The Climactic Spear-Throwing Scenes of Celtic Myth: Lugh as Yudhishthira-Mitra and Balor as one of the Rudras

The Climactic Spear Throwing Scenes of Celtic Myth: Lugh as Yudhishthira-Mitra and Balor as one of the Rudras 

The Spear of Lugh

If we look at the Welsh myths, the spear-throwing motif appears in quite a simple and direct form. There is one main spear-throwing sequence, found in “Math fab Mathonwy” from the Mabinogion, where Gronw Pebr pierces Lleu Llaw Gyffes with a special spear, and then after a space Lleu returns and kills Gronw with his own thrown spear. This thrown spear of Lleu accomplishes two distinct tasks. Firstly, it ends the conflict, the “mini-war,” that has arisen from the adultery of Blodeuwedd and Gronw. We can see indeed that to pursue Gronw, Lleu has to martial the warriors of his kingdom, to cross a body of water, and to confront Gronw who is among his own men, just as if two armies were facing off for battle. We have shown previously how exactly and uncannily this sequence parallels the events of the Trojan War as found in the Iliad, so that we feel it is more than fair to call Lleu's killing of Gronw a symbolic ending of a “mini-war,” which is at its root precisely the same war myth that has here been compressed to a much more compact version, and this killing therefore brings a cessation of hostilities and peace to the land through Lleu's enactment of justice. The fact that this sequence is drawn from the same war myth is highlighted by the fact that Lleu and his marshaled allies cross a body of water, the river Cynvael, to pursue Blodeuwedd, just as Menelaus and his allies cross the Aegean sea to pursue Helen and Paris. Secondly, this spear-throwing kills the adulterous lover of Lleu's wife, gaining Lleu revenge on a more personal level. That is, in one spear throw, Lleu ends the war and gets revenge on his wife's lover, who we have previously identified as a Sun god.

In the Irish version, things aren't so simple at all. Instead, these two events are split apart, and we have two separate tales to accomplish what the Welsh version achieves in one. Yet mostly the same elements are present. Lugh famously casts the final projectile of the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh (it is sometimes said to be a spear, sometimes a sling stone), ending the conflict and bringing peace to the land. However, it is not the lover of his wife who is thus killed with this projectile, but simply a king and lead general of the opposing army, Lugh's own grandfather, Balor the Fomorian, “of the Evil Eye.” In an entirely separate tale we learn that Lugh kills Cermait Milbel, son of the Dagda, for having an affair with his wife, Buach. Indeed, the figure we have called the primary sun god, Bres, and his wife, the Dawn Goddess Brigid, deities who in other branches would be identical to Lleu or Menelaus' wife and her solar lover (Gronw or Paris), are here instead completely separate from Lugh's personal affairs. That is, the solar figure who in other places is only singular (Gronw or Paris) seems to be doubled in the Irish version in the figures of Bres and Cermait (though there does seem to be evidence of a possible similar doubling in Helen's two foreign husbands, Paris and Diephobus). In the end, Lugh does kill Bres in addition to Cermait, getting Bres to drink poisonous sewage when the war ends.

In the Welsh version, Gronw strikes Lleu first with a spear, causing Lleu to undergo a symbolic temporary death, where he transforms into an eagle and flies up to the top of some kind of otherworldly tree, possibly even the World Tree. Lleu then is healed, returns, and kills Gronw. For Irish Lugh, it is only after killing Cermait that Cermait's sons take their turn and kill Lugh. The order of the confrontations in the Irish version is flipped compared to the Welsh, as we saw the order also flipped in a different way in the Iliad version. While Welsh Lleu had been speared while standing with one foot on the back of a goat, and one on the edge of a cauldron of water, by the side of a river, Irish Lugh for his part is killed by being speared in the foot and then drowned in Loch Lugborta. The theme of spearing combined with water seems to at least create a possible continuity between these death scenes, with a possible esoteric significance in the combination of these elements. The Welsh version certainly implies the breaking of a magical tynged and a temporary death, while the Irish spearing and drowning combination could have a magico-ritual significance as well. As the Welsh Lleu quickly returns from his temporary death, Kevin MacLean has argued that the Irish tradition too seems to carry the possibility that Lugh will return again from his otherworldly tomb beneath the waters (see Lugh returning as a phantom in "The Phantom's Frenzy," but denying that he is a phantom:"They saw the scál [phantom] himself in the house, before them on his throne...He answered them and said, 'I am not a phantom nor a specter. I have come on account of my fame among you, since my death'").

What we find in the Greek version appearing in the Iliad, which has proven to be so uncannily close in so many ways to the Welsh version, is that there is a kind of splitting of the scene which occurs here as well. In the duel scene where Menelaus attempts to settle the dispute, end the war, and kill his wife's lover Paris, Menelaus throws his spear through Paris' shield, but in this case Paris is too agile and dodges the dart, being rescued just after by Aphrodite and spirited safely away. It isn't until much later that another warrior, Philoctetes, finishes Paris off with a poisoned arrow (consider here the poisoning of Bres). And finally, near the end of the war, when they have infiltrated past Troy's walls, Menelaus slays his wife Helen's second foreign husband, Deiphobus, rather than Paris, her first, concluding the conflict. Thus, similar to how in the Irish version there are the two solar figures Bres and Cermait (not to mention his avenging sons), this motif is also split between the two figures, Paris and Deiphobus, in the Greek version (add also Pandarus, who plays the role of wounding Menelaus, but shouldn't be considered as one of the sun gods), while the Welsh myth uses only one figure who performs all functions in one: adulterous lover of the dawn goddess, who “kills” Lleu, and is in turn killed by him, which ends the war. 

The possible reason that the Irish myth has introduced a deity completely separate from the solar figures of this tale of adultery and revenge mentioned thus far, to receive the final dart of the main war – that is, the Fomorian Balor – is that there in fact exists at least one other “end of war” spear-throwing motif in the Indo-European corpus, as can be seen in the Indian Mahabharata, and which may have survived in a similar form in Ireland as well. The confusion perhaps originates from the fact that the Lawful Sovereign or Mitraic deity sometimes performs both of these spear killings (as Lugh does, killing both Balor and Cermait, not to mention Bres with the sewage), though they are directed at totally different opponents. In the Indian version, this second type of spear scene occurs right at the end of the war, in the face-off between Yudhishthira (incarnation of Mitra) and the Kaurava general Shalya, which is followed shortly by the destructive outburst of another Kaurava, Ashvatthama. Ashvatthama is the incarnation or spiritual son of “one of the Rudras.” However, it is also said that Drona prayed to Shiva for a son like Shiva, and thus Shiva gave him Ashvatthama, so Ashvatthama's identity may either be an incarnation of Rudra-Shiva himself or an incarnation of one of Rudra's attendants, the Rudras. In the latter case he would be the embodiment of the destructive aspect of one of the Rudras, the attendants of Rudra who were either associated with destruction generally, destructive winds, or were identified with the destructive rain deities the Maruts (the overlapping of the Rudras and Maruts has proven a contentious topic among interpreters that we will not go into). Ashvatthama has a gem of power in his forehead which gives him power over lower nonhuman beings, protects him from hunger, thirst, fatigue, snakebite, ghosts, and unnatural death, and contributes to his prowess on the battlefield. 

Now, to begin this sequence, right during the climactic scene that ends the war, Yudhishthira (Lugh parallel) throws his spear blessed by Shiva through the commander of the Kaurava army, Shalya. This climactic spear throw is described thus:

Yudhishthira the just, took up a dart whose handle was adorned with gold and gems and whose effulgence was as bright as that of gold. Rolling his eyes that were wide open, he cast his glances on the ruler of the Madras, his heart filled with rage...then hurled with great force at the king of the Madras that blazing dart of beautiful and fierce handle and effulgent with gems and corals. All the Kauravas beheld that blazing dart emitting sparks of fire as it coursed through the welkin after having been hurled with great force, even like a large meteor falling from the skies at the end of the Yuga. (Mahabharata, Shalya Parva, 17)

The spear “was incapable of being baffled,” and it is said of it that

That weapon seemed to blaze like Samvartaka-fire...Unerringly fatal, it was destructive of all haters of Brahma. Having carefully inspired it with many fierce mantras, and endued it with terrible velocity by the exercise of great might and great care, king  Yudhishthira hurled it along the best of tracks for the destruction of the ruler of the Madras. Saying in a loud voice the words, "Thou art slain, O wretch!" the king hurled  it...stretching forth his strong (right) arm graced with a beautiful hand, and apparently dancing in wrath. (Mahabharata, Shalya Parva, 17)

We are reminded that, as the “stretching forth” of Yudhisthira's “strong (right) arm” is emphasized in this climactic throw, one of Lugh's primary epithet sis Lamhfada, “of the long arm.” Furthermore, Yudhishthira is said to be “apparently dancing in wrath,” while Lugh, for his part, enters the great battle by performing what has been referred to as a “crane dance” before his troops. 

We should also notice similarities in the description of Yudhishthira's spear and that of Lugh's spear, the Gae Assail (Spear of Assal) or Areadbhair (Slaughterer). Lugh's spear, one of the Four Jewels of the Tuatha De Danann, is said to ignite into flame and flash forth fire of its own accord and so must be kept in a pot of water. Isolde Carmody has shown that the island from which the spear originates, Gorias, is linguistically connected to fire, heat and inflammation. Likewise, Yudhishthira's spear emits “sparks of fire” and seems to blaze “like Samvartaka-fire,” its appearance being compared to that fire of the sky, the flaming meteor. In fact, we should seriously entertain the idea that this comparison of Yudhishthira's spear to a meteor and the fact that Lugh's weapon with which he kills Balor is described variously as either a spear or a sling stone may indicate a shared thematic between the Irish and Indian versions -- the sling stone symbolic of the meteoric fire of the sky which is an aspect of the deity's power and which in the Indian version is a feature of the spear, combined into one image of meteor and fire-lighting-spear. Lugh's sling stone, or tathlum, is described as “heavy, fiery, firm” and is made of the collected blood of many deadly animals. Tathlum stones generally are said to have been formed of the brains of slain foes. Yudhishthira's spear, similarly, is said to be “a consumer of the life-breaths and the bodies of all foes.” Yudhishthira's spear is said to be “incapable of being baffled,” while of Lugh's it is said that “No battle was ever won against it or him who held it in his hand.” Yudhishthira is said to be so skilled with his spear that he could throw it through solid stone as if it was paper, while Welsh Lleu literally throws his spear through a slab of stone to kill Gronw Pebr, and Menelaus throws his spear through Paris' shield in the analogous duel scene. To emphasize the general comparability of these spear-wielders once more: while Lugh is said to reign for 40 years after the war, which he ends with this spear, Yudhishthira is said to reign for 37 years after the war, which he ends with his.

The Eye of Balor

In the very next sentence after the killing of Shalya, Shalya’s son is beheaded and the Kauravas go into a full and final retreat. Likewise, immediately following the killing of Balor, the Fomorians make their final retreat. In the Indian version, as a last gasp effort, Ashvatthama attacks the camp of the Pandavas and kills almost all of the warriors including all the children of the main heroes, the Pandavas. Only the main incarnations of the gods of society, the Pandava brothers themselves, survive. As punishment for this attack, Ashvatthama has the gem of power removed from his forehead. Balor's evil eye is driven out of the back of his head in the Irish conclusion.

Thus, in quick succession to end the war we have: spear blessed by Shiva is thrown by the Lawful Sovereign and kills the commander of the opposing army, a beheading, a final retreat, and the mass slaughter of the protagonist forces by the incarnation of a god of destruction who has a source of great power in a magical object resting in his forehead region. These four climactic events may have been combined into one in the death of Balor: he is killed with the spear or projectile by the Lawful Sovereign, he is beheaded after the battle (only in a separate version, however, which may accord with the fact that Shalya is not himself the one beheaded in the Indian version, his son is), there is a final retreat, and his magical eye of destruction is unleashed, though on his own army. His eye is removed by Lugh's projectile while Ashvatthama's gem of power too is removed. In fact, the combining and compressing of this sequence of events is very typical of the Celtic myths, which, compared to the stretched out and detailed style of the Mahabharata, are notably concise. We have already seen the Welsh tale of Lleu compress the same narrative found in a large section of the Iliad down to a few pages. To further bolster this comparison, we find that Ashvatthama also invokes a celestial weapon of mass slaughter which is said to turn on its user (if used twice). This is similar to what we see of Balor’s eye, which turns on his own army when it is driven out of his head. Shalya for his part is the final commander-in-chief of the Kauravas when they are defeated, just as Balor is the commander of the Fomorians upon his death which marks the end of the war.

Balor's alternate name spelling “Balar” means something like “the deadly one” and, based on the earliest Rig Vedic material, Rudra was originally the god of the destructive power of nature and the terror it caused, perhaps before he was anything more (Chakravarti, The Concept of Rudra-Siva Through the Ages). His attendant gods known as “Rudras” were destructive gods of storm, and of wind or rain more specifically. It is important to note how much Rudra and the Rudras were seen mainly as gods of destruction and struck absolute terror into the hearts of people in the earliest evidence. One theory, described by Mahadev Chakravarti, holds that Rudra only developed a beneficent or healing aspect as, due to his immense destructive power, he was propitiated in the belief that he would have the power also to do the opposite of destroying, that he would heal the people or spare them his destruction. The whole basis of the Indo-European mythic war-of-the-gods cycle, as we have described it, boils down to the struggle of the gods of society against the destructive forces of nature, or more exactly against the “impersonal” gods of fate, decay and destruction. Balor can be interpreted in this line as a god of the destructive force of nature. Kevin MacLean has made the case that he is an embodiment of the force of destructive flood waters, which would put him directly in line with the torrential rain-associated Rudras/Maruts. We could speculate that Balor may have been painted as a more demonic figure over time, or that he became seen as identical simultaneously with the "Vrtra" dragon, as seems to be the case in Irish Cian's myth when we compare it to Vedic Pushan's.

Ashvatthama clearly displays a terrifying character reminiscent of Balor. He is described thus:

The sound of Ashvatthama's bow, inspiring foes with terror, was repeatedly heard by us in that battle, O king, to resemble that of a roaring lion...With mouth wide open from rage and with the desire to retaliate, and with red eyes, the mighty Ashvatthama looked formidable like death himself, armed with his mace and filled with wrath as at the end of the Yuga. He then shot showers of fierce shafts. With those shafts sped by him, he began to rout the Pandava army. (Mahabharata, Karna Parva, 56)

And of Ashvatthama's appearance it is said: “The form of Ashvatthama became such in that battle that men could with difficulty gaze at it,” while Balor has the great "evil eye" that destroys what it looks on. 

Other key connections between Yudhishthira and the other Lawful Sovereign figures, namely Iranic Mithra, Welsh Lleu, Irish Lugh and Greek Menelaus (and consider also Roman Numa Pompilius and Norse Tyr) reinforce the continuity of this archetype. Lugh's very name has been proposed to come from (h2)lewgh- meaning "to bind by oath" related to Old Irish luige and Welsh llw, both meaning "oath, vow, act of swearing" and derived from a suffixed Proto-Celtic form, *lugiyo-, "oath," while the Vedic god of this archetype, Mitra, is theorized to have originated as the god embodying the contract, the oath being one species of contract, becoming subsequently the god of the daylit sky as well. All of these figures except perhaps the notably pacified Vedic Mitra, but including his incarnation Yudhishthira, are great warrior figures, and associations with Ares (as Menelaus has) or identifications with Mars (as Lugh and Tyr) are found attached to them repeatedly. Dumezil sums up the paradoxical warlike character of this sometimes peaceful god in the section of his Mitra-Varuna titled “Mithra Armed,” describing how Iranic Mithra is clearly a warlike god, closely associated with the spirit of offensive victory, Verethragna, and wields the vazra lightning weapon, while in India Indra has absorbed Verethragna, become the primary warrior god and wielder of the vajra lightning weapon, while Mitra is there no longer seen as a combatant. Yudhishthira himself embodies this paradox: he is depicted as an ideal Brahmin, a wise, justice-loving ascetic who desires to negotiate peace and avoid conflict, but who is eventually inspired to do battle in the name of justice and in order to avenge the dishonor done to his wife, and who leads his forces to victory while achieving the climactic kill with his terrifyingly unstoppable spear. Dhritarashtra vividly sums up this paradoxical character when he says of Yudhishthira, “If he were not high-minded, they would in wrath burn the Dhritarashtras. I do not so much dread Arjuna or Bhima or Krishna or the twin brothers as I dread the wrath of the king [Yudhishthira], O Suta, when his wrath is excited [italics mine]. His austerities are great; he is devoted to Brahmacharya practices. His heart's wishes will certainly be fulfilled. When I think of his wrath, O Sanjaya, and consider how just it is, I am filled with alarm." The key to this is that he is violent and terrifying “when his wrath is excited,” and that his wrath is just. He brings peace, but does so through sometimes terrible violence. What we see most clearly is that some societies chose to emphasize the Mitraic Lawful Sovereign's peaceable, Brahmin aspect, while others emphasized his War God aspect (perhaps none moreso than did the Irish). Thus also, the association of the Lawful Sovereign archetype with the lightning bolt weapon (vazra/vajra), which one of Lugh's weapons has many times been interpreted as, is actually far from atypical, but may have been a consistent feature ranging from Iranic Mithra with his vazra, to Dius Fidius with his fulmen, to the Gallic god Romanized as Mars Loucetios (of the lightning), and the lightning bolt weapon may only not have been associated with this archetype in the Indian-Germanic cultural continuum (Dumezil even speculates that Zeus could partially be seen in this light). As Dumezil puts it, it is “possible that the Iranian Mithra, a fighter armed with the vazra, simply developed a power already inherent in the Indo-Iranian *Mitra, one that the Vedic Mitra let fall into disuse” (Dumezil, Mitra Varuna, 117).

What we hope to conclude from this is that, whether the spear throw kills the Sun God lover of the adulterous wife, or instead kills the final commander of the opposition's army who may or may not be a god of destruction, these great spear throws are almost across-the-board performed by the Lawful Sovereign, also known as the “Mitra” deity. The exceptions are that the Sun God hero of the Kurukshetra War, Karna, is killed by Arjuna after Karna badly wounds Yudhishthira, but even this killing is done on the Mitraic Yudhishthira's command; and similarly Paris, who after dueling Menelaus, and after Menelaus is wounded by Pandarus, is killed not by Menelaus but by Philoctetes, Menelaus instead killing Helen's other husband Deiphobus. In the Irish version, Lugh in fact performs all of these possible killings: the spear thrown through Balor to end the war, the killing of Cermait in revenge for his affair with Lugh's wife, and the killing of the solar Bres by poisoning. What does not change is that there are two main types of spear-throwing scenes, both types usually accomplished by the Mitraic Lawful Sovereign, the god who can throw spears through stone or can throw them to end wars, always throwing them justly, always winning victory thereby. 

*******

Works Cited:

Cath Maige Tuireadh

Mahabharata

"The Phantom's Frenzy"

The Mabinogion, "Math fab Mathonwy"

The Iliad

Georges Dumezil, Mitra-Varuna

Mahadev Chakravarti, The Concept of Rudra-Siva Through the Ages

Kevin MacLean, https://www.youtube.com/c/FortressofLugh/videos