Scáthach

Scáthach ('The Shadowy One') is a legendary warrior woman and martial-arts teacher of the Ulster Cycle whose fortress, Dún Scáith (Castle of Shadows), stood on the Isle of Skye. In the mythology, Cú Chulainn travels to her island stronghold — penetrating its formidable defences — and she trains him and his companion Ferdiad in advanced combat arts, including the use of the deadly barbed spear Gáe Bulg which she bestows upon him. She is described as semi-divine, the equal of any male warrior, and her school accepted only those already exceptionally brave and skilled. The ruins of Dunscaith Castle at Tokavaig on the Sleat Peninsula, Skye, are identified with her legendary stronghold.