Seeking better pictures of Polerams heads in art

[boris_]

I was wondering if anyone had any better/real examples of the polearms here : http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4865/11926/
I am most curious rightmost one below the flying horse's body

I am also wondering if there are any other examples of the Falchion on a stick on the right side of this image http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4294/9679/

[boris_]

Aslo curious about the polearm on the far left.
http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4722/13046/

[Henrik Granlid]

The "Falchion on a stick" I have seen on images together with heater-sized pavise shields and men in full armour, they look pretty much like large falchions and should be in the same family as "The polearm on the far left."


EDIT: Here are the ones with strange, upward-pointing "hooks" from one of your pictures.
http://www.valdemarminiatureforum.com/t ... apons.html

Should help in your search

[boris_]

I found this example from the Cleveland Museum (they sent me the pic)) http://imgur.com/4OTqNuU

http://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.18 ... nd%20Armor

[InsaneIrish]

I think what you are looking at are different examples of a Glaive.

[boris_]

I think what you are looking at are different examples of a Glaive.

Interesting. Its just a damn shame that of all the collections I have searched, only one had a 15th century Italian Glaive.

[InsaneIrish]

You will find a ton of different shaped polearms in Illustrations. Even a number of different shaped extant examples.
While there are some shapes that are more specifically used by one country over the other, many were used interchangeably.

[boris_]

So what would be found in 14th century Italy

[Konstantin the Red]

Absolutely anything not dated fifteenth and later. And probably some of that. Pole weaponry tended to a certain creativity of form. Since they all seem to fight pretty much by the same tactics to similar efficiency, this isn't surprising. Glaives and glaive-guisarmes. Eventually (after the fourteenth) forms as disparate as the berdiche and the Lochaber axe -- the Lucerne hammer not strictly speaking being an edged weapon.

The halberd begins in the latter fourteenth and progressively evolves until lateish eighteenth, though by then it was not primarily a weapon but a device for directing companies, approximately by squad given its length. This may hint at similar use of halberd hafts in earlier times, say to organize pikemen -- it would be a much handier tool for such a job than using just another pike, and actually lighter overall.

[Henrik Granlid]

I FOUND IT!

I found the "Falchion on a stick" picture that I was talking about a few posts up. These are beastly and beautiful all at once.




EDIT: Note that there are, in fact, two different weapons in the picture, named Vogue de Francais (on the left) and Glaive (on the right)

[Konstantin the Red]

Glaive is essentially a generic term for a bladed piece of armament. By extension, it can in modern usage refer to a sword's blade. It's a useful term for any staff-weapon that evades handy classification. This one is still a lot like the blade-and-back-spike type of bill. Another very generic weapon word.

[Baron Alcyoneus]

Here's a "one-handed" poleram.

[Konstantin the Red]

I think what you are looking at are different examples of a Glaive.

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4865/11926/

Pretty much. Variants on glaive or glaive-guisarme, and frankly I've no serious idea of what distinguishes the single-named one from the hyphenated hybrid-sounding one. Choppy thing on a pole. The one under the horse isn't too different from a voulge.

[Destichado]

First, recognize that these are very antiquated terms. It's like Plate Mail -what, exactly is that supposed to refer to?

A guisarme is a billhook. If you see a glave -knife on a stick- with forks or hooks on the back, that's a glave-guisarme. If you see a similar weapon with hooks or spikes on blade face of the weapon, it's now a billhook.

[boris_]

First, recognize that these are very antiquated terms. It's like Plate Mail -what, exactly is that supposed to refer to?.

Which term? Polearm?

[Destichado]

First, recognize that these are very antiquated terms. It's like Plate Mail -what, exactly is that supposed to refer to?.

Which term? Polearm?

glave-guisarme (which is different than a glaive or italian bill how?); fauchard (ie: military scythe or glave, totally depends on who you ask); runka, ghiavarina, chauve-souris, ox-tongue (all regional versions/evolutionary stages of a partisan...)

[Marco-borromei]

Perhaps this will help - Chapter 8 - Glaives from John Waldman's Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance
https://db.tt/dMq8gQIN

[Vermillion]

Check this document as well.

The Halberd and Other European Polearms 1300-1650

Note that this is not my document, web space, nor did I place it there.

[Baron Alcyoneus]

That is a good one, and I've referred to it a few times over the years. I didn't realize it was online.