Claíomh Solais

Overview

The folk tales featuring the claidheamh soluis typically compels the hero to perform (three) sets of tasks, aided by helpers, who may be a servant woman, "helpful animal companions", or some other supernatural being. The majority of are also bridal quests (or involve the winning of husbands in e.g., Maol a Chliobain).

The sword's keeper is usually a giant (gruagach, fermór) or hag (cailleach), who oftentimes cannot be defeated except by some secret means. Thus the hero or helper may resort to the sword of light as the only effective weapon against this enemy. But often the sword is not enough, and the supernatural enemy has to be attacked on a single vulnerable spot on his body. The weak spot, moreover, may be an external soul concealed somewhere in the world at large (inside animals, etc.), and in the case of "The Young King of Esaidh Ruadh", this soul is encased within a nested series of animals.

The crucial secret to the hero's success is typically revealed by a woman, i.e., his would-be bride or the damsel in distress (the woman servant held captive by giants), etc. And even when the secret's revealant is an animal, she may in fact be a human transformed into beast (e.g. the great grey cat in "The Widow and her Daughters").

The secret about women is a theme borne in the title "The Shining Sword and the Knowledge of the Cause of the One Story about Women", considered an essential part of the original Irish story (I) according to G. L. Kittredge's stemma of texts, even though "the woman" part is lacking (i.e. lost) in some variants, such as Kennedy's Fios Fath an aon Sceil ("perfect narrative of the unique story") The "news of the death of Anshgayliacht", which occurs as a quest in another version is also a corruption of this. This reconstruction was made by G. L. Kittredge, who examines a groups of Sword of Light folktales cognate to Arthur and Gorlagon which he edited. A more familiar Arthurian tale which embeds the quest of "What is it that women most desire?" is The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle.

Analysis

Kittredge analyzes his group of Irish folktales (I) to consist of layers of elements: namely a frame story which binds the quest for the "cause of the one story about women" with The Werewolf's Tale type; to this is attached The Quest for the Sword of Light and a large interpolation he calls the Defence of the Child type tale.

The Defence of the Child tale portion is in itself a composite according to Kittredge, composed of a Faithful Dog tale and what he calls a The Hand and the Child type tale. The latter tale has the motif of a grasping hand that seizes the victim, and gets cut off in some cases, akin to Grendel's arm in Beowulf. The Irish and Gaelic tales of this type exhibit the tale or motif of Skilful Companions, which was studied by Theodor Benfey and is known to be widespread all over the world.

Irish folktales

See under #Primary sources for bibliography of the compilations. Kittredge's sigla are given in boldface:

Scottish Gaelic folktales

The publication of tales from the Highlands (Campbell 1860, Popular Tales of the West Highlands) predate the Irish tales becoming available in print. The magic sword sometimes appearing under variant names such as the "White Glave of Light" (Scottish Gaelic: an claidheamh geal soluis ).

As a mythological sword

The assertion has been made that Claidheamh Soluis is "a symbol of Ireland attributed in oral tradition to Cúchulainn" (Mackillop), although none of the tales liste above name Cuchulainn as protagonist. T. F. O'Rahilly only went as far as to suggests that the "sword of light" in folk tales was a vestige of divine weapons and heroic weapons, such as Cúchulainn's Cruaidín Catutchenn. This sword (aka "Socht's sword") is said to have "shone at night like a candle" according to a version of Echtrae Cormaic ("Adventures of Cormac mac Airt").

O'Rahilly's schema, roughly speaking, the primeval divine weapon was a fiery and bright lightning weapon, most often conceived of as a throwing spear; in later traditions, the wielder would change from god to hero, and spear tending to be replaced by sword. From the heroic cycles, some prominent are Fergus Mac Roigh's sword Caladbolg and Mac Cecht's spear. But Caladbolg does not manifest as a blazing sword, and the latter which does emit fier sparks is a spear, thus failing to fit the profile of a sword which shines. One example which does fit, is Cúchulainn's sword Cruaidín which was aforementioned. And the legacy of these mythological and heroic weapons survive in the "sword of light" in folklore.

In some circles, the Claidheamh Soluis has been literally been asserted to be the sword of Nuada Airgetlám, one of The Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. This notion has become popular in Japan, where this information was disseminated by the fantasy related mythology reference written by Nobuaki Takerube and derivative literature.

Connection to other swords

Unsurprisingly, some have seen parallels with this to Excalibur, due to some of the descriptions regarding how it shone. When Excalibur was first drawn, in the first battle testing King Arthur's sovereignty, its blade blinded his enemies. Thomas Malory writes: "thenne he drewe his swerd Excalibur, but it was so breyght in his enemyes eyen that it gaf light lyke thirty torchys." Other commentators have equated the Sword of Light to the Grail sword.

Fiction

In fiction, Nuada's sword is to referred to as the Claímh Solais, the sword of light (Book of Conquests (1978), The Silver Arm (1981), and Érinsaga (1985) by artist Jim Fitzpatrick), where it is described as a "rune-engraven" sword. Jamie Poole Books, a series by Ellen E. Sutherland (2014), explores the myth in a modern, urban setting.

According Takerube's reference book, Nuadha wore a shining sword called the Claimh Solais (phonetisized Klau-Solas)—fiery sword, sword of light. The Claimh Solais was a magic sword "engraven with spells", and reputedly an Undefeatable Sword such that once unsheathed, no one could escape its blows. And also, it was one of the Four Treasures of Erin brought from the mystical Isle of Findias in the North".

Video games

A similar sword named Claimh Solais appears in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and is considered one of the strongest weapons in the game, and stays hidden behind two secret passages in the Forbidden Area, it's in-game description says it's a "Sword with a sparkling blade", It also appears in Dawn of Sorrow and Harmony of Despair.

The sword is also wielded by Setsuna Saizuki in the game Evil Zone. The sword is possessed by a renegade fragment of the main antagonist's power, personified by the spirit Karin, who serves as a shield alongside the sword.

The Claiomh Solais is also wielded by Yuri Lowell in the game Tales of Vesperia. It is obtained from Ted in the lower quarter of Zaphias at endgame, before fighting Duke on Tarqaron. The sword is said to have originally been wielded by a strong mercenary.

The Claiomh Solias is also an Ultimate Brave Burst used by Angelic Blades Sefia. She wields a sword similar to the weapon describe within the myths and when she attacks the sword glows with light. this brave burst is obtained at her 7-star form and maxing her Super Brave burst Ragnado Nova.

The Claiomh Solias also makes an appearance in Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE, and is one of the swords used by Itsuki Aoi in that game.

The Digimon Craniamon uses a twin-bladed weapon called the Claiomh Solais in his various appearances throughout the games it appears in.