Swordstaff
A swordstaff (Old Danish: sværdstaf), or staffsword (Old Danish: stavsværd, Old Swedish: stafsværdh,[a] Template:Langx), is a Medieval polearm mentioned in Nordic sources and sources pertaining to Scandinavia. It is a figurative term, referencing a spear, or similar, utilizing a sword- or dagger-like blade and crossguard.[1][2] Archeological finds have been done in Sweden.
Period description
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Evidence of the weapon in use at the battle of Elfsborg (Alvesborg) in 1502 is provided by Paul Dolnstein,[3] a landsknecht mercenary that fought in the battle, who refers to the Swedes carrying "good pikes made from swords". He also provides sketches of the weapon.[4]
Period Swedish texts mention swordstaffs separately along with other polearms, such as halberds, poleaxes, partisans, spears, and thereof.[2] A period text, from c. 1502, uses the term brander (compare Template:Langx), an older term for swordblade, to describe the blades of swordstaffs:
In Variarum rerum vocabula cum sueca interpretatione (1538), Sweden's oldest dictionary, Template:Langx, a type of hunting spear, is translated as both "swine spit/skewer" (swijn spett), and "staff sword" (staff swärdh).[1]
Archeological finds
A swordstaff blade has been found at the Husaby castle ruin in Västergötland, Sweden. The blade has a smith's mark similar to the Passau Wolf mark. With the original wooden shaft, the full length of the weapon was approximately two metres long.[5]
Origins
The weapon has visual similarities to the partisan and ox tongue spear and may share common origins. However, Scandinavian sagas make references to a number of pole weapons, usually translated as "halberd" or "bill".[6] These weapons are used to cut and to stab, but their names suggest they were derived from the spear rather than a cutting weapon, such as the hewing spear (hǫggspjót) and the atgeir.[7] While clearly identifiable artistic or archaeological evidence of the form of these weapons is lacking, it is possible that the swordstaff may be a late derivative of this family of weapons.
Other languages
Various other languages have analog terms which might have referred to similar or the same type of weapon.
- Template:Langx – dagger[1]
- Template:Langx – swordstaff,[2] hunting spear, dagger[1]
- Template:Langx – sword cane[1]
- Template:Langx – sword cane[1]
- Template:Langx – throwing spear[1]
- Template:Langx – dagger, sword cane[1]
- Template:Langx – hewing spear
In Russia, a similar weapon, called rogátina (Template:Langx), a heavy daggerbladed spear for hand-to-hand combat and hunting large animals (compare sovnya), featured in later forms a full crossguard and sword length blade.[8]
Chinese swordstaff
Chinese polearms that resembled swordstaves were also often used in ancient China from the late Warring States/Qin dynasty to the Han dynasty era. These were known as the pi (鈹), translated into English as either "sword-staff" or "long lance", and a long bladed ranseur-like swordstaff weapon called the sha (鎩) with a blade that was about 62 cm (24 in) long (up to 80 cm (31 in) long) and a hilt that was about 19 cm (7.5 in) long.[citation needed]
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Chinese swordstaff called a pi (鈹), Han dynasty
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Han dynasty Sha 铩 with bat shaped guard and scabbard
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Closeup of a modern recreation of the sha with a bat shaped guard
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Han dynasty sha (swordstaff), modern recreation of the classic version of the swordstaff "sha" from the Han dynasty era
See also
Footnotes
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- ^ Also spelled: staffswærdh, staffswerdh
References
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- ^ a b c d e f g h Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."stavsvärd". saob.se. Swedish Academy. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."stafsvärdh". runeberg.org. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hodnet, Andrew Arthur (2018). The Othering of the Landsknechte (PDF) (MA thesis). North Carolina State University.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Richards, John (2002). Landsknecht Soldier 1486–1560. Warrior, No. 49. Osprey. pp. 51–52.: media:dolstein 2.gif
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Skoog, Martin Neuding (2015). "Senmedeltida stångvapen i svenska källor" [Late medieval polearms in Swedish sources]. academia.edu (in svenska). p. 5. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Orkisz, Jan (2016). "Pole-weapons in the Sagas of Icelanders: a comparison of literary and archaeological sources". Acta Periodica Duellatorum. 4 (1): 177–212. doi:10.1515/apd-2016-0006. ISSN 2064-0404.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Viking Age Arms and Armor: Other Viking Weapons". Hurstwic. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."рога́тина". blindcat.ru. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
External links
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- Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon – Schwertstab (in German)
- "Senmedeltida stångvapen i svenska källor" (Late medieval polearms in Swedish sources)
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