Weaponry Types

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Swords
Chapter 2: Axes
Chapter 3: Blunt
Chapter 4: Staves/Polearms
Chapter 5: Daggers/Knives
Chapter 6: Ranged
Chapter 7: Siege

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Swords

Longsword

The Longsword is a type of European sword used during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1250 to 1550. Longswords have lengthy cruciform hilts with grips over six inches (15 cm) in length, straight double-edged blades often over thirty-five inches (89 cm) in length, and weigh between 2 (0.9 kg) and 4.5 pounds (2 kg).[1]

The longsword is commonly held in combat with both hands, though it may be used single-handed. Longswords are used for striking, cutting, and thrusting. The specific offensive purpose of an individual longsword is derived from its physical shape. All parts of the sword are used for offensive purposes, including the pommel and crossguard

Broadsword

The term broadsword is used to refer to different types of swords, across many cultures and time periods.

During the 17th through 19th centuries, the term referred to contemporary European straight double-edged basket-hilted swords, like the Italian schiavona and the Scottish claymore. Surviving examples of such swords are around 105 cm long (90 cm of which is blade) with a base blade width of 3.5 cm and a mass of about one kilogram.
Later in this period, the term was applied to any broad-bladed military sword, including the sabre and the backsword, as opposed to the comparatively slimmer-bladed rapier, smallsword, and épée. In the late 19th century, museum curators began to use the term retroactively to refer to the Medieval arming sword and longsword, which remains the popular usage today.
The Chinese Dao is sometimes translated as "broadsword."

Claymore

The two-handed claymore was a large sword used in the Medieval period. It was used in the constant clan warfare and border fights with the English from circa 1300 to 1700.[citation needed] The last known battle in which it is considered to have been used in a significant number is Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689. It was somewhat smaller than other two-handed swords of the era. The two-handed claymore seems to be an offshoot of Early Scottish medieval swords which had developed a distinctive style of a cross-hilt with downsloping arms that ended in spatulate swellings. The spatulate swellings were frequently made in a quatrefoil design.

The average claymore ran about 140 cm (55") in overall length, with a 33 cm (13") grip, 107 cm (42") blade, and a weight of approximately 2.5 kg (5.5 lb), the blades are most similar to the type XIIIa, using the Oakeshott typology. Fairly uniform in style, the sword was set with a wheel pommel often capped by a crescent-shaped nut and a guard with straight, down-sloping arms ending in quatrefoils and langets running down the center of the blade from the guard. Another common style of two-handed claymore (though lesser known today) was the "clamshell hilted" claymore. It had a crossguard that consisted of two downward-curving arms and two large, round, concave plates that protected the foregrip. It was so named because the round guards resembled an open clam.

Cutlass

A cutlass is a short, thick sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard.

Best known as the sailor's weapon of choice, the naval side arm, likely because it was also robust enough to hack through heavy ropes, canvas, and wood. It was also short enough to use in relatively close quarters, such as during boarding actions, in the rigging, or below decks. Another advantage to the cutlass was its simplicity of use. The cutlass required less training than the rapier or small sword, and was more effective as a combat weapon than the full-sized sword. The cutlasses portrayed in films about pirates are historically incorrect, often 19th-century weapons that substitute for the backsword and falchion that were actually available to pirates in prior centuries.

Falchion

A falchion is a medieval one-handed, single-edged sword of European origin, whose design is reminiscent of the Persian scimitar and the Chinese dao. The weapon combined the weight and power of an axe with the versatility of a sword. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 11th century up to and including the sixteenth century. In some versions the falchion looks rather like the scramasax and later the sabre, and in some versions the form is irregular or (as is the case in the picture to the right) like a machete with a crossguard. While some propose that encounters with the Islamic shamshir inspired its creation, these "scimitars" of Persia were not developed until long after the falchion. More likely, it was developed from farmer's and butcher's knives in the manner of the larger Messer.

The blade designs of falchions varied wildly across the continent and through the ages. They almost always included a single edge with a slight curve on the blade towards the point on the end; they also were affixed with a quilloned crossguard for the hilt in the manner of the contemporary long-swords. While one of the few surviving falchions is shaped very much like a large meat cleaver, or large bladed machete (the Conyers falchion), the majority of the depictions in art reflect a design similar to that of the großes Messer. A surviving example from England's thirteenth century was just under two pounds in weight. Of its 37.5 inches (95.25 cm) in length, 31.5 inches (eighty centimeters) are the straight blade which bears a flare-clipped tip similar to the much later kilij of Turkey. This blade style may have been influenced by the Turko-Mongol sabres that had reached the borders of Europe by the thirteenth century.

Flamberge/Flammard

The terms flambard and flammard both mean "flame blade" and reference a normal cutting blade that had been forged with undulating or wave-shaped edges. The German word Flammenschwert translates to "flaming sword". This term encompasses the complete sword, not only the blade, as do flambard and flammard. These flame-bladed weapons most commonly took the form of the true two-handed sword or Bihänder. These weapons featured an exceptionally long grip and blade, as well as a long ricasso protected by a set of "parrierhaken" or parrying hooks also known as flukes. This upper guard protected the wielder's hand when gripping the ricasso. Used during the 16th century by the Landsknechts, the Bihänder found its place most commonly among pike squares. Here, the Bihänder was used in defense of important leaders by well-trained and experienced swordsmen, called Doppelsöldner (double mercenary) because they got double pay. Contrary to popular belief, the undulating blades on these weapons do not impart a significantly greater or lesser ability to cut, slice, or thrust. Similarly, it does not especially weaken or strengthen the weapon. Its fashionable and eye-catching appearance, however, did lead to its use on larger, heavier ceremonial Paradeschwerter, or "parade swords".

Rapier

Rapier generally refers to a relatively long-bladed sword characterized by a complex hilt which is constructed to provide protection for the hand wielding it. While the blade might be broad enough to cut to some degree, the strength of the rapier is its ability as a thrusting weapon. The blade might be sharpened along its entire length, sharpened only from the center to the tip (as described by Capoferro), or completely without a cutting edge as called "estoc" by Pallavicini, a rapier master who, in 1670 strongly advocated using a weapon with two cutting edges. A typical example would have a relatively long and slender blade of 2.5 centimetres or less in width, 1 meter or more in length and ending in a sharply pointed tip.

The term rapier generally refers to a thrusting sword with a blade longer and thinner than that of the so-called side-sword but heavier than the smallsword, an Italian dueling sword that would follow in the 18th century and later, but the exact form of the blade and hilt often depends on who is writing and when. It can refer to earlier spada da lato (much like the espada ropera) through the high rapier period of the 17th century through the smallsword and dueling swords, thus context is important in understanding what is meant by the word. (The term side-sword, used among some modern historical martial arts reconstructionists, is a translation from the Italian spada da lato--a term coined long after the fact by Italian museum curators--and does not refer to the slender, long rapier, but only to the early 16th-century Italian sword with a broader and shorter blade that is considered both its ancestor and contemporary.)

Sabre

The sabre or saber (see spelling differences) traces its origins to the European backsword and usually but not always has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger. Although sabres are typically thought of as curved-bladed slashing weapons, those used by the world's heavy cavalry often had straight and even double-edged blades more suitable for thrusting. The length of sabres varied, and most were carried in a scabbard hanging from a shoulder belt known as a baldric or from a waist-mounted sword belt. Exceptions not intended for personal carry include the famed Patton saber adopted by the U.S. Army in 1913 and always mounted to the cavalryman's saddle.

Spatha

The spatha was a type of straight sword with a long point, measuring between 0.75 and 1 m, in use throughout 1st millennium Europe and the territory of the Roman Empire. Etymologically the word remains today as French épée, Portuguese and Spanish espada, Italian spada, and Albanian shpata all meaning "sword".

Of completely unknown origin, the spatha of literature appears in the Roman Empire in the 1st century as a weapon of presumed Germanic auxiliaries (whether infantry or cavalry is not known) and went on from there to become a standard heavy infantry weapon, relegating the gladius to use as a light infantry weapon. There is no evidence that the spatha was used exclusively for slashing. It apparently simply replaced the gladius in the front ranks, giving the infantry more reach in thrusting.

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Axes

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Battle Axe

A battle axe (also battle-axe or battle-ax) is an axe specifically designed as a weapon. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes. Many were suitable for use in one hand, while others were larger and were wielded two-handed. Axes designed for warfare ranged in weight from just over 1 lb to 6 lb, and in length from just over a foot to upwards of five feet, such as the Danish axe or the sparth axe. Anything longer than five feet would arguably fall more into the category of polearms.

Through the course of human history, commonplace objects have been pressed into service as weapons. Axes, by virtue of their ubiquity, are no exception. Besides axes designed for combat, there were many axes that were both tools and weapons. Axes could be designed as throwing weapons as well (see the Francisca for an example). Axes were always cheaper than swords and far more available.

Danish Axe

The Danish long axe went by many names, including Dane-axe, English long axe, Viking axe, and hafted axe. Originally used by the Northmen in Viking times, the Danish axe was a modification of a woodsman's axe that made it an amazingly effective weapon of war. The shaft of the axe was usually between 4 and 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 m) long, and quite heavy. The blade itself, was reasonably light and forged very thin, making it superb for cutting. It could be swung at very great speed. Although the name retains its Viking heritage, the Danish axe became widely used throughout Europe through the 13th century. In addition to the Vikings, the Franks and the formerly Danish-occupied Saxons of England adopted the use of the Dane-axe. Specifically the huscarles were known for wielding this monstrous weapon of war, and there are ivory carvings of Byzantine Varangian guards carrying axes as tall as men. The axes used by the Huscarl bodyguards of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, though relatively small, showed the power of this weapon. They were swung around the wielder's head before being brought down on the enemy, and were reputedly able to cut through a Norman knight and his horse with one blow.

Doloire

The doloire (or wagoner's axe) intentionally handled and painstakingly honed as a weapon or a tool used during the Middle Ages and Renaissance in the form of an axe with a wooden shaft measuring approximately 1.5 meters (5 feet) in length and a head that was pointed at the top and rounded at the bottom, resembling either a teardrop or an isosceles triangle. The top of the shaft was fitted with a metal eye or socket that was welded to the head of the axe near the base of the blade with the upper part extending above the eye, while the opposite side of the socket was provided with a small blunt hammer head. The head of the axe itself measured approximately 44 cm. (17 inches) in length, uniformly decorated with punched and incised abstract floral patterns, and sharpened on the back and flattened bottom edges.

Tomahawk

Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials alike, and often employed as a hand-to-hand or thrown weapon, much like the nzappa zap. It originally featured a stone head, but later iron or brass heads were the rule. The metal tomahawk heads were originally based on a Royal Navy boarding axe and used as a trade-item with Native Americans for food and other provisions, but its design was probably derived by the British from Scandinavian designs going back to the time of the Vikings.

The tomahawk shaft is usually less than 2 ft (0.6 m) in length, traditionally made of hickory. The heads are anywhere from 9–20 oz (255–567 g) in weight, with a cutting edge usually not much longer than four inches from toe to heel. The poll can feature a small hammer, spike or simply be rounded off, and they usually do not have lugs. Stone tomahawk heads were typically made of polished soapstone, and ornately carved examples were used in some Native American rituals. These usually had a pipe-bowl carved into the poll, and a hole drilled down the center of the haft for smoking tobacco through the tomahawk. There are also metal-headed versions of this unusual pipe. Pipe tomahawks are artifacts unique to North America: created by Europeans as trade objects but often exchanged as diplomatic gifts. They are powerful symbols of the choice Europeans and Indians faced whenever they met: one end was the pipe of peace, the other an axe of war.

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Blunt

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Club

The club is perhaps the simplest of all true weapons; a club is typically carved from a single piece of wood; any piece of wood that is narrow enough on one end to be grasped by the hand of its wielder can be used as or made into an improvised club. Baseball bats and axe handles or pickaxe handles are common instances of clubs. Police sometimes refer to clubs as impact weapons, or impact tools.

The wounds inflicted by a club are generally known as bludgeoning or blunt-force trauma injuries.

Flail

The flail is a medieval weapon made of one (or more) weights attached to a handle with a hinge or chain. There is some disagreement over the names for this weapon; the terms "morning star," and even "mace" are variously applied, though these are used to describe other weapons, which are very different in usage from a weapon with a hinge or chain, commonly used in Europe from the 13th century to the 15th century. In construction, the "morning star" and flail have similar, if not identical, spiked heads. Thus, "morning star" is an acceptable name for this weapon, especially as the name "flail" is also used to describe a style of whip used for punishment; flagellation. It is also vulgarly referred to as a bommyknocker or bombyknocker.

Mace

An advance on the club, a mace is a strong, heavy wooden, metal-reinforced, or metal shaft, with a head made of stone, copper, bronze, iron or steel.

The head is normally about the same or slightly thicker than the diameter of the shaft, shaped with flanges, or knobs to allow greater penetration of armour. The length of maces can vary considerably. The maces of foot soldiers were usually quite short (two or three feet). The maces of cavalrymen were longer and better designed for blows from horseback. Two-handed maces ("mauls") could be even larger. The flail is often, though incorrectly, referred to as a mace.

Maul

A splitting maul (or mall) is a heavy, long-handled hammer used for splitting a piece of wood along its grain. One side of it is identical to a sledge hammer and the other side is an axe. A typical maul for wood splitting will have a head weighing in region of 4kg (8lbs). Traditionally, mauls have a wedge-shaped head, but some modern versions have conical heads or swiveling sub-wedges. The original maul resembles an axe but with a broader head. For splitting wood, this tool is much better than a typical axe. The weight of it is more advantageous and due to its width, it is less likely to become stuck in the wood.

Morning Star

The morning star was a medieval weapon in the form of a spiked club resembling a mace, usually with a long spike extending straight from the top in addition to a number of smaller spikes around the circumference of the head. It was used by both infantry and cavalry, and the horseman's weapon typically had a shorter shaft. The mace, a traditional knightly weapon, developed somewhat independently, becoming all metal with heads of various forms, while the morning star retained its characteristic spikes, with a shaft generally made of wood and often found in longer two-handed forms measuring up to six feet or more, popular among footmen. The morning star first came into widespread use around the beginning of the fourteenth century, and the term is often mistakenly applied to the military flail ("fléau d'armes" in French and "kriegsflegel" in German) which consists of a wooden haft joined by a length of chain to one or more iron balls or an iron shod wooden bar, in either case with or without spikes (heavy sword pommels have also been used as weights).

Although it is often assumed that the morning star was a crude peasant weapon, that is not entirely correct. There were three types in existence, all differing in quality of workmanship. The first was the well crafted military type used by professional soldiers, made in series by expert weaponsmiths for stocking in town arsenals. The second and much simpler type would have been hand cut by peasant militiamen, rather than turned on a lathe, from wood they had gathered themselves (for which reason forests were often known as "arsenals of God") and fitted with nails and spikes by the local blacksmith. The shaft and head were usually of one piece but sometimes reinforced at the top with an iron band. The third type was decorative in nature, usually short hafted and made of metal (one sixteenth century example being of steel and damascened with inlaid gold and silver, in the Wallace Collection of London).

War Hammer

A war hammer is a late medieval weapon of war intended for close combat, the design of which resembles the hammer. The war hammer, like the tool it resembles, consists of a handle and a head. The handle may be of different lengths, the longest being roughly equivalent to the halberd, and the shortest about the same as a mace. Long war hammers were pole weapons (polearms) meant for use against riders, whereas short ones were used in closer quarters and from horseback. Later war hammers often had a spike on one side of the head, thus making it a more versatile weapon. War hammers were developed as a consequence of the ever more prevalent metal armors of the medieval battlefields during the 14th and 15th centuries. Swords were of little use against these armours. The war hammer could deal blows of tremendous force to the target, especially when mounted on a pole, and by impact alone do damage without penetrating the armour. The spike end could be used for grappling the target's armour, reins, or shield, or could be turned in the direction of the blow to pierce even heavy armour. Against mounted opponents, the weapon could also be directed at the legs of the horse, toppling the armored foe to the ground where he could be more easily attacked.

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Staves/Polearms

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Glaive

A glaive is a polearm consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata. However, instead of having a tang like a sword or naginata, the blade is affixed in a socket-shaft configuration similar to an axe head. Typically, the blade was around 18 inches (55 cm) long, on the end of a pole 6 or 7 feet (180-210 cm) long. Occasionally glaive blades were created with a small hook on the reverse side to better catch riders. Such blades are called glaive-guisarmes.

Ahlspiess

The Ahlspiess (or awl pike) was a thrusting spear developed and used primarily in Germany and Austria from the 15th to 16th centuries. The ahlspiess consisted of a long thin spike of square cross section measuring a meter (39 inches) or more in length, mounted to a round wooden shaft and secured with a pair of langets extending from the socket. The length of the shaft ranged from 1.6 to 1.8 m. (5 - 6 feet), and located at the base of the spike was a rondel guard (a circular metal plate) to protect the hands. Large numbers of these weapons have survived and are kept in the arsenal and Museums of Vienna as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Some ahlspiesse have thicker spikes which are round and much shorter than the usual form. These are seen in 14th century illustrations suggesting that they may have been the precursors of the longer type which came later. These shorter forms are also known by the Italian term candeliere which refers to a round candlestick of the period that had in the center a small pricket or spike that held the candle in place. An excavated and partially restored candeliere is present in the collection of the castle of Grandson in Switzerland. There were also forms of the ahlspiess which lacked a rondel guard and these were known as breach pikes.

Guisarme

A guisarme (sometimes gisarme or bisarme) was a pole weapon used in Europe primarily between 1000-1400. It was used primarily to dismount knights and horsemen. Like most polearms it was developed by peasants by combining hand tools with long poles: in this case by putting a pruning hook onto a spear shaft. While hooks are fine for dismounting horsemen from mounts, they lack the stopping power of a spear especially when dealing with static opponents. While early designs were simply a hook on the end of a long pole, later designs implemented a small reverse spike on the back of the blade. Eventually weapon makers incorporated the usefulness of the hook in a variety of different polearms and guisarme became a catch-all for any weapon that included a hook on the blade.

Partisan

A partisan (also partizan) is a type of polearm that was used in Europe during medieval times. It consisted of a spear or lance head that was constructed as a small double headed axe built into the lower blade. Time showed this to not be the most effective design for war; however, the partisan stayed in 'use' for many years as a ceremonial weapon after it had become obsolete. Its design quickly changed from the practical to the foppish. Most partisans kept in museums today have extensively sculpted blades that may sport a great deal of gilding. In profile, the head of a partisan may look similar to that of a ranseur, ox tongue, or spetum.

Swordstaff

A Swordstaff is a Danish polearm, used in the medieval ages. It is made by placing a blade at the end of a staff, thus giving the same benefits of a sword with the range of a spear or polearm. This helps the soldier fighting enemies both on foot and mounted. It would often have a small handle just below the sword (similar to tonfa), in order to make it easier to handle.

The length of the weapon makes it easier to fight mounted opponents, while the blade is still handy enough to use in close combat, as opposed to using a spear which is ineffective at close range because only the tip can be used to attack with, or a sword which makes hurting mounted enemies significantly harder. The greater length of the weapon would also help when fighting more heavily armed opponents, since an attack can be executed with considerably more force due to the length of the weapon.

Voulge

A voulge (occasionally called a pole cleaver) is a type of polearm that existed along side the similar glaive in medieval Europe. Superficially, a voulge might strongly resemble a glaive, but there are some notable differences in construction. First, the attachment of the voulge blade to the shaft was usually done by binding the lower two thirds of the blade to the side of the pole; the glaive would often have a socket built into the blade itself and was mounted on top of the pole. In addition, while both had curved blades, that of the voulge was broad and meant for hacking, while that of the glaive was narrow and meant more for cutting. Indeed, a voulge looks something like a squashed bardiche head, or just a meat cleaver attached to a long pole.

War-scythe

A war scythe (Polish: kosa bojowa) is a kind of improvised pole weapon, similar to a halberd, usually created from standard scythes. The blade of the scythe is transformed so as to extend upright from the pole, thus forming an infantry weapon practical both in offensive actions against infantry and as a defensive measure against enemy cavalry.

It was commonly used by peasants, for example, in the 18th and 19th centuries the weapon was widely used by a variety of Polish formations created out of unskilled workers and peasants

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Daggers/Knives

Dirk

Dirk is a Scots word for a long dagger; sometimes a cut-down sword blade mounted on a dagger hilt, rather than a knife blade. The word dirk could have possibly derived from the Gaelic word sgian dearg (red knife). It may also have been a corruption of the Low German terms Dulk or Dolk. The shift from dearg [ˈɮʲɛrəg] to dirk [dʌrk] is very minimal.

In Bronze Age and Iron Age Scotland and Ireland, the dirk was actually considered to be a sword. Its blade length and style varied, but it was generally 7-14 inches. However, the blades of Irish versions often were as much as 21 inches in length.

In medieval Scotland, the dirk was a backup to the broadsword, and was wielded by the left hand while the scabbard was carried on the arm. Dirks were used to swear an oath upon in Celtic cultures. After the Battle of Culloden, the British government troops were aware that the Highlanders normally swore on their dirks, so, to prevent future uprisings or rebellions against the throne, they made them swear on oath never to "possess any gun, sword, or pistol, or to use tartan: "... and if I do so may I be cursed in my undertakings, family and property, may I be killed in battle as a coward, and lie without burial in a strange land, far from the graves of my forefathers and kindred; may all this come across me if I break my oath." Nearly every Scottish male at the time of the oath had a dirk. This was because most Scots were too poor to buy a sword. The dirk was small and was carried everywhere the owner went. The dirk was worn in plain view suspended from a belt at the waist.

Kukri

The Kukri or Khukuri (Devanâgarî: खुकुरी) is a heavy, curved Nepalese knife used as both tool and weapon. It is also a part of the regimental weaponry and heraldry of Gurkha fighters. It is known to many people as simply the "Gurkha knife".

The name is pronounced khu-khoo-ree, although khukuri or khookree are more accurate transliterations. Kukri is the most well-known and standard spelling of the name of this blade style. In early English writings there were many and diverse spellings of the name.

Pugio

The pugio was a small dagger used by Roman soldiers as a sidearm. It seems likely that the pugio was intended as an auxiliary or backup weapon, but it found many uses, especially as a utility knife. Officials of the empire took to wearing ornate daggers in the performance of their offices, and some would wear concealed daggers as a defense against contingencies. The dagger was a common weapon of assassination and suicide; for example, the conspirators who stabbed Julius Caesar used pugiones.

Grosses Messer

A großes Messer (meaning "great knife", also called Hiebmesser) was a type of German single-edged weapon, similar to a falchion, that was used during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. großes Messer, or simply Messer, was the term used in the 15th century, and the weapon in the 16th-century evolved into a type of training weapon known as a Dussack.

Much less expensive than other types of available swords, it was the weapon of the common man. Used for menial work in addition to battle, the großes Messer sported a blade with a single curved edge that led to a clipped-back tip (like a kilij). Its hilt included a straight cross-guard and Nagel (a nail-like protrusion that juts out from the right side of the cross-guard away from the flat of the blade) to protect the wielder's hands. Quite notable in its construction was the attachment of blade to the hilt via a slab tang sandwiched between two wooden grip plates that were pegged into place. Also of note is that many pommels were 'drawn out' or curved to one side of the hilt (edge side), a feature known as a "hat-shaped pommel". Extant examples seem to have an overall length of 40-46 inches (1.0-1.2 m), with a 31-inch (79 cm) blade, and a weight between 2.5 and 3 pounds (1.1-1.4 kg).

Seax

A Seax (also Hadseax, Sax, Seaxe, Scramaseax and Scramsax), was a type of Germanic single-edged knife.[1] Seax seem to have been used primarily as a tool but may also have been a weapon in extreme situations. [2] They occur in a size range from 7.5cm to 75cm. The larger ones (langseax) were probably weapons, the smaller ones (hadseax) tools, intermediate sized ones serving a dual purpose.[2] Wearing a seax may have been indicative of freemanship, much like the possession of a spear since only free men had the right to bear arms.[2] The seax was worn in a horizontal sheath at the front of the belt.[3] Scram refers to food and seax to a blade (so, "food knife").[4].[2] The Saxons may have derived their name from seax (the implement for which they were known) in much the same way that the Franks were named for their francisca.[4] The seax has a lasting symbolic impact in the English county of Essex, which features three curved seaxes in its ceremonial emblem.

Sword-Breaker

The sword-breaker was a unique weapon developed and used during the Middle Ages. It was a long and very sturdy dagger that had slots on one side much like the teeth of a comb. It was a standard off-hand weapon that was used to capture an opponent’s blade. Once the blade was caught, a quick twist of the sword-breaker would snap it.

Mercygiver

A mercygiver (or misericord) was a long, narrow knife, used in medieval times to deliver the death stroke (the mercy stroke, hence the name of the blade, derived from the Latin 'misericordia' or 'mercy') to a seriously wounded knight. The blade was thin enough so that it could strike through the gaps between armour plates.

This weapon could be used to dispatch knights who had received mortal wounds, which were not always quickly fatal in the age of bladed combat; it could also be used as a means of killing a live adversary, as during a grappling struggle. The blade could be used against an opponent's face, or thrust through holes or weak points in armor, such as under the arm, with the aim of piercing the heart. The weapon was known from the 12th century, and has appeared in many different nations' armaments.

Rondel

A rondel (pronounced ['rɒndəl] or [rɒndɛl]) or roundel was a type of stiff-bladed dagger in Europe in the late Middle Ages (from the 14th century onwards), used by a variety of people from merchants to knights. It was worn at the waist and might be used as a utility tool, or worn into battle or a jousting tournament as a side-arm. The blade was typically long and slim, measuring 12 inches (30 cm) or more; the whole dagger might be as long as 20 inches (50 cm). Rondel means round or circular; the dagger gets its name from its round (or similarly shaped, e.g. octagonal) hand guard and round or spherical pommel (knob on the end of the grip).

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Ranged

Bow

A bow is an ancient weapon that shoots arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow. Energy is stored in the limbs of the bow and transformed into rapid motion when the string is released, with the string transferring this motion to the arrow. The bow is used for hunting, sport (target shooting), and in historical times was a weapon of war.

The technique of using a bow is called archery. Someone who makes bows is known as a bowyer, and a fletcher makes arrows. Together with the atlatl and the sling, the bow was one of the first ranged weapons or hunting tools which used mechanical principles, instead of relying solely on strength and skill of its user.

Many bow designs have been used in different cultures and time periods. Common designs are: solid wood (the English longbow), laminated wood (Japanese and Sami bows), and horn-wood-sinew composite (Middle East, India, Mongols). In modern times, the recurve and compound bows dominate for sport and hunting practices. Newer materials include flexible plastics, fiberglass, and carbon fibers, leading to increases in range and projectile velocity.

Modern-day use of bows for hunting is a matter of controversy in some areas, but common and accepted in others. Modern hunters are often drawn to bow hunting because it generally requires more practice and skill than taking game with a firearm. While modern rifles allow hunters to shoot large game (such as deer or elk) at distances of 100 yards (metres) or more, archers usually take large game within 40 yards (metres) which requires the archer to stalk the game more closely without frightening it away. Bow hunting is also still practiced in traditional cultures worldwide

Crossbow

A crossbow is a bow tied to a prod with a mechanism to store the energy of the drawn bow. Traditionally the prod was often lashed to the stock with rope, whipcord, or other strong cording. This cording is called the bridle of the crossbow. It tends to loosen over time and must be carefully re-bound when appropriate.

Although some crossbows (ancient or modern) are drawn using only the unassisted arm strength of the archer, more powerful crossbows required some sort of mechanical device to draw the string. These drawing mechanisms were of many different forms, using levers, ratchets and pulleys in various ways, allowing to use weapons with a draw force far in excess of a bow.

The mechanism that holds the drawn bowstring, called a nut, was usually made of bone, ivory or metal, and the trigger (originally "tricker") mechanism of metal. Sophisticated bronze triggers with safety notches are known to have been used on crossbows from at least 500 BC in China. Complicated iron triggers are known in Europe from the early 1400s. As a result crossbows could be kept cocked and ready to shoot for some time with little effort, allowing crossbowmen to aim better.

Hunga Munga

The Hunga Munga is an African tribal weapon. It is handheld weapon and consists of a metal pointed blade with a curved back section and separate spike near the handle. The weapon can be used in hand to hand combat (Melee) although it is typically thrown with a spinning action. The multiple blades make it a formidable weapon.

The Hunga Munga is an iron fighting implement named by the African tribes south of Lake Tchad; also called "danisco" by the Marghi, "goleyo" by the Musgu, and "njiga" by the Bagirmi. These African iron weapons are thrown with a rotatory motion, and inflict deep wounds with their projecting blades. They vary constantly in form and their use extends across Africa from the Upper Nile on the east through Central Africa by Lake Tchad to the Africans of the Gaboon in West Africa. In parts of Central Africa, these weapons assume the form of a bird's head.

Javelin

The primary difference between a spear and a javelin lies in their intended use. Javelins were meant to be a ranged weapon thrown before the sides joined in hand to hand combat. A javelin, therefore, tends to be lighter, which makes it easier to throw but increases the odds of the weapon breaking, thereby all but eliminating its value in a melee. The spear is usually heavier, with a thicker shaft and broader head, usually sharpened along the sides so that it can cause wounds even if the attacker fails to land the point in his enemy. A spearman would typically attack by thrusting the spear head at an enemy, but the heavy shaft could be used to strike a target in a manner like a club or a staff, though both these were less effective than thrusting, since the spears length and weight made it harder to wield in a non-stabbing manner, particularly in close formations.

Shuriken

Shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing an opponent's arteries. They are sharpened hand-held blades made from a variety of everyday items such as needles, nails, and knives, as well as coins, washers, and other flat plates of metal. Shuriken were mainly a supplemental weapon to the more commonly used katana (sword) or yari (spear) in a warrior's arsenal, though they often played a pivotal tactical role in battle. The art of wielding the shuriken is known as shuriken-jutsu, and was mainly taught as a minor, or more correctly, a secret part of the martial arts curriculum of many famous schools, such as Yagyu Ryu, Katori Shinto Ryu, Itto Ryu, Kukishin Ryu, and Togakure Ryu. In the modern western world, shuriken can often be purchased online as collector's items.

Sling

A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone. It is also known as the shepherd's sling. The sling is not to be confused with the slingshot, which works on completely different principles.

A sling has a small cradle or pouch in the middle of two lengths of cord. The sling stone is placed in the pouch. Both cords are held in the hand, then the sling is swung and one of the two cords is released. This frees the projectile to fly in a straight line. It flies on a tangent to the circle that the pouch makes. The sling derives its effectiveness by essentially extending the length of a human arm, thus allowing stones to be thrown several times farther than they could be by hand.

The sling is very inexpensive, and easy to construct. It has historically been used for hunting game and combat. Today it still interests sportsmen as a survival tool and as an improvised weapon