Celtic
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Photograph: An Indonesian spear of the eighteenth to nineteenth century. Three pairs of crescent-shaped barbs rise in tiers along both sides of a broad steel blade.
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1,688 × 3,000 PX1688×3000
ArchiveCeltic · Weapon
Gáe Bulg
Gáe Bulg
Thrown with the foot, its barbs open inside the body so that it cannot be pulled out.
- Owner
- The hero Cú Chulainn
- Maker
- Taught by the warrior woman Scáthach
- First record
- The Cattle Raid of Cooley1100
- Gallery
- Celtic
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
Cú Chulainn learned the arts of war from the warrior woman Scáthach on the Isle of Skye across the sea. Having taught him every feat, Scáthach passed on the Gáe Bulg and its use to him alone.
The Gáe Bulg was cast from between the toes and kicked through the water. Inside an enemy's body thirty barbs opened, so that it could not be taken out without cutting the body open.
In The Cattle Raid of Cooley, Cú Chulainn fought for four days at a ford against Ferdiad, a friend as close as a brother. He finally brought Ferdiad down with the Gáe Bulg, and held him in long mourning.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Spear(Indonesian, 18th–19th century), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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