The Gáe Bulg (also Gáe Bulga, Gáe Bolg, Gáe Bolga, meaning "notched spear", "belly spear", "bellows-dart," or possibly "lightning spear") was the spear of Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Cúchulainn /kuːˈxʊlɪnʲ/ ( ( Irish for "Hound of Culann " also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or Texts in translation Most of the important Ulster Cycle tales can be found in the following publications Thomas Kinsella, The Táin, Oxford University The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings It was given to him by his martial arts teacher, the warrior woman Scáthach, and its technique was taught only to him. Scáthach ("Shadowy" is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.
It was made from the bone of a sea monster, the Coinchenn, that had died while fighting another sea monster, the Curruid. Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size 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. This is an article about a particle accelerator For uses of spear, see Spear or Spear (disambiguation. The Book of Leinster ( Irish Lebor Laignech) formerly known as the Book of Noughaval ( Lebor na Nuachongbála) is a Medieval Irish It entered a man's body with a single wound, like a javelin, then opened into thirty barbs. For the athletic event see Javelin throw. For other uses see Javelin (disambiguation A javelin is a light Spear designed 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. Alba is the Scottish Gaelic name (ˈalˠ̪əpə for Scotland. She taught him and his foster-brother, Ferdiad, everything the same, except she only taught the Gáe Bulg feat to Cuchulainn. Ferdiad (also Fer Diad, Ferdia, Fear Diadh) son of Damán son of Dáire of the Fir Domnann, is a warrior of Connacht in the 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. Láeg, or Lóeg, son of Riangabar is the Charioteer and constant companion of the hero Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology " Needless to say, Ferdiad died soon after. On a separate occasion, Cúchulainn also killed his own son, Connla, with the spear. Connla or Conlaoch is a character in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, the son of the Ulster champion Cúchulainn and the Scottish 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. Fergus mac Róich (son of Ró-ech or "great horse" also mac Róig, mac Rossa) is a character of the Ulster Cycle of Irish Caladbolg ("hard belly" or possibly "hard lightning" sometimes written Caladcholg ("hard blade" is the Sword
Gáe Bulg in popular culture
The Gáe Bulg, and weapons based upon it, continues to appear in modern fiction, most notably fantasy fiction, comic books and Role-playing games that deal with mythological themes. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters.
In some of these cases, such as the comic book Sláine, which is loosely based on Celtic mythology, the Gáe Bulg appears as one of the weapons of the protagonist, who is loosely based on the Celtic hero, Cú Chulainn. For other characters with the same name see Sláine. Sláine (ˈslɑːnʲə is a Comic book hero from the pages of Celtic mythology is the Mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the Religion of the Iron Age Celts Like other Iron Age Cúchulainn /kuːˈxʊlɪnʲ/ ( ( Irish for "Hound of Culann " also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or In other cases the appearance of the Gáe Bulg seems to be largely out of cultural context, such as in Role-playing games like Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, Ragnarok Online, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, Riviera: The Promised Land, and the Final Fantasy series. Phantasy Star Online ( PSO) is an online RPG title originally released for Dreamcast in 2000 Ragnarok Online (라그나로크 온라인 often referred to as RO, is a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG created by is a tactical role-playing Video game developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan, Atlus USA Inc is a Japanese Super Famicom Tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. is a Console role-playing game originally produced in 2002 by Sting Entertainment for WonderSwan Color as the first episode of the Dept In these games the Gáe Bulg (or Gae Bolg) turns up as a powerful spear or javelin - a desirable weapon which players seek to wield in fantasy battles.
A variation of the Gáe Bulg and Cúchulainn appear in an episode of the Disney animated series Gargoyles, created by Greg Weisman. In Architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone Grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building Greg Weisman (born September 28 1963 in Los Angeles California) is an American Animation Writer and producer most famous Titled "The Hound of Ulster", it tells of a young Irish man named Rory Dugan, who learns he is the hero Cu Chullain reincarnated, after he recovers the Gae Bolga -- the Spear of Light -- with help from a gargoyle beast named Bronx. Rory had been led astray by the Banshee (disguised as a human woman named Molly), but after being drawn to the burial cairn of the legendary hero he is reunited with the Gae Bolga, and uses it to battle the Banshee once more. In the series, the Gae Bolga is depicted as a blazing shaft of light, which causes great damage when thrown and can return to Cu Chullain's hand afterwards.
The Gáe Bulg is featured in The Last Remnant as a remnant for the land of Athlum. is an upcoming Console role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. With the resemblance of a large cannon, this weapon is able to focus a huge amount of energy capable of shooting long distances and scorching the earth in its wake. Currently bound to Athlum's marquis, David Nassau.
Also, the Gáe Bulg is featured as the signature weapon of Lancer (Who is revealed to be Cu Chulain early in the story, after using Gae Bulg against Saber, who barely survives the attack), a character featured in Fate/Stay Night. Lancer is a Fictional character from the Japanese Visual novel and Anime series Fate/stay night by TYPE-MOON Lancer is a Fictional character from the Japanese Visual novel and Anime series Fate/stay night by TYPE-MOON is a Japanese Eroge Visual novel game created by Type-Moon, which was originally released on January 30 2004 for the PC.
Macgregor from the webcomic werewolf western High Moon has the words Gáe Bolga enscribed into the hilts of his pistols. High Moon is a Werewolf western Webcomic series developed in 2004 with a debut in 2007 as a part of Zuda, DC Comics The Gáe Bulg (also Gáe Bulga, Gáe Bolg, Gáe Bolga, meaning "notched spear" "belly spear"
References
- ^ The Táin, trans. Thomas Kinsella
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