pn
Bolga, Bulga in population and place-names, etc.
Taken to mean `lightning' < Celt. *Bolgos; Bolga, Bulca
`of the lightning' (?) < *Bolgios, and expld. as forms of a
divine epithet, O'Rahilly,
EIHM 51 f
.;
cf. `the goddess Bolga', Rhys,
PBA vi 106 (1913)
,
iv 251 (1910)
. For alternative explanations see infra.
In tribal and population names:
genelach hūa mBuilc
(mBuilg, Hūi Builg, v.ll.),
Corp. Gen. 262.
Fir B., Tuath
B., name of a prehistoric or mythological people in Ireland,
variously expld. F.B. = earlier Builg, a pluralized form of
Bolg, a deity-name, were `in origin an offshoot of the Belgae,'
O'Rahilly, loc. cit.
54
. Mac Neill,
PRIA xxix C (1911) 81
-
82
and Pokorny,
ZCP xi 189 f
., as also native writers of legendary
history (but cf.
Lec. 181va49
infra), refer F.B. to 1 bolg,
Mac Neill regarding it as `an occupation-name' applied
to pre-Goidelic tribes (= Bolgthuath, Bolgraige) meaning
`people of leathern bags', later extended to the subjugated
population in general, Pokorny as meaning `men of the
skin bags
' (i.e. `boats made of hide'); Van Hamel,
ZCP x
186
-
188
describing F.B. as mythological beings takes B.¤
as
g
p. of 2 bolg. From Celtic *bolg-/*belg- `the swollen, wrathful´ acc. to Carey, CMCS xvi 80-83
. Cf. B.¤
in nn. loc. infra. Fir Bolg im, rogabsat
Manaind = Builc autem cum suis tenuit Euboniam insulam,
LBretnach 13
.
for tuaith mBolc,
ZCP xiv 174.4
.
tuatha
Dē . . . / im thuaith mBolc bāigsit rīge,
176.1
.
for Feraib B.
(: hanord),
Metr. Dinds. iii 170.1
.
gnídís (sc. Fir B.) barca
doibh dia mbolgaibh . . . do theacht i nErinn amal asbeart
Cin Droma Snechta,
ZCP x 186.15
(BB), cf.
LL 652.
fir i
mbalggaib (: ardglain) ba mór nert,
960
. is airi asbeardda[i]s
Fir Bolc immecurdis fir earann (ed. would read úir nÉrenn)
i mbolcaib do reic fri Grecu . . . ar nathracha,
Geneal. Tracts
197.13
. Specific and general signification of name F.B.:
nach d'Feraib B. Gaileoin na Domhnannaigh . . . fír sin tra
iarna slonnadh ghnethech. Gidhedh iarna slonnadh coitchenn, as ainm diles dona tri Tuathaibh remraite F. B.,
PRIA xxix C 82 n. 1.
is aen-gabail iad (viz. Fir B. ┐ Gaileoin
┐ Fir Domnand) iar mbunudus,
ITS xxxix 146 § 262 (Leb.
Gab.)
.
Grec ┐ Laiden ┐ Bretnais ac Fearaib Bolc ┐ Belgaid
acu i nErinn
,
Lec. 181va48
.
Fir B. . . . ó na bolgaibh leathair
do bhíodh aca 'san nGréig,
Keat. i 194.5
.
In nn. pr. (see O'Rahilly, loc. cit.
43 f.):
m. Ōengusa Builg,
Corp. Gen. 262.
dā mac Luigdech: Ōengus B. et Ōengus
Dublesc,
Rawl. 155b12
.
Aed Bolgc, rí Duin Chermna,
ACC
138.21
.
tenid i rraith Aeda builc,
AU i 94.6
.
ingen d'Aed
Builg (: chuirp) mac Ḟingin,
LL 17149
(
RC xlvii 308.15
). As
n. pr. f.:
Bolc Ban-bretnach . . . do Bhretnaibh,
Cóir Anm. 54.
Bolce banbretnach,
Anecd. iii 57.5
.
mathair Chuirc . . . /
Bolga Manand Bret[n]ach brass,
LL 17011
(
RC xlvii 304.22
).
? Name of deity:
M. Ailella Ērand Dé Bolgae, is é tōesech
ar-ránic faga (m. Aililla De Bolga . . . rānic foga, v.l.),
Corp. Gen. 376. 17
.
In nn. loc., see Hog. Onom. s.v. aithbe, cluain, dún, b.¤
, bolga,
etc. O'Rahilly, loc. cit. 43-5, gives list of place-names containing B.¤
which he regards as g
p. of Builg (= Fir B.); refd. to 2 b.
by Van Hamel,
ZCP x 187
and
Contribb. 236.
Belach
Dúin B.,
RC xiii 66 § 67.
Mag mB. (mbolga, v.l.) former name
of
Mag n-Ítha,
Metr. Dinds. iv 90.23
.
see Hamp,
Ériu xxiv 179 f.
In phr. gae bolga, bulga, see gae, G 10.80 , `spear of Bulga'
(`or Bolga'), O'Rahilly,
EIHM 51
,
52
,
61 ff., cf. Rhys,
Trans. of the International Congress of the History of Religions, vol. ii 207, 1908
, cited by
EIHM
loc. cit. 55
; `gapped spear',
Contribb. 236
: referred to
1 bolg with meaning `Blasenspeer', Pokorny,
ZCP xii 200.
fichid Loch isind áth cosin gaí bolga,
LU 6234
(TBC).
eter . . . gai bolcai ┐ bai brasi (in list of Cú Chulainn's feats),
8443
(
FB 30
).
gai bolga,
9290
.
Compd.
le Bolg-thuathaib Bagna denam a isdad,
Hy Maine 90.13
. Cf.
T[uatha] Bolgraighe ┐ clain Deguail (sc.
athechthuatha) for Cenel Conaill,
RC xx 338.13
.
Bolgraidhe,
336.26
.
Bolgraighe for críochaibh Conuill,
Geneal. Tracts 77.3
.