|
|
|
volume 1-weapons of irish mythology Fragarach: In Irish mythology, Fragarach, known as 'The Answerer' or 'The Retaliator' was the sword of Manannan mac Lir and Lugh Lamfada. Manannan wielded it as his weapon, before passing it on to Lugh (his foster son). It was said to be a weapon that when put to their throat no one could tell a lie. Thus the name answerer. It should be noted that the name is also listed as Fragnarach, tied into the Norse end of the world, Ragnarok.
Forged by the gods, it was given to Cúchulainn by Lugh, and later to Conn of the Hundred Battles.
It was said to place the wind at the user's command.
Gáe Bulg: The Gáe Bulg (also Gáe Bulga, Gáe Bolg, Gáe Bolga, meaning "notched spear", "belly spear", "swelling spear", "bellows-dart", or possibly "lightning spear" wink was the spear of Cúchulainn 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 Coinchenn, that had died while fighting another sea monster, the Curruid. 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.[1] ”
In other versions of the legend, the spear had seven heads, each with seven barbs. In the Táin Bó Cuailnge, Cúchulainn received the spear after training with the great warrior master Scáthach in Alba. She taught him and his foster-brother, Ferdiad, everything the same, except she only taught the Gáe Bulg feat to Cuchulainn. He later used it in single combat against Ferdiad. They were fighting in a ford, and Ferdiad had the upper hand; Cúchulainn's charioteer, Láeg, floated the Gáe Bulg down the stream to his master, who cast it into Ferdiad's body, piercing the warrior's armor and "coursing through the highways and byways of his body so that every single joint filled with barbs." Needless to say, Ferdiad died soon after. On a separate occasion, Cúchulainn also killed his own son, Connla, with the spear. In both instances, it was used a last resort, as once thrown it proved invariably fatal.
The name Gáe Bulg may be related linguistically to Fergus mac Róich's sword, Caladbolg
excalibur: Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early. In Welsh, the sword is called Caledfwlch. other beliefe is that king arthur obtained the sword from the lady of the lakes.
isthumus · Sat Sep 20, 2008 @ 10:58pm · 0 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|