Gáe Bulg
The Gáe Bulg (Old Irish pronunciation: [ɡaːi̯ bulg]) (also Gáe Bulga, Gáe Bolg, Gáe Bolga), meaning "spear of mortal pain/death", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It was given to him by his martial arts teacher, the warrior woman Scáthach, and its technique was taught only to him.
It was made from the bone of a sea monster, the Curruid, that had died while fighting another sea monster, the Coinchenn.[1] Although some sources make it out to be simply a particularly deadly spear, others—notably the Book of Leinster—state that it could only be used under very specialized, ritual conditions:
The Gáe Bulg had to be made ready for use on a stream and cast from the fork of the toes. It entered a man's body with a single wound, like a javelin, then opened into thirty barbs. Only by cutting away the flesh could it be taken from that man's body.[2]
In other versions of the legend, the spear had seven heads, each with seven barbs. In the
Cúchulainn's use of the Gáe Bulg in the
Láeg came forward and cut Fer Diad open and took out the Gáe Bolga. Cú Chulainn saw his weapon bloody and crimson from Fer Diad's body... [3]
Etymology
Traditionally, the name has been translated as "belly spear", with the second element of the name, bulga, being treated as a derivative of Old Irish bolg "belly, sack, bag".[4]
Several notable Celtic scholars, including
Linguist
See also
- Gungnir, Odin's spear in Nordic legend
- Spear of Lugh, also in Irish myth
- Mythological weapons, for a list
References
- ^ O'Curry, Eugene (1873). Lectures and appendix. Williams and Norgate.
- ^ The Táin, trans. Thomas Kinsella
- ^ The Táin, trans. Ciaran Carson
- ^ a b Meyer, Kuno . Contributions to Irish lexicography, Volume 1, M. Niemeyer, 1906. p. 236.
- ^ Loth, Joseph. Les Mabinogion, Volume 1, Thorin, 1889, p. 200.
- ^ Lewis, Timothy. "Bolg, Fir Bolg, Caladbolg" in Ryan, J. (ed.), Féil-sgríbhinn Eóin Mhic Néill, Dublin, 1940; repr. Four Courts Press 1995, pp. 46-62.
- ^ Hamp, Eric P. "Varia I: 10. at·bail(l), (gaé) bulga", Ériu 24, 1973, pp. 179–182.
- ^ Schrijver, Peter. Studies in British Celtic Historical Phonology., Rodopi, 1995, p. 384 (for etymology of Irish fogha).