''Caladbolg'' ("hard cleft", also spelled Caladcholg, "hard blade") is the sword of

Fergus mac Róich Fergus mac Róich (literally " manliness, son of great stallion") is a character in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Formerly the king of Ulster, he is tricked out of the kingship and betrayed by Conchobar mac Nessa, becomes the ally and lo ...

from the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly coun ...

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

.James MacKillop, ''Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'', Oxford University Press, pp. 64-65 Fergus calls his sword by that name in ''

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "The Irish Iliad", although like most other early Iri ...

''.

Ailill mac Máta Ailill mac Máta is the king of the Connachta and the husband of queen MedbMatson, Gienna: ''Celtic Mythology A to Z'', page 2. Chelsea House, 2004. in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Cruachan (Rathcroghan in County Roscomm ...

had stolen Fergus's sword when he caught him ''in flagrante'' with Medb. Fergus carved a dummy wooden sword to disguise the fact he was unarmed.Cecile O'Rahilly (ed. & trans.), ''Táin Bó Cúailnge Recension 1'', Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976 Ailill returns the sword to him before the final battle, and Fergus speaks a poem over it, calling it ''Caladcholc'' in one version, and ''Caladbolg'' in another.Cecile O'Rahilly (ed. & trans.), ''Táin Bó Cúailnge from the Book of Leinster'', Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1970 It is said to have been "the sword of Leite from the elf-mounds. When one wished to strike with it, it was as big as a rainbow in the air." Prevented from using it against

Conchobar mac Nessa Conchobar mac Nessa (son of Ness) is the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Emain Macha (Navan Fort, near Armagh). He is usually said to be the son of the High King Fachtna Fáthach, although in some stories hi ...

, Fergus instead cuts off the tops of three hills. A poem in the ''Duanaire Finn'' traces the ownership of sword through various figures of classical mythology and history, passing down from Saturn, via the heroes of the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...

, to

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

, to

Cú Chulainn Cú Chulainn ( ), called the Hound of Ulster ( Irish: ''Cú Uladh''), is a warrior hero and demigod in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. He is believed to be an incarnation of the Irish god L ...

, who gave it to Fergus. After Fergus's death, it was passed down through the generations from Medb, to

Fionn mac Cumhaill Fionn mac Cumhaill ( ; Old and mga, Find or ''mac Cumail'' or ''mac Umaill''), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of y ...

's son

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

, and ultimately to Saint Patrick. T. F. O'Rahilly argues that ''Caladbolg'' is the older form of the name, and interprets it as meaning "hard lightning". He connects it with the

Builg Builg is the name given to an ancient people who may have lived in southern Ireland, around the modern city of Cork. According to the historical scheme proposed by T. F. O'Rahilly the Builg are identical with or a sub-group of the Érainn or I ...

, an ancient people of Ireland (he identifies a subgroup of the

Múscraige The Múscraighe (older spelling: Músgraige) were an important Érainn people of Munster, descending from Cairpre Músc, son of Conaire Cóem, a High King of Ireland. Closely related were the Corcu Duibne, Corcu Baiscind, both of Munster, and ...

called the ''Dál Caladbuilg''), as well as wlm, Caledfwlch, the Welsh name of King Arthur's sword

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...

. Other sources connect similarly named swords with the legends of Arthur,

Fergus mac Léti Fergus mac Léti (also mac Léte, mac Léide, mac Leda) was, according to Irish legend and traditional history, a king of Ulster. His place in the traditional chronology is not certain - according to some sources, he was a contemporary of the Hi ...

and

. The name Caladbolg appears in the plural as a generic word for "great swords" in the 10th-century Irish translation of the classical tale The Destruction of Troy, ''Togail Troí''.Thurneysen, R. "Zur Keltischen Literatur und Grammatik", Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, Volume 12, p. 281ff.

References

Fictional swords Mythological swords Ulster Cycle {{Europe-myth-stub

See also

References