Appearances: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XI
Tidus with the Caladbolg, Final Fantasy X
The Caladbolg is best known as Tidus' Celestial Weapon from Final Fantasy X. And not so fondly remembered for how difficult it was to acquire with the catcher chocobo race. The version of the sword that appears in FFXI is a again a high tier weapon. The Caladbolg grants the use of the 'Torcleaver' skill which actually ties in with the weapon's mythology.
First thing is first, how to actually pronounce the name? The Caladbolg appears mainly in Irish mythology. You can go here to hear the word pronounced. So now onto where this weapon appears in mythology. The Caladbolg belonged to the Irish king Fergus mac Róich. Well Fergus at least started off as a king. He appears in a few tales including the Táin Bó Cúalnge - Cattle Raid of Cooley where his various affairs lead to his undoing. In the Cattle Raid of Cooley Fergus gets caught having sex with Queen Medb. Medb's husband, Ailill, steals the Caladbolg off Fergus replacing it with a wooden dummy. Fergus is then forced to cede in is fight against the mighty hero Cúchulainn. Ailill eventually gives back the sword (probably when he realists his side is loosing). Fergus draws on the magic of the sword to cleave a great gap in his foe's ranks. He reaches the Ulster King, reading the final stroke. But, at the last minute is swayed and instead sends the blow aside, cleaving the tops of the three bald hills of Meath. This is where the skill 'Torcleaver' from FFXI gets it's name. A tor is type of hill.
The Caladbolg is also linked with King Arthur. Through Welsh tales and Geoffrey of Monmouth's the Caladbolg eventually merges into the Excalibur. At first, in the Welsh tales, it is Caledfwlch, a sword not used by Arthur, but one of his Irish knights. In Monmouth's Historia Regnum Britaniae the sword's name shifts to Caliburnus, an early version of the name Excalibur.
References:
Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. Vol. 1-3, John T Koch (ed), 2006.
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