东方与西方都有名称或字义为长柄斧的武器,但两者形制不同。东方的长柄斧是宋朝用来对付重甲骑兵的武器,明代《武备要略》亦有纪载。[1][2]

大约1470年,法国勃根地的长柄斧之头部。
手持长柄斧的曼弗雷德一世(Manfred I, Marquess of Saluzzo)。

西方的长柄斧,或称头斧(pollaxe、poleaxe、pole-axe、pole axe、polax、hache)是欧洲中世纪步兵常用的长柄武器

关于其名称,现今的词源学者有两派说法,一派认为该名称poll是指“头”的意思,可能用于标示其特殊头部形状或指这种武器是用来砍头。[3][4];另一派则认为此名称是长柄斧(poleaxe)的意思。[5]

在14世纪与15世纪时,为了要击穿板甲而设计出了长柄斧。柄通常长1.2米至2米,装着钢制的斧身,设计因其部件的可替换而差异很大,打击面通常是一个斧头或锤子,其反面则是尖刺、锤子或钩子;而顶端则加上一个侧面看起来像匕首的尖刺。

长柄斧常常与斧枪(Halberd)混淆,长柄斧的斧刃通常比斧枪的斧刃来得小,使动能被集中在更小的撞击面,更适合击穿厚重盔甲。而有宽斧刃的斧枪通常用来对付较轻薄的盔甲。斧枪的枪身与斧身常是被锻造成一体,而长柄斧的枪身与斧身则是分开可拆换的。[6]

参见

参考

  1. ^ 林志隆、陈钰祥,《宋辽夏金元兵器研究初稿》,第27页,文史哲出版社。
  2. ^ 程子颐,《武备要略》,卷八,第45页。
  3. ^ The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following etymology, s.v. Poleaxe:
    [ME. pollax, polax, Sc. powax = MDu. polaex, pollaex, MLG. and LG. polexe, pollexe (whence MSw. 15th c. polyxe, pulyxe, MDa. polöxe), f. pol, POLL n.1, Sc. pow, MDu., MLG. polle, pol head + AXE: cf. MDu. polhamer = poll-hammer, also a weapon of war. It does not appear whether the combination denoted an axe with a special kind of head, or one for cutting off or splitting the head of an enemy. In the 16th c. the word began to be written by some pole-axe (which after 1625 became the usual spelling), as if an axe upon a pole or long handle. This may have been connected with the rise of sense 2. Similarly, mod.Sw. pålyxa and Westphalian dial. pålexe have their first element = pole. Sense 3 may be a substitute for the earlier bole-axe, which was applied to a butcher's axe.]
  4. ^ Wise, Terence; Embleton, G.A. The Wars of the Roses. Men at Arms 145. Osprey. 1983: 33. ISBN 0-85045-520-0. 
  5. ^ For instance, Partridge gives the following etymology:
    L Palus, stake becomes OE pal, whence ME pol, pole, E Pole, the ME cpd pollax, polax becomes poleaxe, AE poleaxe: cf AX (E)
  6. ^ The Poleaxe. [2019-11-21]. (原始内容存档于2021-02-24).