List of types of spears
Encyclopedia
This is a list of types of spears found worldwide throughout history.
Historically used in Asia
- DangpaDangpaDangpa is the Korean name for a three-pronged spear first described in the Muyejebo, a 16th century martial arts manual from the Joseon Dynasty.-Types:...
- GichangGichangThe Gichang is a Korean weapon which is first described in the Muyesinbo, a Korean martial arts manual published in 1759. It later also found its way into the Muyedobotongji ....
- Hoko yari
- JiJi (halberd)The ji , the Chinese halberd, was used as a military weapon in one form or another from at least as early as the Shang dynasty until the end of the Qing dynasty. They are still used for training purposes by many Chinese martial arts...
- KamayariKamayariThe kamayari is similar to the jumonji yari. While it also had two protrusions shooting off the base of a main spear tip, in yari the offshoots were hooked back downward. The kamayari essentially is a yari with kama at the base of the blade to assist in hooking things...
- QiangQiang (spear)Qiang is the Chinese term for spear. Due to its relative ease of manufacture, the spear in many variations was ubiquitous on the pre-modern Chinese battlefield...
- SibatSibatright|300px|thumb|Spearheads used by Filipino natives.A sibat is a staff or spear used as a weapon or tool by natives of the Philippines. It also called bangkaw, sumbling or palupad in the island of Negros. Sibat are typically made from rattan, either with a sharpened tip or a head made from metal....
- TrishulaTrishulaA trishula is a type of Indian trident but also found in Southeast Asia. It is commonly used as a Hindu-Buddhist religious symbol. The word means "three spear" in Sanskrit and Pali....
- YariYariis the term for one of the traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear...
Historically used in Europe
- ArbirArbirThe Arbir is a halberd approximately five feet long.The plane of the blade has a shallow groove running along it that allows the user to determine exactly where the cutting edge is at all times. The arbir is one of three special weapons used by members of the Persatuan Pentjak Silat Selurah...
- AhlspiessAhlspiessThe Ahlspiess 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 or more in length, mounted to a round wooden shaft and secured with a pair of langets...
- Boar spearBoar spearA boar spear is a spear used for boar hunting. It is relatively short and heavy and has two "lugs" or "wings" on the spearsocket behind the blade, which act as a barrier to prevent an injured and furious boar from working its way up the shaft of the spear to attack the hunter.The boar spear also...
- Bohemian earspoonBohemian earspoonThe Bohemian earspoon is a polearm with a forward-facing spear-like spike and two outward-facing spikes, similar to a boar spear. Derived ultimately from the early medieval lugged spear, the earspoon developed in the 14th. century. Its use was not confined to Central Europe...
- BrandistockBrandistockA brandistock was a short type of pole weapon which was used by both infantry and civilians alike between the 16th and 19th centuries. Measuring some 5 feet long, the brandistock construction was unique for polearms in that it had a retractable blade...
- DoryDory (spear)The dory or doru - ie not pronounced like the fish - is a spear that was the chief armament of hoplites in Ancient Greece. The word "dory" is first attested in Homer with the meanings of "wood" and "spear". Homeric heroes hold two dorys...
- FauchardFauchardA fauchard is a type of polearm weapon, which was used in medieval Europe from the 11th through the 14th centuries. The design consisted of a curved blade put atop a 2 m long pole. The blade bore a moderate to strong curve along its length, however unlike a glaive the cutting edge was only on the...
- GoedendagGoedendagThe goedendag was a weapon originally used by the militias of Medieval Flanders in the 14th century. It was essentially a combination of a club with a spear. Its body was a wooden staff roughly five feet long with a diameter of roughly four inches...
- HalberdHalberdA halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte - in modern-day German, the weapon is called Hellebarde. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on...
- Half pike
- HastaHasta (spear)Hasta is a Latin word meaning spear. Hastae were carried by early Roman Legionaries, in particular they were carried by and gave their name to those Roman soldiers known as Hastati...
- Military forkMilitary forkA fork is a pole weapon which was used in war in Europe between the 15th and 19th centuries. Like many polearms, the military fork traces its lineage to an agricultural tool, in this case the pitchfork....
- Ox tongue spear
- PartisanPartisan (weapon)A partisan is a type of polearm that was used in Europe during the middle ages. It consisted of a spearhead mounted on a long shaft with protrusions on the sides which aided the user in parrying sword thrusts...
- PikePike (weapon)A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
- Plançon a picotPlançon a picotThe plançon à picot, or simply plançon , is a medieval infantry weapon designed for smashing and thrusting. It consists of a stout iron-shod baseball-bat-like shaft and a steel spike attached on top. It was cheap and easy to make, and was extremely efficient on heavily armoured opponents, as it...
- RanseurRanseurA ranseur was a type of polearm used across Europe up to the 15th century. It was still seen in court as a ceremonial weapon through the 17th century...
- SarissaSarissaThe sarissa or sarisa was a 4 to 7 meter long spear used in the ancient Greek and Hellenistic warfare. It was introduced by Philip II of Macedon and was used in the traditional Greek phalanx formation as a replacement for the earlier dory, which was considerably shorter. The phalanxes of Philip...
- SpetumSpetumA spetum was a pole weapon of Europe during the 13th century. It consisted of a long pole some 6-8 feet long which was mounted with a spear head with two projections at its base. Many variations of this design flourished over time; some feel that the ranseur is a variation of the spetum...
- SpontoonSpontoonA Spontoon is a type of European lance that came into being alongside the pike. The spontoon was in wide use by the mid 17th century, and it continued to be used until the mid to late 19th century....
- TridentTridentA trident , also called a trishul or leister or gig, is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. Tridents are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The major Hindu god, Shiva the Destroyer and the sea god Poseidon or Neptune are...
Spears normally used from horseback
- BarchaBarchaBarsha is a type of lance with a wooden handle, once common in South Asia . They were common in the 16th century.The weapon found itself very handy with the emerging Marathas in early seventeenth century. It was lighter to carry in the mountainous terrain and easier to manufacture. A skilled...
- Kontos
- LanceLanceA Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
- XystonXystonNot to be confused with XystosThe xyston |javelin]]; pointed stick, goad") was a type of a long thrusting lance in ancient Greece. It measured about long and was probably held by the cavalryman with both hands, although the depiction of Alexander the Great's xyston on the Alexander Mosaic in...
Historically used in Europe
- AngonAngonThe angon was a type of javelin used during the Early Middle Ages by the Franks and other Germanic peoples including the Anglo-Saxons...
- FalaricaFalaricaFalarica, also Phalarica was an ancient Iberian ranged pole weapon which were sometime used as an incendiary weapon.-Design:The Falarica was a heavy javelin with a long , thin iron head of about 90 centimeters in length attached to a wooden shaft of about equal length...
- Framea
- Golo
- Hak
- Hoko
- Jaculum
- JavelinJavelinA Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
- LanceaLanceaThe lancea was the Roman auxiliaries' short javelin. According to the OED, the word originally came from the Iberian Language , also cf longche, the Greek term for lance. On Spike TV's show Deadliest Warrior, the lancea was the Celt's mid-range weapon....
- PilumPilumThe pilum was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two metres long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head...
- Plumbata
- SoliferrumSoliferrumSoliferrum or Soliferreum was the Roman name for an ancient Iberian ranged pole weapon made entirely of iron. The soliferrum was a heavy hand-thrown javelin, designed to be thrown to a short distance of up to 30 meters...
- SpiculumSpiculumA spiculum is a late Roman spear that replaced the pilum at around AD 250 as the infantryman's main throwing javelin. Scholars suppose that it could have resulted from the gradual combination of the pilum and two German spears, the angon and the bebra. As more and more Germans joined the Roman army...
- VerutumVerutumThe verutum, or plural veruta was a short javelin used in the Roman army. This javelin was used by the velites for skirmishing unlike the heavier pilum used by the hastati and principes for softening the enemy before advancing into close combat. The verutum's shaft was about 1.1 meters long, much...
Historically used elsewhere
- AssegaiAssegaiAn assegai or assagai is a pole weapon used for throwing or hurling, usually a light spear or javelin made of wood and pointed with iron.-Iklwa:...
(Africa) - DjeridDjerid (weapon)A type of throwing spear about 3 ft. long, usually with a wooden haft and small steel head but sometimes all steel used for hunting and warfare. Arab in origin, it was used in Asia Minor, India and Africa...
(Asia Minor, India and Africa) - Toggling harpoonToggling harpoonThe toggling harpoon is an ancient weapon and tool used in whaling to impale a whale when thrown. Unlike earlier harpoon versions which had only one point, a toggling harpoon has a two-part point...
(Americas) - YariYariis the term for one of the traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear...
, various types (Japan) - IklwaAssegaiAn assegai or assagai is a pole weapon used for throwing or hurling, usually a light spear or javelin made of wood and pointed with iron.-Iklwa:...
Zulu stabbing spear