One of a series of riddling titles adopted for himself by Bilbo Baggins in conversation with Smaug, as he attempted to avoid identifying himself directly to the Dragon. The allusion was to his adventures with the gigantic spiders of northern Mirkwood, from whose webs he rescued his companions. He accomplished this with the aid of his small sword, and indeed this is the source of its name 'Sting'; Bilbo referred to this more directly in another of the titles he claimed at this time: the stinging fly.