Huge

Large

Medium

Small

Tiny

Nano

Feather

Light

Medium

Heavy

Ponderous

Mini

Short

Medium

Long

Very long

Ridiculously long

Wood

Stone

Obsidian

Fire

Ice

Copper

Tin

Bronze

Iron

Steel

Titanium

Plastic

Ceramic

Combination

Crystal

Diamond

Ruby

Emerald

Sapphire

Mythril

Energy

Dark star matter

Alien or futuristic

Stabbing/piercing

Cudgeling/crushing

Slashing

Ensnaring

Strangling

Poisoning

Disease

Penetrating (such as bullets, arrows, and so on)

Incapacitating

Plasma

Light energy

Electrical

Body compromising (for instance, nano agents shot into the body)

One hand at end

Two hands at end

Either one or two hands

Gripped in the middle

Two hands spread apart

Strapped on

Changing hands

Whirling

Strapped on body

Not held or attached to body at all

Front-heavy

Back-heavy

Perfectly balanced

End-heavy/middle-light

Middle-heavy/end-light

Variable (configurable)

Symmetrical

Asymmetrical

Highly maneuverable

Somewhat maneuverable

Awkward

Forget it

Kissing distance

Arm’s length

Body length

Medium distance

Long distance

Very far away

Interstellar distances

Blunt

Sharp

Razor

Molecular

Irrelevant

Hand/eye

Crude sights

Magnification sights

Laser sights

Guided sights

Intelligent auto-aim

Fragile

Somewhat breakable

Can take some abuse

Rock-solid

Malleable/flexible

Unbreakable/indestructible

No

Very well

Somewhat

With luck

In a pinch

Somewhat effective

Preferred method of delivery

Not a chance

Fits in a pocket

Carried openly

Huge

Dragged along

A team of horses might move it

Requires a semi-truck

Requires a barge

Requires a battleship

Fixed in place

Easily

Preferred method

With difficulty

With elaborate preparations

No way

Plain

Fancy

Ornate

Bling

SBD

Moderate sound

Loud

Wakes the neighbors

Deafening

Instantaneous

Rapid

Moderate

Slow

Glacial

Instant/automatic

Rapid

Moderate

Slow

Glacial

One use is all you get

Needs no ammunition

Needs no loading

Nothing special

Needs ammunition

Needs loading

Requires special care

Yes

No

1

2

3 or more

None

Lethal

Non-lethal

Sometimes lethal, sometimes not

Poison (just about any hand or non-combustion projectile weapon can be used to deliver poison to the victim)

Blade breaker

Walking cane

Musical instrument

Stool

Belt and/or belt buckle

Tie up or entangle

Use as a step

Climbing grips (shuko/tekagi)

Use scabbard as a:

Use spear as vaulting device

Use to deliver blinding powders

Key

Symbol (of authority or rank, for instance)

Message (contained somehow in weapon)

Law enforcement

Military

Spy

Criminal/rogue

Hunter

Royalty

Common people

Housewife

Anyone

Specialist

Alien

Baggoro. A large, very heavy one-handed club or wooden sword used in Queensland.

Barkur. A one-handed heavy club split from the trunk of a small tree. From Queensland.

Bec de Corbin. A war hammer with a pointed end, like a beak.

Brandestoc. A war hammer with a long concealed blade in the handle.

Bulawa. A Russian mace.

Chacing Staves. Twelve-foot-long clubs shod in iron, used by robbers in 17th-century England.

Club Shields. Where clubs are a common form of weapon, defense against them may evolve as well. Special shields from Africa are designed specifically to defend against clubs. One is called a quayre and consists of a carved stick about a yard long with a rounded cavity in the middle, with a handhold. The other is similar but has strings, like a bow, which are strung tight and are used to catch the club attack.

Dabus. An Arabian mace studded with nails.

Fakir’s Crutch. A crutch used by Indian fakirs, who weren’t allowed to have weapons. The crutch served as a very effective mace, however, and sometimes contained a concealed stiletto.

Fang. A Chinese weapon with two 5-inch blades—one straight and one at right angles to it at the end.

Flagellum. A three-thonged scourge used by Roman gladiators.

Flail. A weapon consisting of a short handle and a hinged or hooked attachment. The striking part of the flail often had weights and/or spikes attached. Flails were used for centuries and came in all shapes and sizes. Some were more like hinged clubs, while others featured chains with spiked metal balls at the ends. The basic form of handle and hinged extension remains, regardless of the specifics.

Furibo. A 4-foot Japanese club covered with iron. (One specific design for the furibo uses the scabbard of a sword as the club, and the club’s handle doubles as the sword’s hilt.)

Hercules Club. A heavy club with nails driven into the heads, used in sieges of the 17th century.

Hoeroa. A double-curved Maori club made from the jawbone of a sperm whale.

I-Wata-Jinga. A Native American club made by wrapping a stone in rawhide and attaching it to a 2-foot handle.

Ja-Dagna. A Native American curved ironwood club with a ball at the end, sometimes spiked.

Ja-Weti. A four-sided Native American club.

Jit-te. A type of weapon in Japan that took many forms, but the simplest form was a baton or short club with a square iron hook close to the hilt. Primarily a parrying weapon, some were enhanced with blades and somewhat more like swords than batons.

Kauah. A stone club about 15 inches long and 2 inches in diameter, meant to be thrown up to 20 yards.

Konnung. A round club about 2-1/2 to 3 feet long, straight and spiked on the ends. It was meant to be held in the middle and used for stabbing.

Kotiate. A Maori “liver cutter” club shaped something like a violin and made from wood or whale bone.

Leonile. A wooden club. The handle ends in a point, and the striking edge is shaped something like a boomerang, with a sharp curve and a rounded, but sharp, point.

Lisan. A club from ancient Egypt of consistent diameter, with a slight curve at the end.

Macana. An odd-shaped club shaped something like an hourglass with a smaller and a larger end. Some macanas have stones set in them at 90 degrees, making them a form of tomahawk. They are used as clubs and as throwing weapons.

Mace. A club made entirely of metal with a heavy, flanged head. It was especially useful for bashing in armor, so it was used for hand-to-hand fighting from the 11th century through the 16th century in Europe. Versions of the mace were used elsewhere in the world, although they varied a great deal in shape and size, with some resembling curved iron bars, others resembling fireplace pokers, and still others with spikes, blades, and circular heads.

Makana. An Aztec club set with sharp stones.

Merai. A Maori war club that was made from jade.

Miolner. The mythical hammer of the Norse god, Thor, which would return to his hand when thrown.

Morning Star (also Holy Water Sprinkle). A club with an enlarged head of wood or iron studded with spikes. Often a blade or extra-large spike would extend from the top of the head.

Pacho. A club used in the South Sea Islands, lined with shark teeth.

Pagaya. A Brazilian club shaped like a paddle.

Patu. A short club used by the Maori as their principal weapon. It was roughly 14 to 20 inches long and shaped like a heavy paddle with a rounded handle and a hole at the base. Patus were made of various materials, such as wood, basalt, the jawbone of a sperm whale, or jade. The edges of the patu were very sharp.

There were various forms of the patu, with different names to indicate the type of material it was made from. For example, the patu onewa was of basalt, the patu paraoa was from the whale’s jawbone, and the patu pounamou (also called a mere) was made from jade. The kotiate (liver cutter) was more violin-shaped and made from bone or wood. The wahaika was generally made from wood, varied greatly in shape, and had more ornate carvings than the others, which tended to be quite plain.

Periperiu or Miro. A 5-foot club from Australia, no more than 3-1/2 inches wide. It is slightly flattened on one end and blunt, and narrower on the other end, with a concave section. It’s often decorated in red and white.

Plombee. A 14th-century leaden mace, or one that is weighted with lead.

Pogamoggan. A Native American war club that has an elastic handle with a stone attached at the end.

Quadrille. A mace with four flanges.

Quarter Staff. A walking staff that doubled as a club for fighting and was wielded with two hands.

Rang Quan. A fighting club used by women. It tapers through its 6-foot length, being heavier at the end than at the handle, and it is pointed at both ends.

Sapakana. A wooden club from South America with a rounded handle and a broad, almost shovel-like head.

Shashpar or Shushbar. An Indian mace with six flanges.

Suan-Tou-Fung. A mace with a globe-shaped or polygonal head attached to a straight bar handle.

Tambara. A club from Australia that widens from the handle, then tapers to a point with three or four prongs on the end. About 28 to 34 inches long.

Tanda. An Australian club with a globe-shaped end.

Tebutje. Light clubs studded with shark teeth, from the Gilbert Islands.

Tewha-Tewha. A wooden club commonly used in New Zealand. One end is a sharp spike and the other is shaped roughly like a quarter of a disk, somewhere between 3 and 6 feet long.

Tiglun. An Inuit club only 6 or 7 inches long, made of ivory. It was made for fighting and was held like a dagger.

U’U. A large club used in the Marquesas. It could be more than 4 feet long and carried a heavy head, all carved out of hardwoods. The head was carved and could be more than 5 inches thick.

Waddy. The generic name for a club in Australia.

Wahaika. An often ornately carved wood or bone club of the Maori of New Zealand.

War Hammer. Used most extensively in Europe to combat armor, the war hammer generally consisted of a hammer head with an opposing spike and was tipped with a sharp point. The hammer head often had claws to better grip the armor and smash through it. In some cases the back spike was more of a cutting edge similar to an axe head. War hammers came in all shapes and sizes but were basically the same (or similar) configurations.

The hilt

The blade

Aikuchi or Kusungobu. A dagger without a guard, from Japan.

Arm Knife. A 6-inch knife carried on the arm near the shoulder, held in place by a scabbard fastened by loops to the arm. Used by the Sudanese. A slightly larger version is used by the Tuaregs.

Bade Bade. Malaysian knife with a curved blade.

Barong. A large, wide-bladed knife up to 16 inches long from Mindanao and Borneo.

Baselard. A dagger of medieval Europe that had essentially a cross-shaped pommel and guard, usually double-edged.

Batardeau. A one-piece knife, often concealed in a pocket in the sheath of a sword.

Bayonet. Basically a knife affixed to the end of the barrel of a rifle. Bayonets originated in the 16th or 17th century. Originally, they were used by musketeers as an added defense, essentially turning the gun into a pike when not firing. To protect against cavalry, early muskets and bayonets were made at least a total of 6 feet long in order to reach a man on horseback. Some armies deployed musketeers in ranks, where those in front would hold their guns and bayonets as a hedge of defense while those behind reloaded and fired. After firing, the ranks would exchange places. Later bayonets were made shorter, when their use moved toward close-quarters attack and defense.

The early bayonets were fixed at the side of the barrel so as not to interfere with either aiming or reloading, as the early muskets were muzzle loaders. Bayonets were fitted to the gun in different ways. Some were permanently fixed in place and could be retracted or swung around when not needed. Others were fixed by various kinds of collars and slots. The “plug bayonet” actually fit directly into the barrel and could be removed to use as a knife. Other bayonets were essentially long knives or short swords, complete with hilts, and could be used effectively independent of the gun. Bayonets have even been attached to pistols and blunderbusses, with spring releases for quick deployment. Bayonets have been made in a variety of shapes, including simple spikes, sword and knife blades, machetes, trowels, saws, mine-probing tips, and even wire cutters. Modern bayonets are often most useful as utility knives.

Bhuj. A single-edged knife, sometimes called an elephant’s knife because it often had an elephant’s head at the base of the blade. It often concealed a smaller knife in the handle.

Bidag. A Scottish dirk.

Bodkin. A small dagger.

Chilanum. A double-curved, double-edged dagger from India.

Chopper. A generic name for a variety of broad, heavy-bladed, cleaver-like weapons. Some were used to smash through armor.

Choora/Chura or Khyber Knife. A long, straight blade, between 14 and 30 inches in length, that tapers from the base to a sharp point. Made strong, with a single sharp edge.

Cinquedea, Anelace. A double-edged straight dagger, very wide at the hilt and tapering in straight lines to the point. Cinquedeas were worn horizontally at the back of the belt and could be drawn quickly with the left hand. They ranged considerably in length, some being long enough to qualify as swords.

Coutel, Cultel. A 13th- and 14th-century knife.

Dirk. A typical Scottish dagger, which features a heavy-backed, single-edged blade that generally tapers uniformly from base to tip. The pommels were generally conical and flat on top.

Dudgeon. A dagger with a wooden hilt.

Golok. A Malay jungle knife with a heavy, broad curved blade and a single edge, ranging from 6 inches to 2 feet in length. A very common weapon/tool.

Hamidashi. A short Japanese dagger, up to a foot long but often shorter.

Hand-Seax. An Anglo-Saxon dagger.

Hanger, Whinger, Whinyard. Variously, a type of 17th- and 18th-century saber or a Scottish name for a dagger.

Jambiya. A common sort of knife found in Arabic regions. A curved, double-edged blade, sometimes with a rib down the middle. Shapes and sizes vary greatly.

Jamdar Katari. Knives from India featuring straight double-edged blades and doubled guards at the top and base of the pommel.

Kard. A straight-bladed Persian knife used especially for piercing armor. It had a straight hilt and no guard, and the tip was often given extra reinforcement so that it could penetrate an opponent’s armor.

Katar. The katar originated in India. It is essentially a flat, broad, and pointed knife with a handle built so that it can be used as an extension of the fist. The basic katar is simply a point extending from the crossbar-like handle. However, katars differ in size (from only inches long to 3 feet long), ornamentation (from completely plain to highly decorated), and other features. For instance, some katars were made extra thick at the point to penetrate armor. Others were made to appear as one blade, but to split into two or three blades when the handles were pressed together. Still other katars hid a smaller katar inside, so that they acted as a sheath for the smaller one. Most katars were straight bladed, but some were slightly curved, and others were like needles, in contrast to the more standard broad blade.

Ketchil. A Malaysian knife.

Khanjar. An Arabic word for dagger or knife, it is applied to a great number of different types of daggers found in different regions.

Khanjarli. A distinctive knife with a double curve and a pommel, sometimes with a hand guard and always with an almost mushroom-shaped top.

Kidney Dagger. A long, straight blade that originated in the 14th century and was used up until the 17th century. It had a rounded pommel with a guard (called a kidney guard) that resembled two small balls, hence the name “kidney” dagger.

Kindjal. A double-edged dagger that generally had very straight, parallel sides that ultimately tapered to a long, sharp point. They had no guard and a straight pommel with a wider end section to help form a handle. Kindjals were also made large enough to be considered short swords. Another name for larger kindjals was quaddara.

Kira. An Australian aboriginal stone knife made from quartzite.

Kogai. A slim knife or “skewer” fitted into the pocket of some Japanese sword scabbards. Some were split so that they fit together as one unit or could be separated. It was not sharp, but it may have had a variety of uses, such as locking the scabbard of the samurai’s long sword, doubling as chopsticks in the field, severing an artery to put a wounded comrade out of his misery, and so on. It was decorated with a crest that was unique to the samurai’s family and was sometimes used to mark and identify a fallen soldier.

Korambi. A knife from Sumatra with a sickle-shaped blade, about 4 to 6 inches long.

Koshigatana. A very short dagger used in ancient Japan. It was small enough to be hidden in the folds of a kimono. It ultimately became the weapon used by women to commit jigai—the ceremonial severing of the neck arteries in ritual suicide. It was then known as kwaiken or kwaito.

Kozuka. A Japanese knife that was often carried in the scabbard of a sword or dagger. It was customarily made by welding a piece of steel to a piece of iron. Samurai boys learned to throw the kozuka with great accuracy before they were allowed to wear swords. The main targets of the kozuka were the forehead, throat, and wrist.

Note

Raksha: A Malaysian demon with a large, ugly face and terrible teeth, frequently found decorating kris hilts. Also, the word sarong commonly refers to a form of wraparound skirt, but a sarong is also the scabbard for a Javanese kris.

Kris. The typical knife found throughout the Indonesian region. There are many forms of kris, ranging from 5 or 6 inches to 2 feet in length. The best-known versions have wavy blades, although many kris have straight blades. The only feature common to all versions of the kris is that the blade widens at the hilt and comes to a sharp point on one edge, which serves as a guard, and sometimes includes a notch used to catch an opponent’s blade.

Note

In ancient Japanese culture, a kubibukuro was a “head bag”—in other words, a net bag with broad shoulder straps meant to carry an enemy’s severed head. The kubikiri was a knife especially made for cutting off the enemy’s head. The name means “head cutter.” The kubi oki was a bucket made of white wood and a tall cover. Inside was a long, sharp hardwood spike. This was a necessary item of any samurai household, in case they needed to send the head of a member of the family who had committed hari-kiri to the governor for identification. The bucket, along with the head, was returned to the family afterward.

Kukri. A Nepalese knife with a very heavy curved blade. The blade widens from just past the hilt and then comes to a point. Since the weight is predominantly toward the front of the blade, it can be wielded to achieve maximum power with minimum effort and can deliver an axe-like blow. The kukri scabbard also carried a pair of smaller knives of the same shape, although one was not sharp and was probably used for sharpening. One account tells of being able to use a kukri to split a man from head to chest in a single blow.

Kwaiken. A Japanese woman’s dagger, generally used for cutting the neck veins when committing suicide.

Main Gauche. Literally, the “left hand”—a dagger of 17th-century Europe that was used in the left hand. It had a long, straight, double-edged blade and a guard for the hand that often matched the rapier with which it was matched.

Mandaya Knife. A Philippine knife with a double-edged, leaf-shaped blade. It was distinctive in that it had a long tang that extended from the handle and was flanked by two horn-like projections.

Mattucashlass. A Scottish dagger that was carried under the armpit.

Maushtika. An ancient Indian stiletto.

Misericorde. Known as the “dagger of mercy,” this straight, narrow dagger was made to thrust through the gaps in a wounded enemy’s armor to deliver the death blow, or coup de grace. It is said that simply seeing the uplifted dagger would be enough to cause a wounded enemy to surrender.

Nata. A small Japanese knife, often called a gardener’s or hunter’s knife. It is single-bladed with a chisel-like end. The handles and scabbards often resemble those of military weapons, such as the wakazashi and the katana.

Pahua. A large dagger, about 2 feet long, used in the ancient Hawaiian Islands (then known as the Sandwich Islands). It had a straight, double-edged blade, sometimes doubled with a handle in the middle. It was held to the wrist by a cord passed through a hole in the handle.

Paiscush. A katar with a guard built to protect the back of the hand.

Panabas. A long-handled jungle knife with a curved blade that widened toward the end and bent back near the handle. It was employed in executions, among other uses.

Parang. A Malaysian chopper or jungle knife.

Parazonium. A broad-bladed knife used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It was about 12 to 16 inches long and made of bronze—and later, of iron.

Note

Hoplites were heavily armored infantry, the formation of the Greek phalanx.

Pesh-Kabz, Peshcubz, PeshQabz. A type of Persian and North Indian dagger specifically designed to penetrate armor. It is heavy and narrows from the base to a very sharp tip, sometimes with a slight backward curve, but often with a very straight blade. The back of the straighter blades remains straight, while the blade edge narrows to the point.

Phurbu. A knife of exorcism used by Tibetan priests in driving out evil spirits. The blade was very short, like a three-bladed arrowhead, and was attached to an ornate handle that included sculptures of gods, animals, vajras, and so forth. It was generally made of iron or sometimes brass or wood, or some combination of these materials.

Pichangatti. A knife from India that was used more or less in the way we currently use pocket knives, though it looked formidable enough. It had a broad, heavy, single-edged blade about 7 inches long and looked somewhat like a chef’s knife, but with a rounded tip ending in a point. The scabbard carried several items, including tweezers and nail and ear cleaners. It was essentially the early Indian Swiss Army knife....

Pichaw. A knife of the Khiva that was presented to heroes and was formed from a straight, single-edged blade and a hilt formed from two pieces of ivory or jade. The pommel was a cylindrical cap ringed in jewels, and the scabbard was a cylinder decorated with metal.

Piha-Kaetta. A Sinhalese knife with a thin blade (1/2 inch to 2 inches wide), about 5 to 8 inches long. They were traditionally decorated with panels of metal toward the hilt or with engravings. The scabbards often carried a stylus as well.

Pisau Raut. A somewhat unusual knife used by the Malay to trim rattan. It had a 4-inch blade, but the handle was about a foot long. Though not considered a weapon, it was still an interesting design.

Poignard, Poniard. A small thrusting dagger with a square or triangular section.

Pugio. A straight, double-edged Roman dagger.

Qama (Khama). The Georgian national weapon—a dagger approximately 15 inches long. Georgians were scandalized when their hereditary enemies, the Cossacks, also began using the qama.

Raven’s Beak. An Indian knife with a double-curved blade attached to a long handle.

Rondel. A medieval European dagger with a disk-like pommel and generally a narrow blade.

Sabiet. A curved knife from Sumatra, sharp on both sides, though only for half its length on the convex side.

Sabiet Mata Dora. Two curved blades that are flat on one side and are hinged by a pin at the top. They can be rotated out and held in the middle to strike in either direction.

Savigron. Inuit knife for carving ivory and bone.

Savik. Inuit knife—the word literally means “iron.”

Scramasax. A dagger with a wide blade, grooved on both sides. I like the name.

Sekin. A knife from Sumatra with a slightly curved-in single-edged blade and a projection, sort of a beak, at the base of the hilt.

Sgain Dubh. A Scottish stocking dagger.

Stiletto. A thin-bladed thrusting dagger.

Tanto. A Japanese short blade with a guard, not more than 12 inches long. The blade and fittings were identical to the long swords, although some tantos had straight blades and others were curved like the swords. The tanto was carried at all times, even when swords were left behind, and so were often decorated suitably for ceremonial and formal occasions. Other short blades were sometimes called tanto, but the name refers to a specific type of weapon.

Telek. A Tuareg knife with a straight, double-edged blade and a pommel shaped like a cross. It was worn in its scabbard flat against the left wrist and could be drawn with the right hand.

Tooroom. A South Indian grooved dagger with a long, broad blade and a basket hilt.

To-Su. A small poignard carried by Japanese nobles. It was carried for personal protection, and sometimes several were placed in the same scabbard.

Tuba Knife. A strangely shaped knife in which the edge is straight, but the back has a curve. The handle is set at or near 90 degrees to the edge.

Turup. A katar with a guard and a chain or a bar connecting the guard over the top.

Ulu. A woman’s knife among the Inuit, originally made from sharp stone with a handle, but later from bone, ivory, and, ultimately, iron.

Vinchu. An Indian dagger, “the scorpion,” that was worn without a sheath, concealed in the sleeve. Typically, they were about 6 inches long and sharp at the point, with no edge, but variations occurred so that some were as much as a foot long and with single or double edges.

Wedong. A ceremonial knife worn in Java when in the court. It symbolized the willingness of the wearer to cut a path through the jungle for the king.

Whinyard. A Scottish name for dagger.

Yoroi Toshi or Metazashi. A Japanese dagger designed for cutting through armor, it was originally about 11 inches long, but later versions were shorter—about 9 inches. Originally, it was worn thrust through the back of the belt, but ultimately it was worn on the right side, hilt facing front and with the blade up. The second name, metazashi, means “right side wear.”

Zirah Bouk. A mail piercing knife—refers to any dagger with the point reinforced to penetrate armor.

Apache Pistol. The name given to a commercial weapon that combined a dagger, metal knuckles, and a small revolver all in one.

Armlets. Rings worn on the wrists or upper arm and used for a variety of purposes, including to add weight to the arm to increase the power of blows and also to attack directly, generally at close quarters to the enemy’s head. Some armlets are fitted with spikes and sharp edges. They are generally made of stone or metal.

Bagh Nakh (Tiger Claw). Indian hand weapon with rings for the fingers and several claw-like metal spikes, designed to be concealed in the palm and used to rake and tear the flesh of the adversary.

Brass Knuckles (Knuckle-Dusters). Considered to be the logical descendant of the Roman cestus, brass knuckles basically were used by criminals, although similar weapons—often studded with sharp points or spikes made from various substances—were common around the world. They were meant to add weight to blows struck with the fists and to do more damage by striking with a harder surface or with something that cut.

Cestus. Heavy leather thongs that were often weighted with lead or iron and wound around the hands and arms of Roman boxers to add to the weight and power of their blows.

Gauntlet. A metal glove, often with spiked knuckles, that fits over the entire hand—probably used during the Roman era and also in medieval times.

Hora. A knuckle-duster from India, made of horn and shaped with triangular spikes.

Knuckle-Duster. A lead ring held in the hand, popular during the Civil War.

Knuckle-Duster Dagger. A World War I weapon that combined metal knuckles with a blade, sharpened on the back end to more easily slit the throat of an unwary sentry.

Aclys. A Roman dart weapon, or possibly a throwing stick or boomerang.

African Throwing Knives. Unusual knives made only for throwing, with a handle and blades created at all angles and shapes. Most had multiple blades and were said to be very powerful even at 50 yards.

Assegai. Portuguese word for South African spears used for throwing. Some versions used for stabbing.

Bolas. An arrangement of cords and either two or three balls used for throwing to entangle the legs of prey or enemy.

Boomerang. Contrary to popular opinion, most boomerangs are not made to return to the user. They are flat wood or bone (or even metal) blades that are thrown as an attack weapon. Boomerangs have been used since ancient Egyptian times. Returning boomerangs are specific to Australia but are not used as serious weapons.

Chakram or War Quoit. A sharpened ring of metal designed to be thrown. Used by the Sikhs; sometimes several were carried on top of a pointed turban called the dastar bungga.

Facon. A Spanish knife meant for throwing—about 2 feet long.

Francisca. A throwing ax used by the Franks who inhabited parts of modern France and Germany. It was so named after them by the Romans, against whom it was used.

Grenades. Of all hand-thrown weapons used in combat, the grenade is the one still used in modern warfare. A grenade is basically a thrown explosive that does damage in two ways: from the blast itself and from the fragmentation effect. This is the most basic anti-personnel grenade, although other specialized versions also exist. Grenades are detonated in two basic ways—by use of a lit fuse or by impact.

Although the impact variety has some advantages—no chance of being thrown back or rolling back down a hill and no way to avoid it once thrown—they are more dangerous to carry and store. Impact grenades are ignited either by a plunger hitting the ground or by a weight inside that is thrown forward when the grenade impacts the ground—both of which require the grenade to hit at a particular point—or by a series of detonators that allow the grenade to hit anywhere and explode. With the two former types, it was helpful to create something that was heavier on one end or was somehow guided by fins so that it was more likely to hit on the plunger or the end where the weight was located.

Fused grenades have been the most common variety. The early versions had actual fuses that were lit by a match or by other fire source. The early soldiers who lit and threw grenades were called grenadiers, although that name ultimately came to describe a troop of particularly large soldiers. Modern fused grenades use more sophisticated methods, such as levers secured by pins or rotating sections of the grenade itself. Many grenades were improvised in the field; this was particularly true during World War I, where grenades were highly effective in the trenches. Specialized grenades include anti-tank grenades and smoke, incendiary, or gas grenades.

Hunga-Munga. A heavy throwing knife with a hooked end. It looked a little like a number 3 with a handle.

Jaculum. A Roman javelin.

Jarid (Djarid). Short throwing spears used in the Orient—about 3 feet long and with a steel head about 7 inches long.

Kerrie or Knobkerry (also Rungu). A throwing stick made from wood and, sometimes, from rhinoceros horn. One end of the stick terminated in a large knob.

Koveh. A spear, also known as “the assegai of torture,” with a barbed head in which some barbs pointed back toward the shaft and others pointed toward the tip, making it impossible to pull or push out without doing more damage.

Lime Pots. Earthenware pots used to throw quicklime in the faces of the enemy.

Nageyari. A Japanese javelin with a short shaft and a short, heavy head.

Pelta. An ancient Greek javelin that had a leather strap attached to aid in throwing it.

Pheon. A barbed javelin carried by the sergeant-at-arms of the English kings from the time of Richard I.

Pincha. An African throwing knife.

Rabbit Stick. A Native American throwing club, similar to a boomerang, with a carved handle at one end, ultimately terminating in a wide, flat blade with a curve like a boomerang. Rabbit sticks were generally varnished and painted.

Shuriken. Early references describe the shuriken as a plain, one-piece throwing knife; however, it is known in more modern times as a throwing star, of which there are many shapes and styles.

Simbilan. A thin wooden javelin, which could be thrown four at a time.

Slings and Sling Poles.

Spiculum. A light javelin of the ancient Romans.

Tomahawk. Used by Native Americans as both a club and a throwing weapon. Made with a stick and a stone attached or, later, with a hatchet blade in place of the stone.

Ulas. A throwing club from Fiji. They are carved of wood and about 18 inches long. The heads were rounded or knobbed and could be as much as 6 inches in diameter.

Vericulum. A light javelin of ancient Rome.

Amentum or Ankule. A sling or loop of cord used to throw a spear. Used by the ancient Greeks and still used in parts of Africa.

Chimbane. A spear with barbs going in both directions, so it could be neither withdrawn nor pushed through.

Fal-feg. A spear with backward-facing barbs, about 5 feet long.

Futomata-yari. A Japanese spear with a forked head.

Harpoon. A shaft with a barbed head used for spearing fish.

Hooked Spear. A variety of spear that had a hook beneath the blade. The hook was used to catch the enemy’s armor and pull him forward or, in certain situations, cause him to fall off ramparts or bridges.

Ja-Mendehi. Native American lance made of ash. They are 6 to 8 feet long with a shaft about an inch in diameter and a broad head.

Lance. The lance was the horseman’s spear and was used all over the world. The lances of Europe were large, averaging about 13 feet long. Their heads were generally leaf-shaped or sharp spikes. The guard, called a vambrace, was generally conical in shape, although the shapes varied a lot. Jousting lances were blunted and much larger, up to 5 inches in diameter. Lances in other parts of the world are lighter and shorter and did not use the vambrace. They ended in a ball shape for counterbalance, terminating in a spike that was used to set the lance in the ground when not in use.

Markek—Ainu Salmon Spear. Interesting because it is made from a hook attached to an 8-foot pole. When the fish is hooked, a rope pulls the hook back, further fixing it into the fish and keeping it secured. It has interesting possibilities for a weapon.

Mkuki (Farara). A spear from East Africa with a long, narrow blade at the end. The blade was made from soft iron—so soft it could be bent with the fingers—but polished to a very fine point. The Mkuki is used for stabbing and is about 6 feet in length. The shaft is made from a particular variety of wood used for its toughness, close grain, and lack of knots. It is straightened over hot ashes and then oiled or greased. The socket of the blade is covered with the skin taken from the tail of an animal. The butt is covered with metal for planting in the ground when not in use.

Nagamaki. A Japanese spear similar to the naginata, with a long, nearly straight blade.

Nagegama. A weapon with a short sickle blade set at right angles to the haft. It was forged of one piece of metal and used in defending fortresses. A chain, which was attached, was used to draw it back up.

Naginata. A Japanese spear with a sword-like blade for the head. The blade curved back very near the point. It was often given to women for exercise and contingency, and so was called the woman’s spear.

Paralyser. A Malaysian spear that used two blades of unequal length. Both were barbed, and, if stabbed by the first, the victim could not withdraw the blade. However, he could not advance through the spear to attack his enemy because of the shorter blade, which he would have to run through as well. It was a very clever weapon.

Pill or Pell. A peasant weapon—basically a sharpened stake used in the Norman armies.

Pillara. A spear cut from a solid piece of wood with two parallel heads set close together. Each head had a single row of barbs. It was about 9 feet long and was mainly a thrusting weapon, although it could also be thrown with a spear thrower.

Pilum. The main spear of the Roman legions.

Rummh. A lance from the Middle East with a diamond-shaped head and a 15- to 18-foot-long shaft.

Saintie. A long rod of iron with a handle and a loop guard in the middle, tipped with a spear point. It was primarily a parrying weapon and sometimes had a second spear point in the hand guard or a concealed dagger in the weapon’s shaft. It was used in India, although a similar weapon was found in China.

Sang. A lance used when fighting in the desert on camelback. It was often all iron or sometimes wood banded with metal.

Sang. Another type of sang was a Singhalese spear also used in India, with a very heavy head formed from a curved, double-edged blade. These blades were highly ornate, as were the socket sections that joined it to the staff.

Sangu. A spear from central India, made from steel and with a long triangular or sometimes quadrangular head.

Saunion. A Samnite spear about 3-1/2 feet long with a 5-inch head.

Sei-Ryo-Ken. Known as the temple spear or kwanyu’s spear, it featured a broad blade extending out of a dragon’s mouth.

Siligis. Wooden javelins from Borneo—some were meant to be thrown, but the ones with more valuable iron blades were used for close fighting.

Sinan. A Persian spear, the blade was long and tapered to a fine point from the socket to the tip.

Sinnock. A simple light spear from the Mosquito Coast in Central America.

Tao. A Maori hardwood spear about 8 feet long.

Tumbak. A Javanese name for spear.

Tumpuling. A Javanese spear with a barbed head—either one barb or two.

Wainian. An Australian stone-headed spear. Either quartzite or flint was used for the head, which could be quite sharp, and the wood or cane shaft was as much as 10 feet long.

Zagaye. A Venetian lance, 12 feet long with iron-tipped points at each end.

They must fit the draw of the bow that will fire them—in both length and weight.

They must have a certain amount of flexibility because upon firing an arrow flexes, and it must not flex too much or too little for an accurate shot.

The head must be of the right type to fit the purpose of the shot.

For maximum performance, the flights (feathers) must effectively stabilize the flight of the arrow with the least impedance.

Agny Astra. Rocket or fire-tipped dart used in ancient India. Fired from a bamboo tube, it was used against cavalry.

Blowpipe or Blowgun. Blowguns are typically a tube of wood, reed, or bamboo used to propel a dart using the breath. They are used most commonly in South America and Malaysia. The construction of a blowgun is lightweight so that it can be easily held near the breech, or blowing end. The dart is inserted in the breech and then a piece of wadding—generally either cotton or pith—is stuffed in after the dart. A sharp exhalation of the breath will propel the dart very far and very accurately. The tips of blowgun darts are often coated in very virulent poison, both for hunting and for warfare. Some South American blowpipes can be 8 to 10 feet long. Typically, a blowgun hunter will carry a small tube for extra darts and a gourd filled with wadding material. Some types of blowpipes, such as those from Borneo, also had spear points that could attach to the end of the weapon.

Balasan. Sumatran blowpipe made from a short, single joint of bamboo.

Banduk Doraha. An Indian combined gun—two guns, one concealed within the other. The outer gun is a flintlock, and the inner is a percussion mechanism.

Bomb Lance. Used to kill whales, this explosive was shot from a gun. The head penetrated the whale and could be unscrewed to allow the loading of powder in the center shaft. The back end contained a trigger, which would be pulled out when the gun was fired and would fire when the lance entered the whale’s body. The bomb lance was rarely used because the gun that fired it had a tremendous kick and often propelled the shooter overboard.

Budge Barrel. A barrel that stored 40 to 60 pounds of gunpowder, with a leather bag nailed to one end. It was meant to keep the powder from firing accidentally.

Cadge. Used to carry a number of hawks, it is a frame within which a man can walk, carrying it on his shoulders. The legs fold up for carrying and down when at rest. The name of the carrier was cad. Because he was generally good for nothing else, the word ultimately became slang.

Calthrop or Caltrap. Metal spike used to hinder cavalry or to slow infantry, consisting of four spikes forged so that one would always face upward. Calthrops were scattered along the path of the advancing enemy and could be considered the ancestors of barbed wire.

Capucine. A band of metal holding the barrel of a gun to the stock.

Carpentum. Latin name for a Gaulish war chariot.

Catch-Pole. A pole terminating in a fork or collapsible loop that catches a man by the neck and does not allow him to escape. It was originally used to pull riders off their horses.

Chariot. Originally, chariots were used simply to bring warriors to battle, after which they fought on foot. However, Cyrus innovated a stronger chariot with scythes attached to the axle—some pointed outward and some pointed downward to prevent enemies from simply falling and letting the chariot pass over them. Such war chariots continued to be used for centuries after.

Curare. Fast-acting poison of South American natives, often applied to arrows and darts.

Fakir’s Horns. Although Indian fakirs were not supposed to carry weapons, they were allowed to carry a set of deer horns. These horns, with the points set opposite each other, could be used as an effective weapon. Some went so far as to add steel tips and even a small round shield in the middle.

Falcastra or Falk. A scythe attached to a pole.

Feather Staff. A 17th-century officer’s staff that concealed one long and two short blades, which could be positioned by a jerk of the staff.

Feu Volant. Early version of gunpowder.

Fire Carriage. A wheeled carriage with several mounted flintlock muskets attached. All the muskets were loaded at once by means of a set of ramrods fastened together and guided by a traveling brass plate.

Fukidake. A 9-foot-long Japanese blowpipe. Later versions were 5 feet long. Slivers of bamboo fitted with features were used as ammunition.

Greek Fire. Reported to be a fire that could not be extinguished by water. Probably a mixture of gunpowder that would not explode but would emit sparks for a considerable time. Also known as wild fire.

Gunsen. A Japanese war fan using metal spines and used primarily to parry attacks.

Hachiwara. “Helmet breaker”—essentially a strong spike with a lateral guard built into the blade, used for piercing as well as for blocking, and possibly breaking an opponent’s sword.

Infernals. Floating mines constructed in the bodies of boats.

Jinsen. A folding war fan from Japan with iron ribs.

Kagi-Nawa. A silk cord 10 feet long (sometimes longer) with a four-hooked grapnel at the end.

Kamcha. A Turkish whip mounted on a handle, coming off from one side of the handle’s top.

Kau Sin Ke. A Chinese chain whip made up of bars linked together with a weight at the end. A simple modern equivalent of this is the bicycle chain, which is often used in gang fighting.

Kumade. A Japanese weapon that consists of a two- or three-pronged grappling hook mounted on a handle, with a spike or pick blade opposite the prongs.

Kusari-Gama. A chain with two weights attached, used both for attack and for defense against the sword. A second variation had only one weight and was often attached to a kama yari. This had a long reach, was said to be used from the walls of a besieged castle, and was often wielded by women.

Madu. A very small one-handed shield with horns of the black buck extending laterally to either side. It was used both for thrusting and for parrying, and it was carried in the left hand by swordsmen. It was also carried by beggars and wild men.

Maori Adze. A style of stone chisel or knife used variously as a general work utensil, a ceremonial item, or a weapon. Found among the Maori of New Zealand, but also in other parts of Oceania.

Metsubushi. A small box used to blow pepper in the face of criminals—used by the Japanese police. There were lacquer or brass boxes with a wide-mouth hole on one side and a small pipe to blow through on the other. A screen prevented the pepper from coming back through the mouth hole, and a plug was used to keep the box closed when not in use. Apparently, pepper spray isn’t new.

Narnal. An Indian cannon small enough to be carried by one man.

Oliphant. Notwithstanding Sam Gamgee’s descriptions of giant beasts, the historical Oliphant was a war and hunting horn used in the 12th century. It was often made from ivory and generally shaped like an elephant’s tusk.

Orgue (Organ). A group of gun barrels mounted in a frame so that they could all be fired at once. During the 17th century, as many as 160 barrels were grouped together this way.

Panji. Sharpened stakes used to protect a Malay village or to place in the path of a pursuing force. Often carried in special pockets of the war regalia. The Dyak version was called a tukak.

Parabas. A trap consisting of a tree, mostly cut through and held up by rattan cables. When the enemy approached, the cables were cut, causing the tree to fall on them.

Patobong. A covered pit filled with spikes—about 3 feet deep.

Pen Case. Tibetan lamas did not carry weapons, but in ancient times were known to defend themselves with their pen cases, which were more impressive than they sound. For instance, they were made of heavy iron, were more than a foot long, and could easily double as a baton or club.

Poeot. A blowpipe from Borneo, interesting because it sometimes had a spearhead attached to it.

Quadriga. A Roman chariot pulled by four horses.

Ranjau, Sudas. A Malayan defense consisting of 6-inch bamboo spikes driven into the ground, sometimes tipped with poison.

Scythes. Scythes were a common peasant weapon, as they were common on farms but could be adapted to fighting. They were single-edged and often consisted only of a long shaft with a blade mounted at the end.

Shrapnel. Invented in 1784, Lieutenant Henry Shrapnel invented a weapon called a spherical case that was designed to hit troops outside the range of ordinary case shot. It was a shell filled with bullets and scrap iron with just enough powder inside to explode it. It took many years to develop. It was formally adopted by the British military in 1803. In time, it gained both a time fuse and an impact fuse.

Sickles. Curved-bladed slashing and slicing instruments with only the inside edge sharpened. Adapted as a weapon from a common agricultural tool.

Sode garami. A Japanese weapon used mainly for catching criminals. It was a pole more than 6 feet long with two sets of barbed hooks at the end and three lines of small spikes extending back from the tip for about 20 inches.

Sopok. A name used in Borneo for both spear and blowpipe. Blowpipes often had spearheads attached.

Sosun. A straight sword from India. The hilt featured a cup pommel and a spike on the end.

Taksh-Andaz. 14th-century Indian rockets.

Tau-Kien. A Chinese weapon that had a sword-like hilt, but instead of a blade, it was made of heavy, square, iron bars.

Tulup. A Javanese blowpipe made of a straight piece of wood or cane, about 5 feet long. A Tulupan is a Javanese blowpipe made from bamboo.

Bagua Weapons. Several hand weapons are most associated with the internal martial art called Bagua. Examples are the Sun and Moon Blades, Deer Antler Knives, and Heaven and Earth Blades. All are wielded in pairs and held in the hands. They have various spikes and edges and can be used to block or trap an opponent’s weapons, and also to slice and cut critical tendons and arteries. The Sun and Moon Blades also sometimes are called the Crescent Moon or Mother and Son by some Chinese practitioners.

Benches. Small benches are sometimes used in martial arts forms. The best place to see this is in various earlier Jackie Chan movies.

Bo Staff. Chinese martial artists have developed many staff forms with staffs of different lengths, depending on the requirements. The bo staff is one of the most common Chinese staffs.

Broad Sword. The Chinese broad sword is a curved slashing weapon with one sharp edge. It can be a single weapon; however, it is often used in pairs as well. Attacks are often sweeping and rounded, with various blocking techniques incorporated as well.

Butterfly Knives. Twin hand blades, similar to a katar, used primarily as a Wing Chun weapon.

Canes. The Chinese have developed several cane forms, using the hooked end in various ways.

Darts. Various kinds of throwing darts have been developed.

Double Axes. Another typical hand weapon consisting of two small axes, one for each hand.

Fans. The fan can be a deadly weapon in the right hands. Fans made with metal ribs, carefully sharpened, can be used to block attacks at close quarters and then slash an unsuspecting enemy in vital areas.

Forks. The Chinese have various kinds of forked weapons.

Guan Do. Named after a famous general (Gaun), the guan do is a large weapon mostly designed to be used on horseback by generals, although forms for its use on the ground have also been developed. It is said that General Guan’s weapon weighed 200 pounds, and guan dos today often weigh as much as 70 pounds. The weapon consists of a pole with a spear point at the back and a curved blade at the front end. The blade also has various hooks and details. The guan do is also known as the spring-autumn big sword.