Parts of a Sword
Bars ~ parts of the hilt of edged weapons, protective bars join the knuckle guard to other parts of hilt: loops, rings and arms of the hilt...
Blade ~ cutting or thrusting part of edged weapons, excluding the hilt...
Button ~ raised piece on the pommel of swords, daggers, and knives, to which the tip of the tang of the blade was riveted, usually formed part of the pommel...
Chape ~ metal mounting on the end of the scabbard or sheath of edged weapons, often fitted with small button or piece called the "shoe", which was designed to prevent the sheath from striking the ground....
Fuller ~ groove running along some of the length of the blade of an edged weapon, designed to both lighten it and make it more elastic...sometimes called the bloode channel...
Grip ~ part of the edged weapons which is gripped by the hand....
Guards ~ device or a part designed to protect the user's hand...
Counterguard ~ also called the "inner guard", it's a system of rings, loops and bars in a sword guard to protect the inner side of hand and body....bars usually joined the knuckle guard and arms of the hilt... Cross guard ~ positioned crosswise to the blade and the grip...some formed fore and rear quillons seen on some staff weapons... Cup guard ~ hemispherical guard, protection of hand (Italian/Spanish swords mainly) Knuckle guard ~ bow extending from crossguard toward the pommel... Quillon Block ~ small block of metal with the tang passing through it, acting as a support for the shoulder of the blade and the base of the cross guard... Quillons ~ extended cross guard of swords and daggers, extend from base, the quillon block, below the grip, and were either straight, recurved in S-form or bent toward the blade...in some, the forward quillon curved toward the pommel, acting as a knuckle guard... Rim of the Guard ~ swelling on the border of the shells, plate or cup of sword guard, designed to protect the hand, blocked thrust of opponent's blade which might otherwise slide over curved surface of guard and wound the hand... Shell guard ~ type of sword guard, round or oval in shape... Side Ring ~ also called ring guard...positioned in center of cross guard at right angles to the blade, made of stell welded or brazed to the cross guard...was sometimes fitted with openwork metal shield....
Sheaths
Scabbard
rigid sheath made of wood, metal or leather, often hard-boiled...used to enclose and carry the blade of an edged weapon, to protect the wearer and to keep blade clean and sound...
Weapons
Arrows
Missile, pointed wooden shaft, shot from a bow...
Ax
One of the oldest tools and weapons of mankind, the earliest axes were made out of stone...
Battle-Ax
These were used as boarding weapons in naval battles...
~Danish~ usually broad, crescent-shaped blade with a flat back...
~Swiss~ called a Mondaxt, it had a curved blade forged with a spiked top, back being provided with a massive, long fluke...
~Hungarian~ called a fokos, it was an ax with a small, down-curved head, made of bronze, a long handle and carved...
Throwing Ax
Also called a Hurlbat, it was a missile weapons shaped as a cruciform hatchet, made of steel...the blade was forged into a sharp tip and blanced by a pointed fluke....the short handle was similarly pointed at the bottom and often extended into a spike on the top...
Agricultural Ax, Sapper's Ax
Used for agricultural purposes, it's use in the army was limited to engineering purposes....
Executioner's Ax
large, heavy ax, for beheadings...
Saxon Miner's Ax
Neither an arm nor a tool, it's head makes it too fragile for anything but ceremonial use. The head was made of zinc, iron or brass and was flat and light...The cutting edge formed a spike, often ending in a copper or brass ball...Openings in the center of the head were shaped like hearts or circles, etc.....handles were designed in four ways...1. handles made entirely from engraved stag's horn, 2. wooden handles inlaid with gold or engraved stag's horn, 3. wooden handles with only lower part covered with engraved stag's horn, 4. wooden handles decorated with pokerwork...
Decorations on axes included: scenes of mining life, miners in festive dress, Christ on the cross, other religious motifs, important persons of the time, and landscapes....This was the work of the elderly and disabled miners which explains the naive and simple techniques used to create the designs...
Bill
A staff weapon, it's head was made in various sizes but was fitted with a sturdy hook whose inside and outside curves were cutting edges....it was the weapon of the infantry....It's earliest forms were a compact blade with a slightly convex cutting edge topped by a spike....Later, the head became longer, center of the edge more pointed, and the fluke more salient....aces sometimes finished with faceting or fullers...
At the base of the head were two sharp lugs, serving as guards...Socket mainly pyramidal in shape with rectangular base with rounded corners, brass fittings inlaid the langets, which formed extensions of the socket...A langet is an iron strap, extending from the socket down the wooden part of the shaft and is attached to it by nails or screws....The bill later became a ceremonial weapon...
Bolt
A missile, it has a small wooden shaft, and was designed to inflict wounds....This is for crossbows...
Bow
A stringed projectile weapon designed to throw arrows...It consists of a slender, flexible stave with a lenth of cord (bowstring) fastened at the tips, under tension.....To shoot, hold the stave with one hand, draw the arrow and string back and release, the arrow goes forward...(there are longbows, shortbows and crossbows)
Bowstring
The string which bends the bow...Either made of sinew or gut...In a longbow, sometimes the sciatic nerve of an ox, a thin strip of hide, length of twine made of horsehair or vegetable fiber was used...
Chakram
A weapon used mainly by the Sikhs, it is unknown outside of India....Flat, steel ring, 12-30 cm (4 3/4-12 in.) in diameter and 2-4 cm (3/4-1 1/2 in.) in width....It has a sharp outer edge, rounded inner edge and is used to whirl weapon around forefinger before throwing...it can also be thrown by holding the chakram between thumb and first finger, and throwin it to coincide with the swing of the body, like a discus...it's effective range is 40-50 m (42-54 yds.)...It's surface is usually quite plain but some have elaborately inlaid or line-engraved surfaces...
Club
stout, hardwood stick, narrow where held and broad at the tip...Later it was fitted with spikes and called a mace....
Crossbow
A stinged projectile weapon consisting of a bow mounted crosswise by means of a system of cord or gut bindings or by a metal bridle at the end of a wooden shaft called the tiller...some are small for easy concealment...They use quarrels (bolts)...
Dagger
Edged weapon with a short, pointed blade and a handle...
Types
~Baselard~ used in the 13th - 15th centuries, it had an I-shaped hilt formed by the guard, grip and crosspiece of pommel...
~Cinquedea~ a large dagger or short sword, possible Venetian origin....A dagger with a blade "five fingers" wide, with a long, triangular blade, tip was ogive shaped....the guard had two quillons that curved forward, pointed at the center...the handle was plated with flats of ivory and decorated with rosettes...the wider parts of the blade were etched, engraved, and gilded with mottos and quotes from the Gospels...The sheath was dark, hard leather, and decorated with embossed designs...It was mainly an Italian weapon...
~Dirk~ Scottish dagger-knife..it was used by Highlanders minaly as a knife...It was ready for a wide range of activities...It's grip was ivy, root, leather, and ivory, it had a consistent, typical shape and was decorated with Celtic designs....It's pommel was round and flat, and it's guard was covered in brass....the blade was made from a sword blade and was single-edged with a back edge near the point, grooved and with a decorative notch at the base...
~Jambiya~ It's Arabian....The blade was double-edged and curved with a central fuller, the hilts and sheaths varied in shape....Decoration depeded on the country, etc.....In Arabia the jambiya was a symbol of a free man, to take it away was a degrading punishment....It was used for war and for ceremony....The sheath was longer than the blade, strongly curved with a bulbous finial...A richly decorated leather blet usually accompanied the jambiya...In Morocco, it was straight and single-edged for half the length from hilt and curved and double-edged for the rest of the blade, without fullers...it had a large, flat pommel....In Turkey, it was slightly curved with or without fullers...the sheaths did not have turned-up ends...The most beautiful Jambiyas came from Persia and India...The bladdes were excellent work, inlaid and chased with gold hilts of carved ivory and jade, and set with semiprecious stones...The pommel's were carved to represent a horse's head...Indo-Persian sheaths were embossed silver lined with wood or of wood covered with embossed leather or silk brocade...
~Knife~ Singled edged pointed blade, the hanedle mounted asymmetrically in relatino to the axis of the blade, closer to it's back...
~Kris~ Malay dagger....It was laminated in three layers of iron or soft stell, separated by thinner layers of meteoric iron (contains 3% nickel)...later on the meteoric iron was replaced by nickel steel or pure nickel....The bar was welded, beaten out, doubled, twisted in various ways to produce a pattern or watered steel...divided in three parts, one for the ganja (upper part of blade), two for lower part and point - forged anew to get straight or wavy shape..The blade was engraved and gilded in the form of a dragon...The hilt was made of ivory, bone, wood, horn, or stone, overlaid with silver or gold and set with jewels..it was elaborately carved.....The sheaths were made of wood, two or three pieces decorated value mainly deriving from special graining of the wood and their graceful shape, covered with tortoiseshell, embossed brass, silver or gold, painted figures and other designs....
~Kukri~ Gurkhas or Nepal, it was a forward-angled blade, the quality and decoration of it showed the wealth of the owner..It was carried in a belted sheath containing one or two small knives of Kukri shape....It was used for cutting through dense jungle....The blade was heavy, curved, single-edged and sharp on concave side...The weight was toward the point.....A tremendous blow could be struck with little exertion, the base of the edge of the blade has a semi-circular notch...The hilt was ivory, dark wood, straight and had no guard...It had a disc pommel and a guard, often a ridge ring in the middle..The sheaths were velvet-covered wood, ornate embroidered with embossed and pierced mounts of silver or gold...the belts matched the sheath decoration...
~Main Guache~ It was held in the left hand by a right handed, and vice versa..It's similar to the parrying dagger...
~Parrying Dagger~ It's robust blade was made to match the sword in construction and decoration....It had long, straight or curved quillons extended from the hilt in the plane of the blade or slightly bent in front of it...It's strong side ring protruded from the hilt, perpendicular to the blade to protect the fingers...Spring blades were used by pressing a button to spring it out....Comb blades would catch and hopefully break the tip of an opponent's sword...
~Poniard~ (Poignard) A light dagger with a strong blade, squarish in shape, reinforced partly (beadlike in shape)....Some were deeply grooved and ridged, most were only thrusting weapons...It could be used as a parrying weapon used with a rapier (with crossguard and side ring)...
~Sax~ A large war knife, the blade has a straight back, single cutting edge, point of varying shape, the grip was set slightly to the rear toward the back of the blade....The size varied from dagger size to sword size...
~Sica~ A single-edged, pointed dagger with strongly curved blade forming a right angel with the grip...
~Stiletto~ (Stylet) A short dagger with a triangular or square sectioned blade, strong slender, sharply pointed, easily concealed, could pierce mail and leather with one swift stabbing blow...The hilt included small spherical pommel, flattened, or in a spiraled pine cone form...
Fauchard
A staff weapon, it had a large pointed head with curved edge and a fluke...
Flail
It had a stout handle at the end which was fitted, by means of a link or hinge....Another short iron-shod bar or a wooden rod with iron spikes....It was used by infantry...
Fork
A hafted weapon with two straight, parallel or slightly flared spikes of various shapes, sizes, which are often fitted with hooks at the socket..The fork originated from the pitchfork....Sometimes fitted with spurs to give the weapon a dual function...deliver a thrust, and pulling to unseat a mounted enemy.....This is used for scaling ramparts, etc., hoisting up baskets and faggots, and setting up ladders...
Gisarme
Crescentic ax attached to a long staff with the socket and either both ends or, only the lower ened of the blade, socket forged into a fluke, thrusting spiek was fixed on top of the shaft...
Glaive
Large head shaped like knife or sword....Used by infantry and palace guards....
Halberd
short, single-edged sword 45-70 cm (18-30 in.) long with a wide, pointed blade, advantage of spear and ax...
Holy-Water Sprinkler
slang for a weapon consisting of a stout staff, the end of which was bound an iron sheath with spikes...
Javelin
A light spear for throwing...leaf shaped head could vary but was not very large, and was with or without barbs...
Lance
used in tournaments, it was specially shaped for those....A spear...
Mace
Hand weapon consisting of a strong rod or haft with stone or metal head...ferrule from which extended a knot or node shaped piece in no particular pattern...Or a geometric design with vanes or conical or diamond-shaped flanges...
Morgenstern
Morning star...Fitted with round, oval or cylindrical head, studded with spikes....extending from the top of the head was a long point....some had short handles (one handed) and some had long, sturdy handles....(2 handed)
Partisan
hafted weapon with broad-pointed head, flats of this weapon had two lengthwise ribs that extended down to the socket...at the base of point protruded two sharp lugs.....could be used for cutting and thrusting...The lugs were a part of the guard...
Pike
Infantry spear...5-6.75 m (16-22 ft.), it had a leaf shaped head...
Pilgrim's Staff
wayfarers and pilgrims used this...usually concealed a sword blade....
Poleax
Danish type ax head offset by thick fluke, straight or curved or a flat ridged hammer, top of haft had a sturdy spike...
Quarterstaff
Length of wood 2-3 m (6-9 ft) long, round in section, made of oak, both ends were shod with heavy metal ferrules...This was used as both a real weapon and a practice weapon...
Spear
Wooden pole, sharpened at one end...the point hardened by charring, or fitted with a stone head....Used for thrusting...
Sword
edged weapon with long blade...designed for delivering cutting blows or thrusts...
Types
~Backsword~ general term for heavy military swords....straight, single-edged blade, well-developed closed guard...usually a basket hilt or a shell guard...The blade has thick back to give rigidity...short section near the back of the point had a sharp edge to carry out cutting strikes without changing position of sword...
~Bastard Sword~ large sword, broad double-edged blade, long grip, used both hands but could be used with one...
~Beidana~ Italian peasant's sword....singled edged blade, narrow at hell, broader toward the end, 50-75 cm (20-30 in.), handle is 10 cm (4 in.)..the cutting edge up only part of blade which was set from grip by decoration baluster...
~Broadsword~ heavy military swrods with double-edged blade for cutting and basket hilt or shell guard...
~Claymore~ Gaelic for "great sword"...large, cross-hilted broadswords used by Scottish Highlanders and mercs in Ireland....straight, broad, dual-edged blade, long, diamond section quillons angling toward the blade, ending in quatrefoils, generally shorter than continental two handed swords of the same period...
~Colicemarde~ light thrusting sword, blade ends in a sharp point...
~Dusägge~ German short saber used for fencing practice....
~épée~ modern dueling swrod and it's sporting version...gradually narrowing thrusting blade, is rigid, three-edged, deeply grooved...
~Falchion~ heavy, singled-edged blade, back either straight or slightly concave..edge had a pronounced convex curve...broadened toward the end of the blade...
~Firangi~ Indian for "foreign thing"...sword with a closed hilt and straight, cut and thrust imported blade....
~Flamberge~ French for "Flamboyant"....Had wavy blades...
~Fleuret~ light, thrusting sword, called a foil...used for teaching fencing...
~Flissa~ Algerian sword, single-edged blade, straight on the back with long point cutting edge...has a double curve...blade is an average of 100 cm (39 in.) long...
~Gladius~ short, double edged, pointed Roman sword, used by infantry...
~Hanger~ short, hunting sword, with straight or slightly curved single-edged and pointed blade often with a back edge...
~Harpé~ Greek curved sword with a large spur on the concave cutting edge of the blade...
~Karabela~ Type of saber with characteristic hilt whose curved pommel was a symbolic representation of an eagle's head...
~Katzbalger~ Type of broadsword, broad, double-edged, staright blade with horizontal S-shaped quillons and a faceted grip widening at the pommel...
~Kilij~ Turkish for "sword"....used to name Middle Eastern sabers with a blade double-edged at the point...
~Pallasch~ denotes a backsword with a straight, heavy blade, usually single-edged and a closed or (more rarely) open hilt...
~Pappenheimer~ large cut and thrust blade, closed hilt with pair of symmetrical shell guards, enclosed in rings and pierced with holes, wide recurved quillons and a knuckle guard with side bars...
~Rapier~ "dress sword"...light, striaght, double-edged and pointed blade, which became narrower and lighter and good only for thrusts...
~Saber~ Long, curved, single-edged blade designed for use mainly on horseback...
~Shiavona~ Italian for "Slavonic"...distinctive basket hilt, pommel made of bronze or brass in shape of a cat's head...grip was made of wood...the blade was dual-edged and pointed with one or more fullers...
~Schläger~ German term for a special cutting sword used in a type of personal combat popular among German university students...from basket-hilted broadswords to a light type of Pallasch....Point is rounded (thrusts impossible), guard is basket type, padded on the inside and decorated with college's colors...
~Scimitar~ Middle-Eastern and Oriental-looking sabers with strongly curving blade tapering to a sharp point....
~Shamshir~ Persian term for a saber....Very pronounced curve resembling a tail of a lion, striaght from hilt, then curves at halfway to the point...
~Shaska~ Circassian saber, used for slashing and thrusting...worn on the belt with cutting edge rearward....large blade hollowed or fullered...76-86 cm (30-34 in.) in length slightly curved....
~Sinclair-Sabers or Swords~ Hilts bear resemblance to Scottish swords....believed that these weapons had belonged to a Scottish mercenary band, commanded by Colonel G. Sinclair, that perished in Norway in 1612...
~smallsword~ civilian sword...light, slender, moderately long blade...variously sectioned and a simple guard with one or two shells and arms of the hilt....developed from arming sword and short rapier....
~Spadroon~ light simplified version of broadsword..narrow cut and thrust blade and a closed hilt with a knuckle guard and rear quillon...
~Tessak~ Russian for an infantry soldier's hanger...
~Tuck~ long, thrusting sword, fairly long grip and simple cross-shaped hilt...strong, rigid blade...
~two handed sword~ large sword up to 1.8 m (6 ft) in length..used by infantry...double-edged blade, sharp, rounded point....
~Walloon Sword~ broad-bladed sword with an iron guard, two oval rings perpendicular to the blade....
Tribulus
Also called a caltrop, it was an instrument made of iron consisting of four or more sharp spikes, often barbed, joined at the center...
Trident
large three pronged fork....used mainly for fishing, hunting and agricultural tasks...but was used for guerrilla-type skirmishes....
Vouge
staff weapon...slightly curved, knifelike head....
Warhammer
staff weapon, had a stone or iron head attached to a short handle...sometimes they had spikes on top....
