Swordstaff
A swordstaff (Old Danish: sværdstaf), or staffsword (Old Danish: stavsværd, Old Swedish: stafsværdh,Template:Efn Template:Langx), is a Medieval polearm mentioned in Scandinavian sources. It is a figurative term, referencing a spear, or similar, utilizing with a sword- or dagger-esque blade and crossguard.[1][2]
Evidence
Period description
Evidence of the weapon in use at the battle of Elfsborg (Alvesborg) in 1502 is provided by Paul Dolnstein,[3] a landsknecht mercenary who fought in the battle, who refers to the Swedes carrying "good pikes made from swords". He also provides sketches of the weapon.[4]
Period Swedish texts mention swordstaffs separately along with other polearms, such as halberds, poleaxes, partisans, spears, and thereof.[2] A period text uses the term brander (compare Template:Langx), an older term for swordblade, to drescribe the blades of swordstaffs:
Other languages
Various other languages have analog terms which might have referred to similar or the same type of weapon.
- Template:Langx – dagger[1]
- Template:Langx – swordstaff,[2] hunting spear, dagger[1]
- Template:Langx – sword cane[1]
- Template:Langx – sword cane[1]
- Template:Langx – throwing spear[1]
- Template:Langx – dagger, sword cane[1]
- Template:Langx – hewing spear
In Variarum rerum vocabula cum sueca interpretatione (1538), Sweden's oldest dictionary, Template:Langx, a type of hunting spear, is translated as both "swine skewer" (swijn spett), and "swordstaff" (staff swärdh).[1]
In Russia, a similar weapon, called rogátina (Template:Langx), a heavy daggerbladed spear for hand-to-hand combat and hunting large animals (compare sovnya), featured in later forms a full crossguad and sword length blade.[5]
Origins
The weapon has visual similarities to the partisan and langue de boeuf and may share common origins. However, Scandinavian sagas make references to a number of pole weapons, usually translated as "halberd" or "bill".[6] These weapons are used to cut and to stab but their names suggest they were derived from the spear rather than a cutting weapon, such as the hewing spear (höggspjót) and the atgeir.[7] While clearly identifiable artistic or archaeological evidence of the form of these weapons is lacking, it is possible that the swordstaff may be a late derivative of this family of weapons.
Chinese swordstaff
Chinese polearms that resembled swordstaves were also commonly used in ancient China from the late Warring States/Qin dynasty to the Han dynasty era. These were known as the pi (鈹), translated into English as either "sword-staff" or "long lance", and a long bladed ranseur-like swordstaff weapon called the sha (鎩) with a blade that was around Script error: No such module "convert". long (up to Script error: No such module "convert". long) and a hilt that was about Script error: No such module "convert". long.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
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Chinese swordstaff called a pi (鈹), Han dynasty
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Han dynasty Sha 铩 with bat shaped guard and scabbard
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Closeup of a modern recreation of the sha with a bat shaped guard
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Han dynasty sha (swordstaff), modern recreation of the classic version of the swordstaff "sha" from the Han dynasty era
See also
Footnotes
References
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External links
- Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon – Schwertstab (in German)
- "Senmedeltida stångvapen i svenska källor" (Late medieval polearms in Swedish sources)