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Axes
One of the oldest tools and weapons known to Man, the axe has taken many forms throughout the ages, from small one-handed stone hatchets made by wedging a rock into a notched stick, to the massive four-foot Danish battle axes wielded by the Saxon army at Hastings in 1066.
At first, the same axe that was used to split logs for the evening fire on one day was often the same one used to hew arms and legs from enemy soldiers the next. The axe soon proved its effectiveness as a tool of war, however, and highly specialized forms began to emerge; some that were light and made for hurling into opposing ranks of soldiers, others with heavy blades and spikes made to split shield, helm and skull with a single blow. There were also numerous varieties that fell somewhere in between (see photos on site for examples).
The axe is essentially two parts; a handle of wood, bone, or metal ranging in length from 15 inches to as long as 4 feet; and a head, normally of metal, with a single half-moon type blade that can be balanced by a hammer, spike, another axe head* or nothing at all.
The axe remained a favorite weapon of knights up until the 16th century due to its excellent armor cracking powers. It also saw extensive use by levies and peasant armies since it was an accessible, effective tool both for work and in war.
* Despite what we see in many films and fanciful paintings, the double bladed axe favored by Conan and his kindred, was very rare amongst European warriors. They were, however, much more common in near-eastern cultures such as India and Persia.
Broadswords
Historically speaking, the word Broadsword was never really ascribed to a single specific weapon, except perhaps the Basket Hilted Broadsword in use by the Scots and English during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Instead, modern convention (beginning in the Victorian Era) has usurped the term to describe almost any straight bladed European sword in use from the time of Charlemagne to the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
The broadsword, in its most “broad” definition, was primarily a military sword which many people assume fell into disuse with the birth of the rapier during the Italian Renaissance (mid 15th century). In actuality, broadsword and rapier shared nearly two centuries of European history, the latter being the civilian’s weapon of choice and the former maintaining its popularity with the soldier.
Common characteristics of a “broadsword” include a straight, fairly wide, usually double-edged blade that is designed primarily for cutting, although most have a point perfectly capable of delivering an “armor piercing” thrust. The comparatively simple hilt is generally cruciform in shape with quillons that can be either straight or curved and a substantial pommel to counterbalance the blade. Blade length averages between 28 and 34 inches but can exceed four feet in the two-handed varieties. The most common form used in theatrical combat is the hand-and-a-half, or bastard sword which is light enough to be used in one hand but has an extended grip to accommodate two hands.
Daggers
Is it a tool? A defensive weapon? Missile weapon? Eating utensil? Assassin’s symbol? Tent stake? The dagger is all of these things and more and can trace its ancestry back nearly half a million years to when Man first began making stone knives. But, in its capacity purely as a weapon, we need only look nine thousand years in the past for the dagger’s true emergence. It was at about this time, or a little later, that the first metal daggers (of copper) were being constructed. Throughout those next 9 millennia, they were constructed of stone, copper, bronze (a copper alloy of increased strength and hardness), iron and, finally, steel.
Due to the vast period of history in which it existed and the countless cultures by which it was used, the only comprehensive description that we can make about the dagger is that it is a small weapon with a grip suitable for one hand and blade anywhere between 6 and 18 or so inches in length. There are so many variations in size, guard, pommel, and style, that any attempt at further generalizations would be impossible.
For our purposes, we will confine our description to the form with which we are most familiar; a double edged blade that tapers to an acute point with some sort of cross-guard (or quillons) and grip. Blade width and shape can vary greatly; from the thin, triangular, almost ice-pick type found on a 17th century Stiletto to the incredibly ornate, fluted, wide blade of a 15th century Italian Cinquedea (which means “five fingers” in Italian; roughly the width of the blade at the hilt). Dagger pommels may be plain or ornate and appear in almost limitless variety. Likewise, the quillons come in many sizes and styles or may be non-existent all-together.
On stage, one of the most frequently appearing forms is the Left-hand Dagger which was a variation of the Quillon Dagger, so named for its guard that closely resembled the quillons, or cross-bars, found on the swords of the time. Left-hand Daggers (with or without the small protective ring guard on the quillons) were widely in use during the Renaissance, often as companion to the rapier and, oddly enough, were wielded in the left hand! A special form of Left-hand Dagger was the Main Gauche (French for left hand) seen pictured at the far bottom left. The Main Gauche was a weapon used almost exclusively in conjunction with the rapier and was distinguished by its long quillons and curving triangular plate that tapered to a point where it joined the pommel. The grip on a Main Gauche was historically quite short as the thumb was extended along the blade when in use.
