Caladbolg
Caladbolg, the great sword of Irish legend, is carried in the Ulster Cycle by Fergus mac Róich, the strong-armed former king of Ulster, and in some traditions it is also the blade of Cú Chulainn, who is said to have wielded it in the great single combat against his foster-brother Ferdiad in the Táin Bó Cúailnge. Its name, often translated 'hard lightning' or 'hard cleft', describes a sword of fearsome cutting power. The word is the Irish cognate of the British Caledfwlch, the sword of Arthur better known as Excalibur, which makes Caladbolg the Irish link in the family of the great legendary bl