Ankus: Basically an elephant goad. Usually has a sharpened point
with a recurved side hook. Some had a short haft for use when riding elephants,
but others had longer ones that could be used while walking beside the animal.
Assegai: Spear with a leaf-shaped head on a fairly light wooden
staff. The shaft may be reinforced with iron to strengthen it, but it loses
flight capabilities in this case and should not be thrown.
Awl Pike: This is a very long spear-tpe weapon with a shaft from 10
to 20 feet long ending in a spike point of a tapered spearhead. Used
in battle by footmen who can be packed together in a formation that
will engage knights on horseback, the weapon was not a close range
weapon. Pikemen used short swords when engaged in close combat.
Bariche: A simple weapon, the bardiche is just an ax head mounted on
a five to eight foot pole. Popular among peasents because it was just
an adabtation of a more common tool of the time. Requires a lot of
space to use properly.
Bec de Corbin: A type of war hammer on a mid-length haft. The name
means "crow's beak" and refers to the primary piercing head. This is balanced
behind with small clawed hammer. Quite a few versions of this weapon also had
a short stabbing point at the top in line with the haft.
Billhook: Originally an agricultural implement, it was easily
modified into a weapon. A broad blade with a single cutting edge and a
variety of spikes and hooks projecting from the back and end, all mounted
on a long shaft. This is the original weapon from which guisarmes
and fauchards were derived.
Bill-guisarme: A very bizarre-looking combination weapon, it grew from
the simple bill hook of the times. Mounted on as seven to eight foot
long pole, it has the combination of a heavy, cleaver blade, a jutting
back spike, and a hook or spike on the end. Thus it can be used in
several different ways, though it does require a lot of room to use.
Brandestock: A long hafted weapon with a small axhead on one side
and short spike on the other. Has a long sword blade concealed in the handle
which may be readily extended.
Bullova: A long-handled ax with a wide variety of single-bladed
heads available. The heads were generally slightly curved, and an average of
about ten inches in length.
Chauves souris: Polearm with a long, broad, triangular blade. It
also has two similar but shorter blades projecting at fourty-five degrees
from the base.
Common spear: A shaft with a simple metal, stone, or even wooden
head, sturdy enough for thrusting and light enough for throwing.
Demi-lune(Halfmoon): A polearm with a cresent-shaped blade
at right angles to the shaft.
Die tsuchi: A long hafted war-hammer.
Fauchard: Considered to be a polearm with a long single-edged blade
on a shaft anywhere from six to eight feet in length. Quite often is also seen
with ornamental prongs on the back.
Fauchard-fork: This is an attempt to improved the fauchard by adding a
long spike or fork to the back of the blade. Supposedly improves the
thrusing ability of the weapon, but really doesn't.
Glaive: A very basic polearm, it is a single-edged blade mounted on a
eight to ten foot pole. While not the most effective weapon, it is
easy to make and to use. Normally the blade turns outward to increrase
the cutting area until it almost resembles a cleaver or ax.
Glaive-guisarme: Another combination weapon, this one takes the basic
glaive and adds a spike or hook onto the back of the blade. In theroy,
this increases the usefulness of the weapon although its actual
application is somewhat questionable.
Guisarme: Name applied to a variety of pole weapons. Typically though,
it refers to a slender incurved sword-blade from the back edge to which a sharp
hook issues. This elongated hook either runs parallel to the back of the blade or
diverges at a slight angle.
Guisarme-voulge: This weapon has a modified ax blade mounted on a
eight foor pole. The end of the blade tapers to a point for thrusting
and a back spike is fitted for punching through armor. Sometimes the
back spike is replaced by a sparpened hook for dismounted riders.
Halberd: Polearm with long shaft topped by an ax blade with a beak or
point on the opposite side. Usually surmounted with a long spike or blade.
Halfmoon: See Demi-lune
Hasta: See Ox-tounge
Hoko: Spear with a long, rather wide, straight point, with a secondary
blade set at right angles to the first.
Hook fauchard: Yet another attempt to improve the fauchard, this
features the addition of a hook on the back of the blade supposedly
to use for dismounting horsemen. Not a very sucessful weapon.
Javelin: A light, throwing spear with a simple head. Balanced to be
thrown with considerable accuracy.
Kumade(Rake): A pole weapon on a heavy shaft. Head is a grappling
hook with two or three prongs, and a spike or pick facing the opposite direction.
Lance: The lance is very much like a spear, it has a sharp metal or
fire-harden tip that is used to stab people. The difference is that
the lance is from 7 to 12 feet long, used specifically to stop a
calvery charge. the lance was the primary weapon of the Roman legions,
and became the weapon of choice for footmen in the time of the
Crusades. The lance was also used by the knights on horseback to
unhorse other knights in the joust.
Lucern hammer: Very similar to the bec de corbin, it is fitted with a
shaft up to ten feet long, it is usually found in the handes of the
common soldier. It's main function is to punch through armor.
Mancatcher: A specialized polearm designed to capture without killing
a victim. It consists of a long pole with a spring-loaded set of
sharpened jaws at the end. The victim is caught between the arms which
then snap shut. It was often used to pull horsemen off their mounts
and pin them to the ground.
Military fork: One of the most simplest modification of a normal
peasent tool, it is little more than a pitchfork attached to a longer
shaft. With the tines strengthened and the tips sharpen, it serves
well, though the need of slashing and cleaving results in it being
combined with other weapons.
Nage-yari: A three foot javelin. Used either as a hand-weapon or thrown.
Nagamaki: A shorter version of the naginata, this polearm is a
long, wooden shaft approximately three and one-half feet long, with a three foot
long sword-like end.
Naginata: A polearm with a large blade on the end.
Ono: A battle ax, with a wooden or metal shaft, approximately four feet
in length. Often has a double-head.
Ox-tounge: Long shafted spear with broad, straight, double-edged blade.
Suitable for use as a horse-lance.
Partizan: a broad-bladed polearm which usually has short curved
side-branches at the base of the blade. Often tends to be highly ornamental.
Pike: Plain spear-head on a very long shaft, generally anywhere
from eight to ten feet in length, if not longer.
Pilum: Historically, this is the Roman legionnaire's spear. A long neck
between spearhead and shaft attachment.
Poleaxe: A long shafted pole arm with an ax blade on one side, a spike or
hammer opposite, but no top spike, such as in the halberd.
Rake: See Kumade
Ranseur(Runka): A polearm with a long, sharp, narrow blade with
two short, lateral blades at the base. It is comparable to the chauvres souris.
Runka: See Ranseur
Sasumata: "The mancatcher" is a six foot long polearm with a double-pronged
hook at the end, the insides of which are barbed. It is designed to catch a body within
and rake it against the prongs.
Scythe: A sickle-shaped blade mounted in line on a long relatively slender
pole.
Sickle: Originally an agricultural weapon, the blade is set long on the
shaft as with a scythe, instead of at right angles.
Spetum: A modification of the normal spear, the shaft has been
increased to eight to ten feet and side blades have been added. Some
of them have blades that angle back, increasing the damage when
pulling the weapon out of a wound.
Sodegarami: "The sleeve-entangler" is a six foot long polearm with a series
of barbs designed to catch the sleeves of kimonos and the loose edges of armor.
Spontoon: A fairly elaborate spear head on a stout eight foot long staff.
Some look like small partizans.
Staff sling: An ordinary sling mounted on a pole to increase momentum of
stone.
Tetsubo: An iron rod, much like a mace, used with two hands. The end is
often ribbed or tipped with metal studs. Tends to be approximately five feet in length.
Trident: A spear with three parallel, or nearly parallel, prongs. For those
intrested in mythology, reference the weapon of the Sea-god Neptune or Posidian.
Voulge: A polearm with a broad ax-like head elongated to a spike at the
top. Also known as the lochaber ax.
Yari: A straight spear, approximately six feet in length.
