Chapter 8- Flies and Spiders

Bilbo feels a sense of heroism and bravery after killing the spider. Bilbo does not fit the archetype of the epic hero on a quest, because even the medieval Christianized revisions produce questing hero who are more martial than Bilbo is. It is significant that Bilbo names his sword and that he names it: "Sting." And unlike Beater and Biter, Sting is treated as a metonym: it is only associated with Bilbo, but because Bilbo is invisible it is considered to be his body because this body part is all that can be seen. Here, the part becomes the whole (body). This new development in the sword imagery is treated in more depth within the discussion of the theme: "Heroism.