[OWNER]

Druimderg son of Dolor [E.]
Druimdherg mac Dolair [Ir.]

[SPEAR]

Croderg "the Red-Socketed" [E.];
Croderg [Ir.]

In the Battle of Ventry (Cath Fionntrága [Ir.]), the venomous spear of the Irish warrior Druimderg mac Dolair, with which he defeated the high-king of Norway Caisal Clumach who attacked using his flaming venomous shield. The spear was an heirloom of his illustrious clan, the Clanna Rudraige.

[OPPONENT]

Caisal Clumach [E.]
Caiseal Clumach [Ir.]

King of Norway, a member of the forces from the continent invading Ireland (Eireen). The invading hosts were led by Daire Donn, the "King of the World".

[CAISEL'S SHIELD]

Caisel Clumach [E.];
sciath neime ar dearglasadh aigi "venomous shield with red flames" (Meyer ed. pp.38- ; Rawl. 487, fol. 8 a. 1 ~ 8 a.2) [Ir.]

A venomous and flaming shield crafted by a smith from hell (Vulcan). Caisel allowed the poison from the shield to take effect rather than to fight squarely with the sword he was carrying.

§ Cath Finntrága or "Battle of Ventry" (15 c. MS)

Is ann sin ro eirigh seinnser na clainni sin righ Lochlann & ba he sin an brath 700 nach fuilangthi & an dubdhorthadh dilann & an chliath bearna ced & an brath tar bruachaibh & an tonn rabharta & an fear nach ruc ceim ar cul riam roim uathad na sochaigi .i. Caiseal Clumach airdrigh Lochlann fein, uair ni taínic dithugud daine no uathugudh aicme mar sin a n=Eirinn riamh & do bhi sciath neime ar dearglasadh aigi dorinne gabha [fo. 8 a. 2.] ifrinn do & da curthai fo muir he 705 ni baidfeadh enlaem da lasair & ni ba teoidi he fein di. Acht enni o dho ghabhadh air hi, ní lamadh cara na neamchara techt feadh a urrchair fein a comghar do & tainic fa Ḟianaibh Eirenn mar sin & ní thuc dh'arm leis acht cloidem da imdhidean, uair ni d' imirt airm orrtha tainic acht do leigean neime a sceith futha. Uair na caera teinedh do theilgedh futha ní gabhadh arm na earradh na eídeadh ríu gan dul tre curpaib na laech ana saighdibh sithneimneacha co m-biadh an fer dibh ar 710 derglasadh a medon a arm & a eidedh & an uair do beanadh neach eili ris do ghabhadh an lasair sin he, uair ni ferr do lasadh scolb do dharaigh dileann do biad re bliadhain re deataigh 'na dho lasfad gach neach dibh edir arm & eirredh & eidedh & do bo bheag gach morolc da tainic a n=Eirinn riamh ag fechain an uilc sin. 715     Gurab ann sin adubert Finn: 'Togaibh bar lama, a Ḟiana Eirenn,' ar se 'amp; tabhraidh tri gairthi beannacht donti do curfeadh anumain eigin ar an allmurach innus co -deachsad dream eigin againn uadha do thoradh a reatha ' & do tugadar fiana Eirenn na gairthi sin fo cedoir. Meabhais imoro gen gaire ar an allmurach re cluinsin na n-gairthedh sin. Is ann sin do bhi Druimdherg mac Dolair mic Dorchaidhi rifeinnidh Ḟian Ulad a comgar don allmurach & do bhi sleagh neime 720 aigi do bhi ag clannaibh Rugraidhi a n-diaidh a cheili & an Croderg fa hainm di & do dḞech ar righ Lochlann & ni Ḟaca gan eidedh de acht a bhel & se urrḞoslaici ag gaire fan &x1E1E;ein. Is ann sin tuc Druimderg urrcar don Croderg chuigi gur curtha ais ana bhel he gur aidhbli a hurgrainne do leith a chuil 'nas do leith a aidhche. 725 Ro thuit imoro a sciath & ro baidh a lasair o dha thuit a thigearrna & rainic Druimdherg chuigi & do scar a cheann re a colainn & ro maidh an morghnim & is i sin cabhair is fearr leisan fein fuaradar leisan Ḟianghaisceadh riamh. [fo. 8 b. 1.] —ed. Kuno Meyer The Cath Finntrága or Battle of Ventrypp.38-9

Then arose the eldest of the children of the king of Norway, and he was intolerable destruction and the spilling of a black deluge, and the filling up of a breach of a hundred, and destruction over the borders, and the wave of overwhelming, and the man that never took a step backward before one or many, to wit, Caisel Clumach, the high-king of Norway himself. For there never came destruction of men, or diminution of people like that into Erinn before, and he had a venomous shield with red flames, which the smith of hell [* 'Vulcan, the smith of hell', in MS. Egerton 149 (Intro. ix)] had wrought for him, and if it was put under sea, not one flame of its blaze would be quenched, and he himself was not hotter from it. But when he had taken it upon him, friend or foe did not venture to come near it for the length of his own cast. And he went amont the fianns of Erinn like that, and he did not take any weapon with him, but a sword to defend himself, for not to ply weapons against them did he come, but to let the venom of his shield among them. For the balls of fire that he sent among them, weapon, or dress, or accoutrement could not resist them, but they went through the bodies of the warriors like venomous arrows, so that each man of them would be in a red blaze in the midst of his weapons and his dress, and when somebody else touched him, htat blaze seized him; for a splinter of an antediluvial oak-tree, that has been a year in the smoke, would not blaze better than every one of them, as well weapons as dress as accoutrrement, and small was every great evil, that ever came into Erin, com­pared with that evil.     So then it was Finn said: 'Lift your hands, ye fianns of Erinn,' said he, 'and give three shouts of blessing to him that will put some delay on the foreigner, so that some of us may escape from him by dint of running.' And the fianns of Erinn forthwith gave those shouts. A smile then broke upon the foreigner, when he heard those shouts. It was then that Druimderg, the son of Dolar, the son of Dorchaide, the king of the fianns of Ulster, was near the foreigner, and he had with him a venomous spear, that was in the possession of the Clanna Rudraige [* dominant dynasty of the legendary Ulaid and the prehistoric ancestors of Dál nAraide. (See O'Rahilly, EIHM 349ff). ] one after the other, and the Croderg (the Red-socketed) was its name. And he looked upon the king of Norway, and saw nothing of him without some armour except his mouth, and that wide open as he laughed at the fiann. Then Druimderg made a cast wit the Croderg at him and hit him in his mouth, so that his hideousness was more awful from behind than from before. Then his shield fell down, and its blaze went out as its master fell. And Druimderg went up to him, and separated his head from his body, and boasted of his great deed. And that was the best help the fiann ever got through the valour of one of the fiann. —tr. Kuno Meyer