Gáe Bolg
The spear that enters with a single wound and opens into thirty barbs.
The Gáe Bulg (Old Irish pronunciation: [ɡaːi̯ ˈbulg]) (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. Its deadly technique was taught to him by his martial arts teacher, the warrior woman Scáthach, though the spear itself was often described as being obtained separately or already in his possession. It was made from the bone of a sea monster, the Curruid, that had died while fighting another sea monster, the Coinchenn.
- Owner
- Cú Chulainn (Lancer)
- Type
- Anti-Unit / Anti-Army
- Origin
- Irish Mythology
- Rank
- A++
- Classification
- Noble Phantasm
Lore & Background
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. In other versions of the legend, the spear had seven heads, each with seven barbs. In the Táin Bó Cuailnge, Cú Chulainn learned the feat of the Gáe Bulg from the great warrior mistress Scáthach in Alba, but the spear itself was not given to him by her; he already possessed it or obtained it elsewhere. She taught him and his foster-brother, Ferdiad, everything the same, except she taught the Gáe Bulg feat only to Cú Chulainn.
In Their Own Story
Cúchulainn later used the Gáe Bulg 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." Ferdiad died soon after. On a separate occasion, Cúchulainn also killed his own son, Connla, with the spear. In both instances, it was used as a last resort, as once thrown it proved invariably fatal. As it is stated in Ciaran Carson's translation of The Táin: "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..."
Reader's Guide
The Gáe Bulg is a spear that must be used under very specialized, ritual conditions. It had to be made ready for use on a stream and cast from the fork of the toes. Once thrown, it enters a man's body with a single wound, like a javelin, then opens into thirty barbs. Only by cutting away the flesh could it be taken from that man's body. In other versions, the spear had seven heads, each with seven barbs. The technique was taught only to Cú Chulainn by Scáthach, and he used it only as a last resort, as once thrown it proved invariably fatal. It was used against Ferdiad and against his own son Connla.
Did You Know?
- The Gáe Bulg was made from the bone of a sea monster, the Curruid, that had died while fighting another sea monster, the Coinchenn.
- 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 the Gáe Bulg be taken from a man's body.
- In the Táin Bó Cuailnge, during the fight with Ferdiad, Cú Chulainn himself used the Gáe Bulg after asking his charioteer Láeg to fetch it; the detail of it being floated down a stream comes from a later retelling, not t
- The name has been translated as 'belly spear', 'gapped/notched spear', or 'spear of mortal pain/death'.