Boar spear head, c. 1430, length 42 centimeters (17 in).
A boar spear is a spear used for boar hunting. It is relatively short and heavy and has two "lugs" or "wings" on the spearsocket behind the blade, which act as a barrier to prevent an injured and furious boar from working its way up the shaft of the spear to attack the hunter.
The boar spear also became popular as a weapon of war, since the lugs can also be used to hook shields out of the way during combat, as well as preventing a spear thrust from going too far into a victim (particularly a charging horse), thus making it easier to quickly withdraw, and less likely to break. Boar spears remained in use as weapons until the early Middle Ages. In the 15th century, a variant with a longer shaft[specify]
called a chiavarina was in use as a weapon of war.
See also[]
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boar spears. |
- Sunrise River Custom Knives—Jim Casselman's account of a boar hunt with spears.
The original article can be found at Boar spear and the edit history here.