Lolth

Queen of the Drow, the Spider Queen, the Black Queen, Demon Queen of Spiders, Queen of the Demonweb Pits, Weaver of Chaos, the Mother of Lusts, Dark Mother of All Drow, Lady of Spiders, Weaver and Poisoner of Fate and Folly, Her Eightfold Majesty

Lolth, the Demon Queen of Spiders, is a demon lord and the chief goddess of the Drow. She displays formidable power and great cruelty with an affection for arachnids. Goddess of Darkness, Drow, Evil, and Spiders, Lolth has, through deceit and domination, garnered the ears of the dark elves and eventually established herself as their foremost deity, keeping them under her thumb by creating a society in which only the strong survive and her priestesses are strongest.
Lolth usually appears in two forms: Drow and arachnid. In Drow form, the Spider Queen appears as an "exquisitely beautiful" female dark elf, sometimes covered in clinging spiders. In her arachnid form, Lolth takes the appearance of a giant black widow spider with the head of a female Drow or human peering from between the eight spider-eyes. Sometimes, the two foremost pair of her spider-legs are actually humanoid arms.
Lolth has sworn vengeance against Corellon Larethian and his people.
Lolth is personally served by a race of shapeshifting demons called the yochlol. In their natural form, yochlol resemble molten blobs of wax with large, glaring red eyes. Ranking just below yochlols are the myrlochar or soul spiders, arachnid-shaped demons who glow with a greenish hue.
Greatest among Lolth's servants are the Proxies of Lolth, spidery monstrosities with the heads of beautiful drow maidens. They are granted the powers of demigods.
Lolth is worshipped in underground marble temples or fanes. They are large and imposing, dominating and overshadowing the communities in which they are built. They are defended by priestesses, soldiers, and often spiders of various kinds. Dark lore and potent magics are stored within.

Divine Domains

Chaos, Destruction, Domination, Evil, Oracle, Pestilence, Trickery.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Lolth's symbol is a black spider with the head of a female drow.

Tenets of Faith

Lolth teaches her children that fear is strength, while love and respect are weakness. She demands that those Drow who will not worship her must be converted or slain. She seeks to kill the weak and reward the strong. Disobedient males and non-drow must be sacrificed to Lolth. Spiders are a holy animal in Lolth's faith, and those who to kill a spider is a cardinal sin. Lolth is so chaotic, however, that her commands are ever-changing and often contradictory, so that those who seek to follow them blindly may meet with destruction.
Drow who fail Lolth are usually either slain or transformed into driders: centaur-like creatures that have spider-like bodies below their waists instead of a centaur's equine features. Other aberrations that Lolth transforms her victims into include the aracholoth, spiderleg horror, and brood mother.
Lolth is also worshipped by spidery creatures called chitines and araneas, and by some human cultists.
Lolth's clerics are usually female. There are rare male clerics, but no male is allowed to achieve the rank of high priest. Her clerics wear red and black, and Drow tunics and helms. The Spider Queen's sacred animals are (naturally) arachnids.
During rituals, clerics of Lolth are nude or clad in black robes with purple and deep red trim. Lesser clerics wear dark red or purple robes, trimmed with black. Ornate spider-shaped helms may also be worn.
Surface elves are sacrificed to Lolth monthly. By custom, only females are permitted to attend these rituals, which take place in a sacred room. Some rituals, however, involve extraordinary power or require public display, and these may be performed in the open, in mixed company. When Lolth's aid is required, the blood of enemies of the faith and/or the faithful is spilled with a spider-shaped knife. Gems or other treasures may be sacrificed by casting them into burning braziers while the appropriate prayers are incanted.
Lolth's taste in sacrifice is perverse. She prefers the blood of Elves to other humanoids, that of Drow to other elves, and craves the deaths of her own priestesses more than any other beings. This last sort of sacrifice is extremely rare, but it pleases the Queen of Spiders above all else.
Periodically, Drow may be forced to prove themselves worthy of Lolth's favor in a variety of harsh tests. Those who pass are rewarded, while those who fail are transformed into driders and other horrific beasts.

Holidays

Ceremonies to the Spider Queen are held on the nights of the full moon of Celene.

Divine Classification

God

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

Gender

Female

Related Myths

• The Banishment of Lolth

Lolth's Symbol by Unknown