Britain is the primary source of Celtic mythology, but less so in England. These are the stories from the Welsh and Scottish folklore, the stories of the Druids, and the Irish Otherworld. It also serves as a partial foundation for Arthurian legend.

There are a lot of ridiculous weaponry in stories about gods fighting, which is to be expected. Here are ten of the most powerful weapons, ranging from swords and spears to enormous siege machines.

10. Lorg Mor

The “Staff of Wrath,” also known as Lorg Mór or Lorg Anfaid, was a massive forked rod that required a wheel and eight men to pull, creating indentations in the earth like furrows. It belonged to the Dagda, the druids’ patron deity and father of the gods. While one end revived the dead with a single touch, the other end murdered nine adversaries in one blow.

The Dagda ate porridge from a “great pit in the ground” at the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, using a spoon large enough “for a man and a woman to lie together in,” to give you an indication of his enormous proportions.

The Dagda also possessed a magical harp that could either raise or lower an army’s morale and a magic pot from which he could draw food indefinitely—enough to feed entire armies. This harp once leaped off the wall and murdered the present robbers at the sound of his voice when it was taken by the terrible Fomorians.

9. Dyrnwyn

Clas Myrddin, or “Myrddin’s Enclosure,” is an old name for Britain in Welsh tradition, from the time when gods roamed the planet. There, in a home formed of air “by enchantment so strong it may never be undone,” Myrddin was held captive as long as “the world endureth.” The Greeks formerly regarded Myrddin as Kronos, the Titan and father of Zeus, despite the fact that he was eventually Christianized (culturally corrupted) to Merlin, the magician of Arthurian romance.

Either way, Myrddin brought the Thirteen Treasures of Britain with him, including a sword known as Dyrnwyn, or “White-Hilt.” Rhydderch Hael, the King of Strathclyde in Scotland, used to wield this weapon. Its ability to catch fire, like to a lightsaber, extended from the handle to the tip—but only to the deserving user. Instead, they would catch fire if they weren’t worthy. As a result, although Rhydderch was glad to give it to others (gaining him the moniker “the Generous”), not many people accepted his offer.

8. Moralltach

Aengus the sex god’s foster son Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (pronounced Dermot O’Dyna) was the owner of Moralltach, or “Great Fury.” It came from the sea god Lir’s son and mentor, Manannán. A dependable long sword, it never missed a hit and always succeeded in killing its target. Thus, it was saved for the bloodiest battles. Diarmuid had Beagalltach, aka “Little Fury,” the more subdued counterpart of Moralltach for smaller skirmishes.

Diarmuid was awakened three times that night by the sound of a hound, and even though Gráinne begged him to take Moralltach instead, he armed himself only with Beagalltach to investigate. “How is a little affair going to put me in danger?” he asked. He discovered a boar hunt underway when he got there, but this wasn’t your typical boar. Aengus, his foster father, had killed a magician’s son years before for being more popular than Diarmuid. The wizard then turned the dead man into a boar and gave it the mission of destroying Diarmuid one day. Diarmuid recognized his error and cried out, “Woe to him who does not follow the advice of a good wife!” as he realized that day was approaching. He attempted to strike the boar in the neck with Beagalltach, but it merely brushed off without making any impression. Ultimately, Diarmuid met his demise.

He could have taken one strike to break the boar in half if he had brought Moralltach. By dashing “through them and under them and over them, like a wolf among sheep, or a hawk among sparrows, cleaving and slaughtering them, till only a few were left,” he actually once used a sword to annihilate an entire army.

7. The Solais Claiomh

A “Sword of Light,” Claíomh Solais (also known as Chloive Solais) was forged for Nuada, the king of the gods. Together with the Lia Fáil (also known as the “Stone of Destiny”), Lugh’s spear, and the Dagda’s cauldron, it was one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Dannan, or the gods. There was nowhere to run once this sword was pulled. Nobody was able to thwart it or eliminate its user. And like a mystical vehicle alarm, it shrieked if anyone other than the owner attempted to use it.

Numerous Irish folktales feature Claíomh Solais, who eventually made his way to Scotland. King Arthur’s sword Excalibur might have been influenced by it as well.

6. Gae Bulg

Gáe Bulg, or “barbed spear,” was made of the bones of a sea monster and was essentially unbreakable. It was owned by the warrior goddess Scáthach, who taught it to the hero Cú Chulainn. He was the only one among her classmates to demonstrate the ability to use this gift, therefore it was not insignificant. To begin with, it needed to be thrown with the foot, propelled with a kick from the toes. Also, it had to be utilized carefully because it always guaranteed a kill.

Gáe Bulg riddled an enemy’s body with barbs when it entered it. The number varies throughout sources, which claim 30 or 49. In any case, it left the target in such disarray that it took some time to retrieve the weapon. It has to be excavated with a knife; it could not just be taken from the body. It goes without saying that it was far more appropriate for one-on-one combat than for combat on the battlefield. However, it was an unworthy weapon.

Cú Chulainn utilized it only when not using it would have resulted in his demise. He only ever used it to kill Ireland’s finest warriors because he was an invincible fighter himself; typically, this was done after protracted battles, right before they were ready to kill him. He appears to have used it three times: against Queen Medb’s champion Loch (slicing his heart in two), against his little son Connla (tearing up his tummy), and against his dearest friend Ferdiad (wounding “every limb and crevice.”

5. Luin de Celtchar

It seemed like the hero Celtchar’s enchanted lance had a mind of its own. It would writhe maniacally until it acquired blood when it sensed an enemy; if not, it would turn on its bearer. The spear’s bloodlust could only be “quenched” by submerging it in a stew of poison.

It could also take out targets at a distance without coming into contact with them; all you had to do was push it into position. However, if it was hurled, it instantly murdered nine men, invariably one of them being a royal heir, a monarch, or a “plundering chieftain.”

After using the Lúin against the deity who had an affair with his wife, Celtchar was killed by the weapon. It was discovered abandoned on Mag Tuired’s battlefield.

4. The Spear of Lugh

Lugh’s spear, also referred to as Gae Assail, was one of the Four Treasures of the gods, or Tuatha Dé Danann, as it was previously established. These are the four greatest accomplishments of their magical expertise. Confusingly, though, it is also claimed to have been taken from its original owner, the King of Persia, by Lugh at his command. In any case, it rendered Lugh invincible. “No battle was ever won against it or him who held it in his hand,” according to the ancient Irish saga Cath Maige Tuired, which recounts the events of the fight of Mag Tuired.

Lugh, one of the most significant ancient Celtic deities, is commemorated in place names such as Lyon, France (derived from Lugdunum, the “fortress of Lugh”). He’s compared to Apollo as a solar deity. Additionally, he was the grandson of the Sauron-like ruler Balor, who attempted to have him killed when he was a newborn after a prophesy said that Lugh would destroy him. Greek and Roman mythology aficionados will see the similarities to the tale of Kronos/Saturn consuming his sons. Like Zeus, Lugh managed to escape death and was taken in by the sea deity Manannán, who raised him to become the god of handicrafts. He later used his magical spear to kill Balor, as predicted. It always went back to its thrower, much like Thor’s hammer did. It also never missed.

It’s interesting to note that, despite the current diminishment of all the old gods, Lugh has suffered more than most. Over time, this powerful warrior, sun deity, and “Master of All Arts” evolved into the straightforward fairy craftsman known as Lugh-chromain, or “little stooping Lugh”—a character that we now refer to as the leprechaun.

3. Fragarach

Lugh also possessed a sword known as Fragarach, also referred to as “The Answerer.” Originally created by the gods for Nuada, the High monarch of Ireland, it was intended to be used on the Lia Fáil stone, also known as the “Stone of Destiny,” so that Fragarach would whisper back in response when the stone roared to verify the identity of the true monarch.

However, it was far more than that. It was also capable of penetrating all forms of armor, including walls and shields, and extracting the truth from anyone’s lips. On command, it flew from the scabbard to the hand as well. Furthermore, even a minor wound would result in instantaneous death for anyone struck by this Swiss Army knife-style magic blade. It may even be in charge of the weather.

Lugh, not a king in his own right, received the sword after Nuada broke an arm in battle with the Fomorians. With his immense arsenal, he promptly intervened on behalf of the Tuatha Dé Danann, sparing them from having to honor Balor. Calling to mind Apollo once again, it is reported that they felt as though they were witnessing a sunrise when they saw him approaching with Fragarach in hand, atop a sea god’s self-navigating boat. Lugh dispatched nearly all of the Fomorians right away, leaving only nine alive to deliver a message to Balor: there would be no more tributes.

2. Caladbolg

Caladbolg, like all the best swords, was passed down through several hands, including that of Fergus mac Róich. The greatest of all Ulster heroes, this Ulster king had enormous genitalia and needed seven ladies to satiate him. In subsequent stories, he was also Queen Medb’s (Maeve) lover and Cú Chulainn’s tutor.

Using both hands, Caladbolg swung down entire columns of soldiers in a rainbow-like arc of color. It might potentially change the topography. Furious because his stepson Conchobar stole his kingdom, Fergus slaughters hundreds of his own soldiers at the Battle of Garach in order to attack his adversary. He only succeeds in hitting Conchobar’s shield, though, because Cormac, Conchobar’s son, steps in and convinces Fergus to spare his father’s life. Then Fergus turns on another man in the room, Conall, the twin of Cú Chulainn, who manages to seize hold of Fergus and talk him out of it. But like a berserker driven mad by fungus, he still had to let out his “battle-fury.” He thereupon “smote among the hills with his rainbow-sword,” severing the summits of three peaks, which came to be known as Meath’s “flat-tops,” or maela.

The direct translation of the term Caladbolg is “hard (or crushing) lightning,” and Excalibur bears this moniker. The two swords are actually believed to be one and the same. Caladbolg’s Welsh name, Caledfwlch, was Latinized as Caliburnus and then changed to Excalibur.

1. The Eye of Balor

The Fomorians‘ king Balor possessed an eye like a siege engine. It required four soldiers to open and was only ever done so on the battlefield. When the eye was opened, it had the power to destroy entire regions in addition to turning armies to ashes. The islands that “remain bleak and haunted to this day” are west of Scotland, and this seems to explain why.

The eye was so deadly, in fact, that seven cloaks were routinely kept over it in addition to the eyelid. Each of them had increasingly worse consequences when removed: the ferns withered in the first, the grass turned brown in the second, the trees heated in the third, the trees burning in the fourth, the trees hot in the fifth, and the final two ignited the surrounding area.

Paradoxically, Lugh killed Balor with this very eye. When the two finally came face to face on the battlefield, Lugh started talking. Lift up mine eyelid, my lad, that I may see the babbler who is talking to me, Balor said, turning to face one of his soldiers. The moment it was revealed, Lugh pulled a stone out of his sling and sent the eye through Balor’s brain and out the other side, where it was visible only to his own soldiers, instantly killing them.

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