It has come a long way through the millennia along with man and still remains a very popular tool. Battle axes were practically revived after the Vietnam War (1964-1975) and are currently experiencing a new wave of popularity. The main secret of the ax lies in its versatility, although chopping trees with a battle ax is not very convenient.

Battle Ax Options

After watching films in which horned Vikings brandish huge axes, many are left with the impression that a battle ax is something huge, inspiring fear in its very appearance. But real battle axes differed from workers just in their small size and increased shaft length. The battle ax weighed, as a rule, from 150 to 600 grams, and the length of the handle was about 80 centimeters. With such weapons it was possible to fight for hours without getting tired. The exception was a two-handed ax, the shape and size of which correspond to the impressive "cine" specimens.

Types of battle axes

By types and forms, battle axes can be divided into:

• One-handed;
• two-handed;
• Single-edged;
• Double-edged.

In addition, axes are divided into:

• Actually axes;
• Axes;
• Coins;

Each of these species has many subspecies and variations, however, the main division looks exactly like this.

ancient battle ax

The history of the ax began in the Stone Age. As you know, the first tools for man were a stick and a stone. The stick evolved into a club or club, a stone into a sharp axe, which is the progenitor of the ax. A chopper could cut prey or cut a branch. Even then, the progenitor of the ax was used in inter-tribal skirmishes, as evidenced by the findings of broken skulls.

A turning point in the history of the ax was the invention of a method for connecting a stick with a handaxe. Such a simple design increased the impact power several times. At first, the stone was tied to the handle with vines or animal veins, which made the connection extremely unreliable, although the ax was enough for several blows. The shape of the stone ax already then resembled the modern one. Combat skirmishes required reliable weapons, and gradually axes began to be ground and attached to the handle through a hole drilled in stone. Making a high-quality ax required long and painstaking work, so skillfully made axes were used mainly in skirmishes with enemies. Already in that era, a division into battle and working axes appeared.

Axes of the Bronze Age

The heyday of the era of bronze axes occurred in ancient Greece. At first, the battle ax of the Hellenes was made of stone, but with the development of metallurgy, battle axes began to be made of bronze. Along with bronze axes, stone axes were also used for a long time. Greek axes were first made double-edged. The most famous Greek ax with two blades is the labrys.

Images of labrys are often found on ancient Greek vases, it is held in the hands of the supreme god of the Greek pantheon Zeus. Findings of huge labris in the excavations of Cretan palaces testify to the cult and symbolic use of these axes. Labryses were divided into two groups:

• Cult and ceremonial;
• Combat labrys.

Everything is clear with the cult ones: because of their huge size, they simply could not be used in skirmishes. The combat labrys copied the size of an ordinary battle ax (a small ax with a long handle), only the blades were located on both sides. We can say that these are two axes combined into one. The complexity of manufacturing made such an ax an attribute of leaders and great warriors. Most likely, this served as the further ritualization of the labrys. To use it in battle, a warrior had to have considerable strength and dexterity. The labrys could be used as a two-handed weapon, because the two blades made it possible to strike without turning the shaft. In this case, the warrior had to dodge enemy blows, and any hit from the Labrys was usually fatal.

The use of a labrys paired with a shield required great skill and strength in the hands (although the labrys for this were made individually and were smaller). Such a warrior was practically invincible and in the eyes of others was the embodiment of a hero or god.

Axes of the barbarians of the era of ancient Rome

During the reign of ancient Rome, the main weapon of the barbarian tribes was also an ax. Among the barbarian tribes of Europe there was no rigid division into classes, each man was a warrior, hunter and farmer. Axes were used both in everyday life and in war. However, in those days there was a very specific ax - Francis, which was used only for combat.

First encountered on the battlefield with the barbarians armed by the Francis, the invincible legionnaires at first suffered defeat after defeat (however, the Roman military school quickly developed new methods of protection). The barbarians hurled their axes at the legionnaires with great force, and when they were at close range, they cut them with great speed. As it turned out, the barbarian Francis were of two types:

• Throwing, with a shorter handle, to which a long rope was often tied, allowing you to pull the weapon back;
• Francis for close combat, which was used as a two-handed or one-handed weapon.

This division was not rigid and, if necessary, the “ordinary” Francis could be thrown no worse than the “special” one.

The very name "Francisca" recalls that this battle ax was used by the Germanic tribe of the Franks. Each warrior had several axes, and the Francis for close combat was a carefully kept weapon and the pride of its owner. Numerous excavations of the burial places of rich warriors testify to the high importance of this weapon for the owner.

Viking battle ax

The ancient battle axes of the Vikings were a terrible weapon of that era and were associated specifically with sea robbers. One-handed axes had many forms that did not differ much from each other, but the two-handed Brodex ax was remembered for a long time by the enemies of the Vikings. The main difference between Brodex is a wide blade. With such a width, it is difficult to talk about the versatility of the ax, but he chopped off limbs with one blow. In that era, the armor was leather or chain mail, and a wide blade cut through them perfectly.

There were also one-handed brodexes, but the so-called "Danish ax" was exactly two-handed and was the best fit for foot and tall Scandinavian pirates. Why did the ax become the symbol of the Vikings? The Scandinavians did not go to the "Vikings" for prey because of the incredible steepness, they were forced to do so by harsh natural conditions and infertile lands. Where do poor farmers get money for swords? But everyone had an ax in the household. After reforging the blade, it was only necessary to plant the ax on a long, strong handle, and the terrible Viking was ready to go. After successful campaigns, the warriors acquired good armor and weapons (including swords), but the ax remained the favorite weapon of many fighters, especially since they masterfully owned it.

Battle axes of the Slavs

The shape of the battle axes of ancient Russia practically did not differ from the one-handed axes of Scandinavia. Since Russia had close ties with Scandinavia, the Russian battle ax was the twin brother of the Scandinavian. Foot Russian squads and especially the militia used battle axes as the main weapon.

Russia also maintained close ties with the East, from where a specific battle hatchet came from - coinage. It looks like a hatchet-slander. You can often find information that a chasing and a pick are one weapon - but despite the external similarity, these are completely different axes. The hammer has a narrow blade that cuts through the target, while the pick has a beak-like shape and pierces the target. If not the best quality metal can be used to make a pick, then the narrow blade of the chaser must withstand significant loads. The combat coinage of the Russians was the weapon of the riders who adopted this weapon from the equestrian steppes. Often, the coinage was richly decorated with precious inlay and served as a distinction of the military elite.

The battle ax in Russia in later times served as the main weapon of robber gangs and was a symbol of peasant riots (along with military scythes).

The ax is the main competitor of the sword

For many centuries, the battle ax was not inferior to such specialized weapons as the sword. The development of metallurgy made it possible to mass-produce swords designed exclusively for combat functions. Despite this, the axes did not lose ground, and judging by the excavations, they even took the lead. Consider why the ax as a universal tool could compete on equal terms with the sword:

• The high cost of the sword compared to the ax;
• The ax was available in any household and was suitable for battle after a slight alteration;
• For an ax, it is optional to use high-quality metal.

Currently, many firms make so-called "tactical" tomahawks or battle axes. SOG products with their flagship model M48 are especially advertised. Axes have a very spectacular "predatory" appearance and various butt options (hammer, pick or second blade). These devices are more intended for military operations than for economic use. Because of the plastic handle, throwing such tomahawks is not recommended: they fall apart after a few hits against a tree. In the hand, this device is also not very comfortable and constantly tries to turn around, because of which the blow can turn out to be sliding or even flat. It is better to make a battle ax yourself or with the help of a blacksmith. Such a product will be reliable and made according to your hand.

Making a battle ax

In order to make a battle ax, you will need an ordinary household ax (preferably made in the USSR during Stalin's time), a template and a grinder with a sharpener. We cut the blade according to the template and give the desired shape to the ax. After that, the ax is mounted on a long handle. Everything, the battle ax is ready!

If you want to get a high-quality battle ax, you can forge it yourself or order it from a blacksmith. In this case, you can choose a steel grade and be completely confident in the quality of the finished product.

The history of battle axes has more than tens of millennia, and although there are few models left specifically for combat use in the modern world, many people have an ordinary ax at home or in the country, which can be turned into a battle ax without much effort.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

I am fond of martial arts with weapons, historical fencing. I write about weapons and military equipment because it is interesting and familiar to me. I often learn a lot of new things and want to share these facts with people who are not indifferent to military topics.

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Warrior's Battle Ax

First letter "h"

Second letter "e"

Third letter "k"

The last beech is the letter "n"

Answer for the clue "Warrior's battle axe", 5 letters:
coinage

Alternative questions in crossword puzzles for the word coin

coin stamp

Bladed Battle Ax

Chisel by tin

steel tool

Weapon, cleaver

Same as scum

Bird of the thrush family

Word definitions for coin in dictionaries

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova. The meaning of the word in the dictionary New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.
m. A stamp for squeezing out images on the surface of metal products (usually coins). product with this image. Just such an image. A tool that is minted. m. An ancient weapon and a sign of superior dignity in the form of a...

Wikipedia The meaning of the word in the Wikipedia dictionary
Chekan - a short-handled melee weapon with a main percussion element in the form of a beak and a hammer on the butt. It has an eye for fixing the handle. The name comes from the old Russian word "chasing", which was a synonym for the word "axe". Has a significant...

Examples of the use of the word coin in the literature.

Choppers, cupola grinders, drillers, coinage planers, riveters, fighters and painters, Casting ribs and coinage cheeks Fevered with revolutionary malaria.

Suddenly, upland horses fly in from the wasteland and, you live well, they begin to beat us with butts, coins, brushes.

Three days passed, and again at the Pokrovsky Gates the same horsemen with a fat boyar ran into the outpost, beat coins, whips, sabers, injured many.

Just as many quite primitive coins, that in the days of the Muscovite state, it is no less often completely impossible to make out the letters, and the image itself is more or less tolerably readable for only one reason: the gold pieces and pieces of silver are much larger in size than the coins of Dmitry Donskoy and his successors on the Moscow throne.

The water flowed down from the steel nozzle directly onto the karvash and the ominously shiny beak. coinage.

Antique warrior's battle ax

First letter "h"

Second letter "e"

Third letter "k"

The last beech is the letter "n"

Answer for the clue "Ancient battle ax of a warrior", 5 letters:
coinage

Alternative questions in crossword puzzles for the word coin

Tool for making paintings on a metal plate

coin stamp

Bird of the thrush family

A steel pestle with a spherical end studded with small spikes, used in engraving on metal for drawing dots

Word definitions for coin in dictionaries

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. The meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova.
-a, m. An ancient weapon - an ax impaled on the handle with a hammer on the butt.

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov The meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov
chasing, m. (special). only ed. Action on verb. minting the same as minting. A stamp with an image carved on it, extruded on the surface of metal products (coins, medals, etc.). Cut coinage. This is the image itself. Coins of one mint....

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998 The meaning of the word in the dictionary Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998
the same as a kludge.

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova. The meaning of the word in the dictionary New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.
m. A stamp for squeezing out images on the surface of metal products (usually coins). product with this image. Just such an image. A tool that is minted. m. An ancient weapon and a sign of superior dignity in the form of a...

Wikipedia The meaning of the word in the Wikipedia dictionary
Chekan - a short-handled melee weapon with a main percussion element in the form of a beak and a hammer on the butt. It has an eye for fixing the handle. The name comes from the old Russian word "chasing", which was a synonym for the word "axe". Has a significant...

Examples of the use of the word coin in the literature.

Choppers, cupola grinders, drillers, coinage planers, riveters, fighters and painters, Casting ribs and coinage cheeks Fevered with revolutionary malaria.

Suddenly, upland horses fly in from the wasteland and, you live well, they begin to beat us with butts, coins, brushes.

Three days passed, and again at the Pokrovsky Gates the same horsemen with a fat boyar ran into the outpost, beat coins, whips, sabers, injured many.

Just as many quite primitive coins, that in the days of the Muscovite state, it is no less often completely impossible to make out the letters, and the image itself is more or less tolerably readable for only one reason: the gold pieces and pieces of silver are much larger in size than the coins of Dmitry Donskoy and his successors on the Moscow throne.

The water flowed down from the steel nozzle directly onto the karvash and the ominously shiny beak. coinage.