Category:Battleaxe

BATTLEAXE (slashing)

Weight: ~4 kg

Rank(s): 1st row

The battle axe has the distinction of being one of the oldest tools and weapons of man. The first battle axe dates back about 35,000 years, when weaponers began attaching the blade to long wooden handles. The double-bladed battle axe was born in Egypt during the Bronze Age, but the design did not gain widespread acceptance.

During the Greco-Roman times, the battle axe was seen as a barbarian weapon used by the Franks, Celts, Lombards, and Vikings.

The earliest modern battle axes were a Danish weapon of the ninth century. These weapons did not have double-bladed heads, but were still two-handed weapons. The Danes often decorated these axe heads with carvings. Some shafts reached six feet in length, which caused great structural strain on the point immediately below the axe-head.

English knights of the 14th century adopted the battle axe as a favored weapon in foot combat. Its long handle afforded a great reach, and allowed for a great amount of force to be focused in the blow.

Naval crews used battle axes as boarding weapons until the tactic of boarding parties became obsolete.

The dwarven battle axe design is based on an actual design by the Swiss, who called their version the mordaxt.

Some skill(s) usable with the weapon:

Axes, Battlecry, Bladed Fury, Cleave, Lure and Reaving.

See also:

Aklys, Battleaxe, Cleaver, Great axe, Hand-axe, and Tomahawk.