Chapter 09 - Shelob’s Lair

[Formendacil]

Rereading this chapter, the thing that struck me that hadn't struck ne before was the fact that the spawn of Ungoliant facing off against a remnant of the Light of the Trees can hardly have been a coincidence, but how much was it planned? This FEELS like the whole purpose of including the Phial in the story, but which story element came first? Memory is fallible and I haven't looked it up, but I want to say the Phial came first.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Rereading this chapter, the thing that struck me that hadn't struck ne before was the fact that the spawn of Ungoliant facing off against a remnant of the Light of the Trees can hardly have been a coincidence, but how much was it planned? This FEELS like the whole purpose of including the Phial in the story, but which story element came first? Memory is fallible and I haven't looked it up, but I want to say the Phial came first.

Would this have been due to the foresight of Galadriel?

She was certainly around while the Trees were alive, and I don't think it's implausible that she could have thought the pass of Cirith Ungol was the route Frodo would be obliged to take into Mordor, and also have known about Shelob.
After all, it seems Shelob had once been in Mirkwood, as the book mentions that the Spiders encountered by Bilbo and the Dwarves were her spawn.
A lesser light of the Trees to fight a diminished version of Ungoliant. How apt!