Spear of Lugh
Encyclopedia
In the Ulster Cycle
of early Irish literature
, the Lúin of Celtchar (Irish: Lúin Celtchair) is the name of a long, fiery lance or spear belonging to Celtchar mac Uthechar and wielded by other heroes, such as Dubthach
, Mac Cécht
and Fedlimid.
("The Intoxication of the Ulstermen"), both of which employ the so-called "watchman device" to describe the fearful appearance of the warrior Dubthach Dóeltenga
. In Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, it appears when the spies of Ingcél Cáech report on Conaire
's large retinue of warriors in the hostel of Da Derga in Leinster. Lomnae Drúth observes:
The interpreter Fer Rogain identifies the figure as Dubthach Dóeltenga and explains:
In Mesca Ulad, Medb's watchmen paint a very similar picture when they describe one of the approaching warriors:
Cú Roí
then explains to Medb and her company that the watchmen have just seen Dubthach, who has borrowed the Lúin of Celtchar, and that a cauldron of red blood stands before him "so that it would not burn its shaft or the man who carried it were it not bathed in the cauldron of poisonous blood; and it is foretelling battle that it is." This latter quality has been taken to mean that such "sensitive spears ... by their vibration, portended the imminence of battle and slaughter."
A late version of the saga Cath Ruis na Ríg ("The Battle of Ross na Ríg") gives a more succinct account of the Luin, but also adds a number of details, such as the use of four mercenaries to keep the cauldron in place. Obviously, the weapon needed to be handled with extreme care. According to his death-tale, Celtchar was accidentally killed by his own spear in a way which emphasizes its excessive heat. When he had used the Lúin to slay a hound which had been ravaging the country, he placed it upright with the spear-point upwards and so a drop of the hound's blood which trickled down along the spear went through him and killed him.
in TCD
MS 1336 (olim MS H 3.17), was himself slain with it by a warrior called Fedlimid. According to a poem by Cináed ua hArtacáin
(d. 975), the champion Mac Cécht
used it to slay Cúscraid
Menn, son of Conchobor mac Nessa.
The text in MS H 3.17 claims that the spear survived into the reign of Cormac mac Airt
, when it became known as the Crimall of Birnbuadach (Bern Buadach). Moreover, it is identified with the spear which blinded Cormac and hence rendered him unfit for kingship.
of Lug
, a weapon which is named in Middle Irish narratives as one of the four items which the Túatha Dé Danann introduced to Ireland
. A connection may have been drawn implicitly by Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, which claims that the Lúin was found in the Battle of Mag Tuired, elsewhere known as the battle in which the Túatha Dé Danann
led by Lug
defeated the Fomoiri. Moreover, a tale of later date, the Early Modern Irish Oidheadh Chloinne Tuireann describes the spear of Lug
in ways which are reminiscent of Celtchair's Lúin. However, the Middle Irish references to Lug's spear do not correspond closely to the Lúin.
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
of early Irish literature
Early Irish literature
-The earliest Irish authors:It is unclear when literacy first came to Ireland. The earliest Irish writings are inscriptions, mostly simple memorials, on stone in the ogham alphabet, the earliest of which date to the fourth century...
, the Lúin of Celtchar (Irish: Lúin Celtchair) is the name of a long, fiery lance or spear belonging to Celtchar mac Uthechar and wielded by other heroes, such as Dubthach
Dubthach Dóeltenga
In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Dubthach Dóeltenga was a cynical ally of Fergus mac Róich who rarely had a good word to say about anyone. He followed Fergus into exile in Connacht following the Deirdre affair, and fought beside him in the Táin Bó Cuailnge, although at one point Fergus...
, Mac Cécht
Mac Cécht (warrior)
Mac Cécht is the patronymic or cognomen given to one or two warrior champions from Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature...
and Fedlimid.
Properties
Detailed descriptions of the spear's special use and terrible effect are to be found in the Middle Irish texts Togail Bruidne Dá Derga ("The Destruction of the Hostel of Da Derga") (Recension II) and Mesca UladMesca Ulad
Mesca Ulad is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle preserved in the 12th century manuscripts the Book of Leinster and in the Lebor na hUidre. The title Mesca Ulad occurs only in the Book of Leinster version.-Manuscript sources:*Book of Leinster : p 261b-268b . Second part missing...
("The Intoxication of the Ulstermen"), both of which employ the so-called "watchman device" to describe the fearful appearance of the warrior Dubthach Dóeltenga
Dubthach Dóeltenga
In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Dubthach Dóeltenga was a cynical ally of Fergus mac Róich who rarely had a good word to say about anyone. He followed Fergus into exile in Connacht following the Deirdre affair, and fought beside him in the Táin Bó Cuailnge, although at one point Fergus...
. In Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, it appears when the spies of Ingcél Cáech report on Conaire
Conaire
Conaire Cóem , son of Mug Láma, a descendant of Conaire Mór and Dedu mac Sin, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He came to power on the death of his father-in-law Conn Cétchathach, and ruled for seven or eight years, at the end of which he was...
's large retinue of warriors in the hostel of Da Derga in Leinster. Lomnae Drúth observes:
- "The man in the centre had a great lance, with fifty rivets through it, and its shaft would be a load for a team of oxen. He brandished the lance until sparks as big as eggs all but flew from it, and then he struck the butt against his palm three times. Before them was a great food cauldron, large enough for a bullockCattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, with an appalling dark liquid in it, and the man dipped the lance into the liquid. If not the lance was not quenched quickly, it blazed up over its shaft - you would have thought there was a roaring fire in the upper part of the house."
The interpreter Fer Rogain identifies the figure as Dubthach Dóeltenga and explains:
- "And the lance that was in the hand of Dubthach, that was the Lúin of Celtchair son of Uthechar that was found at the Battle of Mag Tuired. Whenever the blood of enemies is about to flow from the lance, a cauldron full of venom is required to quench it; otherwise, the lance will blaze up in the fist of the man carrying it, and it will pierce him or the lord of the royal house. Each thrust of this lance will kill a man, even if it does not reach him; if the lance is cast, it will kill nine men, and there will be a king or royal heir or plundering chieftain in their number. I swear by what my people swear by, the Lúin of Celtchar will serve drinks of death to a multitude tonight."
In Mesca Ulad, Medb's watchmen paint a very similar picture when they describe one of the approaching warriors:
- "A great warrior, his spear reaches to the height of his shoulder. When its spear-heat seizes it, he strikes the butt of the great spear across the palm, so that the fill of a sack-measure of fiery tinder-sparks bursts out over its blade and over its tip, when its spear-heat takes hold of it. Before him there is a cauldron of black blood, of dreadful liquid, prepared by night by his sorcery from the blood of dogs and cats and druids, in order that the head of that spear might be dipped in that poisonous liquid when its spear-heat comes to it."
Cú Roí
Cú Roí
Cú Roí mac Dáire is a king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities and a master of disguise possessed of magical powers. His name probably means "hound of the plain/field", or more specifically, "hound of the battlefield"...
then explains to Medb and her company that the watchmen have just seen Dubthach, who has borrowed the Lúin of Celtchar, and that a cauldron of red blood stands before him "so that it would not burn its shaft or the man who carried it were it not bathed in the cauldron of poisonous blood; and it is foretelling battle that it is." This latter quality has been taken to mean that such "sensitive spears ... by their vibration, portended the imminence of battle and slaughter."
A late version of the saga Cath Ruis na Ríg ("The Battle of Ross na Ríg") gives a more succinct account of the Luin, but also adds a number of details, such as the use of four mercenaries to keep the cauldron in place. Obviously, the weapon needed to be handled with extreme care. According to his death-tale, Celtchar was accidentally killed by his own spear in a way which emphasizes its excessive heat. When he had used the Lúin to slay a hound which had been ravaging the country, he placed it upright with the spear-point upwards and so a drop of the hound's blood which trickled down along the spear went through him and killed him.
Circulation
As a whole, the group of narratives which refer to Celtchar's Lúin give the impression that it tended to circulate more widely among warriors of Ulster and Connacht, although the pattern remains obscure. Dubthach borrowed it (Mesca Ulad) and according to an account following the later version of The Expulsion of the DéisiThe Expulsion of the Déisi
The Expulsion of the Déisi is a medieval Irish narrative of the Cycles of the Kings. It dates approximately to the 8th century, but survives only in manuscripts of a much later date. It describes the fictional history of the Déisi, a group that had gained political power in parts of Ireland during...
in TCD
Trinity College Library, Dublin
Trinity College Library Dublin, the centrally-administered library of Trinity College, Dublin, is the largest library in Ireland. As a "copyright library", it has legal deposit rights for material published in the Republic of Ireland; it is also the only Irish library to hold such rights for the...
MS 1336 (olim MS H 3.17), was himself slain with it by a warrior called Fedlimid. According to a poem by Cináed ua hArtacáin
Cináed Ua Hartacáin
Cináed ua hArtacáin was an Irish Gaelic poet.The chief poet of Leth Cuinn according to the Annals of Tigernach and the chief poet of all Ireland according to the Annals of Ulster, Cináed wrote dinsenchas pertaining to the Kingdom of Brega. Edward O'Reilly gives a full account of his works in his...
(d. 975), the champion Mac Cécht
Mac Cécht (warrior)
Mac Cécht is the patronymic or cognomen given to one or two warrior champions from Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature...
used it to slay Cúscraid
Cúscraid
Cúscraid, known by the epithet Mend Macha , is a son of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.When he first took arms he led a foray against Connacht...
Menn, son of Conchobor mac Nessa.
The text in MS H 3.17 claims that the spear survived into the reign of Cormac mac Airt
Cormac mac Airt
Cormac mac Airt , also known as Cormac ua Cuinn or Cormac Ulfada , was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland...
, when it became known as the Crimall of Birnbuadach (Bern Buadach). Moreover, it is identified with the spear which blinded Cormac and hence rendered him unfit for kingship.
Spear of Lug?
Arthur C. L. Brown and R. S. Loomis, proponents of the Irish origin of the Grail romances, argued that Celtchar's Lúin was to be identified with the spearSpear of Lugh
In the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature, the Lúin of Celtchar is the name of a long, fiery lance or spear belonging to Celtchar mac Uthechar and wielded by other heroes, such as Dubthach, Mac Cécht and Fedlimid....
of Lug
Lugh
Lug or Lugh is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. He is known by the epithets Lámhfhada , for his skill with a spear or sling, Ildánach , Samhildánach , Lonnbeimnech and Macnia , and by the...
, a weapon which is named in Middle Irish narratives as one of the four items which the Túatha Dé Danann introduced to Ireland
Four Treasures
In the Mythological Cycle of early Irish literature, the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann are four magical items which the mythological Tuatha Dé Danann are supposed to have brought with them from the four island cities Murias, Falias, Gorias and Findias, when they arrived in...
. A connection may have been drawn implicitly by Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, which claims that the Lúin was found in the Battle of Mag Tuired, elsewhere known as the battle in which the Túatha Dé Danann
Tuatha Dé Danann
The Tuatha Dé Danann are a race of people in Irish mythology. In the invasions tradition which begins with the Lebor Gabála Érenn, they are the fifth group to settle Ireland, conquering the island from the Fir Bolg....
led by Lug
Lug
-Places:* Lug , a Croatian village in Herzegovina* Lug, Bilje, a settlement in Croatian Baranja* Lug, Germany, a municipality in Germany* Ług, Łódź Voivodeship, a village in Poland* Lug , a village in Serbia-Transportation:...
defeated the Fomoiri. Moreover, a tale of later date, the Early Modern Irish Oidheadh Chloinne Tuireann describes the spear of Lug
Lug
-Places:* Lug , a Croatian village in Herzegovina* Lug, Bilje, a settlement in Croatian Baranja* Lug, Germany, a municipality in Germany* Ług, Łódź Voivodeship, a village in Poland* Lug , a village in Serbia-Transportation:...
in ways which are reminiscent of Celtchair's Lúin. However, the Middle Irish references to Lug's spear do not correspond closely to the Lúin.
Texts
- Cináed Ua HartacáinCináed Ua HartacáinCináed ua hArtacáin was an Irish Gaelic poet.The chief poet of Leth Cuinn according to the Annals of Tigernach and the chief poet of all Ireland according to the Annals of Ulster, Cináed wrote dinsenchas pertaining to the Kingdom of Brega. Edward O'Reilly gives a full account of his works in his...
, "Fianna bátar i nEmain", ed. Whitley Stokes, "On the deaths of some Irish heroes." Revue Celtique 23 (1902): 303–48. - Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, ed. Eleanor Knott, Togail Bruidne Da Derga. Dublin, 1936; tr. Jeffrey Gantz, Early Irish Myths and Sagas. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1986.
- Mesca UladMesca UladMesca Ulad is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle preserved in the 12th century manuscripts the Book of Leinster and in the Lebor na hUidre. The title Mesca Ulad occurs only in the Book of Leinster version.-Manuscript sources:*Book of Leinster : p 261b-268b . Second part missing...
, ed. J. Carmichael Watson, Mesca Ulad. Mediaeval and Modern Irish Series 13. Dublin, 1941; tr. John T. Koch, in The Celtic Heroic Age, ed. John T. Koch and John Carey. 3d ed. Andover, 2000. 106-27; ed. and tr. W.R. Hennessy. Mesca Ulad: or, the Intoxication of the Ultonians. Todd Lecture Series 1. Dublin, 1889. - Aided Cheltchair mac Uthechair, ed. and tr. Kuno Meyer, The Death Tales of the Ulster Heroes. Todd Lecture Series. Dublin, 1906. 24-31. Translation online.
- "The Expulsion of the Déisi" (TCD MS 1336). The relevant portion has remained unedited and was not reproduced in the edition by Vernam Hull (ed. and tr.), "The later version of the Expulsion of the Déssi." ZCP 27 (1957–59): pp. 14–63.
- Cath Ruis na Ríg (Stowe MS E IV 3), ed. and tr. Edmund Hogan, Cath Ruis na Ríg for Bóinn. Todd Lecture Series 4. Dublin, 1892.
See also
- Gáe BulgGáe BulgThe Gáe Bulg , meaning "spear of mortal pain/death spear", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...
- Spear of Destiny