Ax, mace or sword - which is better to use in Skyrim? Or the eternal enemy of the sword Ax

The battle ax can be very different: one-handed and two-handed, with one or even two blades. With a relatively light warhead (no heavier than 0.5-0.8 kg) and a long (from 50 cm) hatchet, this weapon has impressive penetrating power - it's all about the small area of contact of the cutting edge with the surface, resulting in all the impact energy concentrates at one point. Axes were often used against heavily armored infantry and cavalry: the narrow blade perfectly wedges into the joints of the armor and, with a successful hit, can cut through all layers of protection, leaving a long bleeding cut on the body.

Combat modifications of axes have been widely used all over the world since ancient times: even before the era of metal, people hewed out axes from stone - this despite the fact that the quartz hairstyle is not inferior in sharpness to a scalpel! The evolution of the ax is diverse, and today we take a look at the five most impressive battle axes of all time:

Ax

Brodex - Scandinavian battle ax

A distinctive feature of the ax is a crescent-shaped blade, the length of which can reach 30-35 cm. A heavy piece of sharpened metal on a long shaft made sweeping strikes incredibly effective: often this was the only way to somehow penetrate heavy armor. The wide blade of the ax could act as an impromptu harpoon, pulling the rider from the saddle. The warhead was tightly driven into the eyelet and secured there with rivets or nails. Roughly speaking, the ax is the general name for a number of subspecies of battle axes, some of which we will discuss below.

The most furious debate that accompanies the ax since the moment Hollywood fell in love with this formidable weapon is, of course, the question of the existence of the double-edged ax. Of course, this wonderful weapon looks very impressive on the screen and, together with a ridiculous helmet decorated with a pair of sharp horns, completes the look of a brutal Scandinavian. In practice, the butterfly blade is too massive, which creates very large inertia on impact. Often there was a sharp spike on the back of the warhead of the ax; however, there are also known Greek labris axes with two wide blades - a weapon for the most part ceremonial, but still at the very least suitable for real combat.

Valashka

Wallashka - both a staff and a military weapon

National hatchet of the highlanders who inhabited the Carpathians. A narrow wedge-shaped knob, strongly protruding forward, the butt of which was often a forged face of an animal or was simply decorated with carved ornaments. The shaft, thanks to the long handle, is a staff, a cleaver, and a battle ax. Such a tool was practically indispensable in the mountains and was a status sign of a sexually mature married man, the head of the family.

The name of the ax comes from Wallachia - a historical region in the south of modern Romania, the fiefdom of the legendary Vlad III Tepes. It migrated to Central Europe in the XIV-XVII centuries and became an invariable shepherd's attribute. Since the 17th century, the wall has gained popularity in the wake of popular uprisings and received the status of a full-fledged military weapon.

Berdysh

Berdysh features a wide, moon-shaped blade with a sharp top

The reed is distinguished from other axes by a very wide blade in the shape of an elongated crescent. At the lower end of a long shaft (the so-called ratovish), an iron tip (flow) was fixed - with it, the weapon was pressed against the ground during the parade and during the siege. In Russia, the berdysh in the 15th century played the same role as the Western European halberd. The long shaft made it possible to keep a great distance between opponents, and the blow of the sharp crescent blade was truly terrible. Unlike many other axes, the reed was effective not only as a chopping weapon: the sharp end could be stabbed, and the wide blade reflected blows well, so that the skillful owner of the reed was unnecessary.

The reed was also used in equestrian combat. Equestrian archers and dragoons' berdysh were smaller in comparison with infantry models, and on the shaft of such a berdysh there were two iron rings so that the weapon could be hung on a belt.

Polex

Polex with protective splints and a hammer-shaped butt - a weapon for all occasions

Polex appeared in Europe around the 15th-16th centuries and was intended for foot combat. According to scattered historical sources, there were many variants of this weapon. A distinctive feature has always remained a long spike at the top and often at the lower end of the weapon, but the shape of the warhead varied: there is a heavy ax blade, a hammer with a counterweight spike, and much more.

On the poleax shaft, you can see metal flat surfaces. These are the so-called splints, which provide the shaft with additional protection against chopping. Sometimes you can also find rondels - special discs that protect the hands. Poleks is not only a combat weapon, but also a tournament weapon, and therefore additional protection, even reducing combat effectiveness, looks justified. It is worth noting that, unlike the halberd, the pommel of the poleax was not solid-forged, and its parts were attached to each other using bolts or shorts.

Beard ax

"Beard" gave the ax additional cutting properties

The "classic", "grandfather's" ax came to us from the north of Europe. The name itself most likely has a Scandinavian origin: a Norwegian word Skeggox consists of two words: skegg(beard) and ox(ax) - now you can flaunt your knowledge of Old Norse on occasion! A characteristic feature of the ax is a straight upper edge of the warhead and a downwardly drawn blade. This shape gave the weapon not only chopping, but also cutting properties; in addition, the "beard" allowed to take a weapon with a double grip, in which one hand was protected by the blade itself. In addition, the notch reduced the weight of the ax - and, given the short handle, the fighters with this weapon relied not on strength, but on speed.

Such an ax, like its many relatives, is a tool for both household work and combat. For the Norwegians, whose light canoes did not allow them to take excess luggage with them (after all, they still had to leave room for the plundered goods!), Such versatility played a very important role.

Who is stronger?

The plot of For Honor fits into a couple of lines: due to an unnamed cataclysm, three unnamed armies from different times and ends of the world are thrown into one location. We do not know the names or the number of soldiers. The parties are also not very interested in this and simply begin to exterminate each other, in the end everything turns into a 1000-year-old war.

Savchenko: “Let's imagine who is in front of us. The people in these armies are around 20 years old. Of course, there were 50- and 60-year-old warriors, but they held the posts of serious military leaders. Grown up early in the Middle Ages, the concept of childhood as such did not exist, it appears only in the 19th century. A knight could receive spurs after serving as a squire at the age of 15-16. Why are we, Napoleon Bonaparte at the age of 26 was already a general!

If we talk about the chances of winning, they are all more or less equal. Samurai and knights are a service army. It is no secret that knights were not born in Europe. This is the title that was awarded as a result of the service. The institution of chivalry began to emerge in the X-XI century, then a man of ignoble origin could become a knight. But somewhere from the XIII century this becomes impossible. Young people from noble families, due to their position and social status, could devote all their free time to military training. That is, they have been preparing for battles all their lives.

The samurai in Japan is a military class that is in the service of large landowners. Vikings are a completely different product. There are many theories, according to one of them viking is generally the name of a profession. "Vik" means "military campaign". And a Viking is any person who goes on a raid. He hires a ship or collects his own, if he is a rich man. "

Military training

In the game, the warriors of each side are ranked according to speed and strength. Each will have to get used to, they all act in different ways, each has its own signature movements.

Illustration from Talhoffer's textbook

Savchenko: “Today we know that all these peoples were preparing for battles, they had special schools Hey! Bad luck - there is no promo code here. Look further, they are definitely still in other materials!... Little is known about the Vikings, but the Scandinavian sagas have come down to us, which say that from childhood boys fired from a bow and held an ax in their hands. But, alas, there are no textbooks left. Most likely, skills were passed from more experienced warriors to younger ones.

In Europe, since the High Middle Ages, we have a number of sources that can be safely called textbooks. The most famous is the German master's fencing textbook. This is a set of pictures depicting certain positions, under which there are descriptions. There are several sections in the book: fencing without protective equipment, in armor (you must admit that it is rather pointless to chop a man in armor, he needs to be pricked with high quality), wrestling, fencing on horseback. There you will find instructions right down to how to tie the prisoner up and put it in the bag. In similar works, situations are considered in which one person fights in armor, another without them.

As for the Japanese school, the written culture there is much older than Europe, so there were also treatises on military affairs. But everyone prepared for different ways and in different ways. Still, the warriors usually more or less imagined what they were going to face. The weapons that will be used and the protective equipment are adjusted to the potential enemy ”.

Armor

The characters of the game seemed to be dressed by Hollywood designers: furs, massive metal plates, complex fantasy-looking armor. Then sets of unearthly beauty are promised. By the way, things can be bought for real money in the built-in store.

Gjermundby - the only genuine Viking helmet found dates back to the 10th century and has no horns

Savchenko: “The approach to the use of weapons and protective equipment was different for our characters. The Vikings didn’t use armor because they didn’t want to. They just didn't have much to choose from. For the manufacture of elements of Japanese armor, leather and horn plates were used for a reason. These materials are no better than iron - there was a shortage of iron in Japan. And in Europe, they did not immediately come to plate plate armor. It is the product of a long evolution in craft skills and technology. Until the XIII century, the main protective equipment was chain mail, which varied in length in different periods. The Vikings also wore it with pleasure, but the cost of the chain mail was extremely high. In addition to chain mail, a "combat headband" and a helmet were used. In the XIII century in Europe, plate reinforcement of chain mail gradually begins to appear - elbow pads, shoulder pads, greaves, and during the XIV century all this already looks like a complete so-called. By the 15th century, it takes on its usual appearance, by the 16th it reaches absolutely incredible forms, then it begins to slowly leave the battlefields. Honestly, samurai and vikings can inflict less damage on a knight in full armor. So I would bet on the latter in this matter ”.

Tactics

For Honor is a game about heroes, the chosen ones. Although there are dozens of privates on the battlefield, they have no influence on the outcome of the battle. But they do their best to create the right atmosphere: line up in battle formations and storm castles.

Savchenko: “The basis of the foundations of military affairs is order, structure. He is always more effective than a scattered crowd. Build - these are the comrades on the right, left and behind. But I cannot remember a case when the knights would have fought in the formation of plate infantry, this was not the case. There was, of course, when the British rushed the knights to support the archers. But they simply inspired the rabble with their presence and thwarted attempts to escape.

Understand, the very word "knight" comes from the German Ritter - "rider". He is inseparable from the horse. If such a conflict had actually happened, the knights would have mounted their horses and would have trampled the enemy rather quickly. It's a shame that there are no horses in the game.

Vikings rode horses too! There is a mention of this in the sagas. But they really didn't fight on horseback. The Vikings went on a campaign, saddled their horses, reached the place of battle, dismounted, formed up and began the battle. Their famous building is the shield wall. When you shield yourself and partially your neighbor with a shield. In general, and now I am for the knights. "

Weapon

Each For Honor hero's armament determines their fighting style. A Viking with a heavy two-handed hammer is clumsy, but hits with monstrous force. A Japanese girl with a naginata halberd is able to make 3-4 violent jabs and run away while the enemy takes some action. You cannot change weapons, but you can improve as you complete tasks.

A good samurai sword was rare, and samurai often used a bow in battle.

Savchenko: “From time immemorial, while humanity destroyed itself hand-to-hand, the most common weapon was the spear. It is simple: a long stick sharpened and fire-hardened, or a stick with a small bronze or stone tip. Why are Vikings usually depicted with an ax? For the same reason - it is cheaper than a sword Congratulations! You found the promo code: 252 Send it in the comments to the post and in the private messages of the community. Be the very first to send this code and get a ticket to Wargaming Fest.... To get a good sword, you need a large piece of high quality steel, which must be processed in a specific way, a master works on it, so this thing is expensive. And status. The swords of the three parties to the conflict are very different, since their owners pursue different goals. The so-called Viking swords are quite wide and have a rounding, which is quite difficult to prick. It is designed to hack. The swords quickly changed shape when full plate appeared, and it became clear that cutting them was useless. The weapon then becomes longer and sharper.

In general, the story with the samurai sword is interesting. He is fanned with myths and legends, I believe that this is the result of a very successful work of PR specialists in Japanese culture. There is not enough iron in Japan, and it is technologically difficult to make a good sword. All that careful dressing, packaging, when a blacksmith spends a lot of time on one blade - these were forced measures to get a more or less high-quality blade. By the way, the katana is typologically not a sword, but a saber or even a saber.

On the issue of weapons, it is difficult to make an unambiguous choice - it is more important who uses them how. Chopping rolled armor is useless. Chasing a samurai in light armor in 23-30 kg armor is also pointless ”.

Form and color of clothing

Since the enemy in the game can choose exactly the same heroes as you, For Honor paints enemies in different colors - to distinguish between friends and foes.

Savchenko: “The shape and some distinctive colors in the Middle Ages were definitely not known. Whom to beat and who not to beat, they distinguished by their banners. In the Middle Ages, they played an extremely important role in communication with the army. You are in the thick of the battle, there is no connection, you need to orient yourself somehow. Therefore, when the army was lining up for battle, it was full of banners. In addition, in different cases, some identification marks could be applied to the clothes. It was unlikely to be massive in nature, military leaders or some special detachments were allocated. This could be, for example, sling. But in general, history knows battles, when the allies by misunderstanding attacked each other. "

Duels

When you are tired of chaotic battles, go to a duel. Feints, exhausting the enemy, cold calculation and surprise attacks are all here.

Tournament. Illustration from the Manes Codex XIV century.

Savchenko: “The fights, of course, were known to all the parties to the conflict. The Vikings, for example, had a judicial one. In Western Europe there was a culture of tournament fights Congratulations! You found the promo code: 761 Send it in the comments to the post and in the private messages of the community. Be the very first to send this code and get a ticket to Wargaming Fest.... They began as very bloody events, the participants of which often perished. Then all this evolved into theatrical performances. In my opinion, the peak of the development of knightly duels falls on the 15th century, at the "Tournament of St. George" we recreate this very period.

Or the eternal enemy of the sword.

Good day everyone! By writing this article, I am opening a new section on my resource - chopping knives. There are many varieties of battle axes and it is simply not possible to consider all of them in one article. Therefore, this article will be introductory - a kind of introduction to all subsequent ones, and at the same time - a table of contents for the section. I have already used this practice earlier in the section on "".

And now directly to the point. We all imagine the appearance of an ax, and this is not surprising - an ax is such a useful, convenient and practical thing for creative labor, known to everyone, that it is simply impossible not to know about it. We will touch upon a more interesting component of the ax's hypostasis - its combat use and varieties.

Multifunctional shock-cutting edged weapon, a type of ax, designed to defeat enemy manpower. A distinctive feature of the battle ax is the light weight of the blade (about half a kilogram) and the long hatchet (from fifty centimeters). Battle axes were one-handed and two-handed, one-sided and two-sided. A battle ax was used, both for close combat and for throwing.

According to the generally accepted classification, the ax takes an intermediate place between the conventional strike weapon and the bladed melee weapon. This is a group of cutting edged weapons, or, as it is also called - shock-cutting edged weapons .

A little about the origin of the ax ...

First, let's decide when does the history of the ax begin? An ax similar to the classical form, having a handle and a percussion part, appeared about six thousand years BC, in the Mesolithic era. The ax was used mainly as a tool and was intended for felling trees, building houses, rafts and other things. The striking part was stone and roughly hewn. Only at the later stages of the Stone Age development the ax began to acquire a more "human" appearance. Ground and drilled stone axes began to appear, which were used not only as a trenching tool, but also as a weapon in close combat or hunting.

The ax, in general, is the clearest example of how a household tool can be reborn and become a cold weapon. This basically explains its widespread distribution among almost all peoples. And before the appearance of other purely combat types of weapons, such as the sword, the ax was, in a way, a monopoly in the field of effective edged weapons. After the appearance of the sword, they became the main rivals for primacy in the field of combat edged weapons, this is especially clearly seen in the example of the West.

Why didn't the ax lose the fight with the sword?

The answer to this question lies on the surface. True, there are quite a few reasons. Let's take a look at them. I will not consider the positive qualities of the sword, since the article is still about axes.

So let's go:

The ax is much easier to make.
The ax is more versatile.
At close and short distances, the ax can be used as a throwing weapon.
Significantly high impact force due to the large mass and short blade.
In battle, almost the entire structure of the ax works. With the corners of the blade, you can deliver butt blows, or hook the enemy, and the prepared butt was often used as a shock or thrust weapon.
Grip versatility. The battle ax can be used with one or two hands.
Highly effective against enemy armor. The armor can actually be broken through, inflicting severe injuries on the enemy.
The ability to inflict stunning, but not fatal blows.

As you can see from the above material, the battle ax does not have positive qualities, and this is far from all. In general, the battle ax is a rather formidable and effective weapon.

General classification of the battle ax.

Let's now look at the main categories by which battle axes can be classified, there are two of them:

Handle length.
The shape of the blade of the ax itself.

The length of the handle, as the main criterion, could be of three basic dimensions.

Short handle was up to thirty centimeters long, and in general, it was equal to the length of the forearm. Axes of this size have received another name - hand ax... Such axes could be used in pairs, striking with two hands. In addition, the small size of such an ax made it possible to easily and accurately throw it, as well as use it as a secondary weapon or a weapon for the left hand. It was convenient to hold such an ax under the blade and deliver a kind of "knuckle-duster blows". The handle itself at the end usually had a slight thickening, or a special limiter that did not allow the hand to slip.

The second version of the handle - medium handle... Other name - two-handed ax ... This version had a handle up to one meter in size and was intended for a wide two-handed grip. This type of battle ax is convenient to block blows and counterattack. On the butt of the handle, a metal ball, pike or hook was usually attached, which made it possible to deliver additional blows. In addition, with this grip, one hand is protected by the blade, like a guard. Such an ax is convenient for use with a horse and in narrow aisles and premises.

Third kind- this is long handle... In general, the handle

such a battle ax is longer than that of a two-handed ax, but shorter than that of a pike. Such weapons are designed mainly for combat against enemy cavalry.

Blade shape the classification is somewhat more complex. In earlier types of battle axes, the main emphasis is on chopping blows and, accordingly, such axes had an elongated shape from butt to blade. The length of the blade was often half the width of the ax.

The presence of a semicircular blade with a length greater than its width suggests that it is ax. This shape of the blade increases the ability to deliver stabbing blows, as well as inflicting chopping blows with an outflow. At the same time, the penetrating power of the weapon is somewhat reduced as a whole.

If the upper end of the ax is sharply protruded forward, giving an even greater possibility of inflicting piercing-cutting blows, then we have berdysh. Wherein classic cane additionally provides full protection of the second hand, due to the connection of the lower part of the blade with the handle. True, this variety is found only in Poland and Russia.

An ax that has a blade tapering towards the end and has a triangular or dagger shape is called pick... In general, the pick is very similar to, but due to the presence of the blade, it has the ability to inflict undercut blows. This type copes with the armor and shields of the enemy with dignity, while not getting stuck in them.

Battle axes can be like unilateral and bilateral... On one-sided axes, on the side opposite to the blade, called the butt, a hook or spike was usually placed - for additional blows. Double-sided axes, on the other hand, had blades on both sides of the handle, as a rule, of a symmetrical shape. It is convenient to strike blows in both directions with such axes.

Since the article turns out to be cumbersome, for convenience it was decided to divide it into two parts. In the second part, we will take a closer look at the features of each species separately, as well as their historical changes. Subscribe to the news so you don't miss anything!

A little about the origin of the ax ...

Why didn't the ax lose the fight with the sword?

So let's go:

The ax is much easier to make.
The ax is more versatile.
At close and short distances, the ax can be used as a throwing weapon.
Significantly high impact force due to the large mass and short blade.
In battle, almost the entire structure of the ax works. With the corners of the blade, you can deliver butt blows, or hook the enemy, and the prepared butt was often used as a shock or thrust weapon.
Grip versatility. The battle ax can be used with one or two hands.
Highly effective against enemy armor. The armor can actually be broken through, inflicting severe injuries on the enemy.
The ability to inflict stunning, but not fatal blows.

As you can see from the above material, the battle ax does not have positive qualities, and this is far from all. In general, the battle ax is a rather formidable and effective weapon.

General classification of the battle ax.

Let's now look at the main categories by which battle axes can be classified, there are two of them:

Handle length.
The shape of the blade of the ax itself.

The length of the handle, as the main criterion, could be of three basic dimensions.

The second version of the handle - medium handle... Other name - two-handed ax... This version had a handle up to one meter in size and was intended for a wide two-handed grip. This type of battle ax is convenient to block blows and counterattack. On the butt of the handle, a metal ball, pike or hook was usually attached, which made it possible to deliver additional blows. In addition, with this grip, one hand is protected by the blade, like a guard. Such an ax is convenient for use with a horse and in narrow aisles and premises.

Third kind- this is long handle... In general, the handle

such a battle ax is longer than that of a two-handed ax, but shorter than that of a pike. Such weapons are designed mainly for combat against enemy cavalry.

The presence of a semicircular blade with a length greater than its width suggests that it is ax. This shape of the blade increases the ability to deliver stabbing blows, as well as delivering chopping blows with an outflow. At the same time, the penetrating power of the weapon is somewhat reduced as a whole.

An ax that has a blade tapering towards the end and has a triangular or dagger shape is called pick... In general, the pick is very similar to coinage, but due to the presence of the blade, it has the ability to inflict undercutting blows. This type copes with the armor and shields of the enemy with dignity, while not getting stuck in them.

Battle axes can be like unilateral and bilateral... On one-sided axes on the side opposite to the blade, called the butt, a hook or spike was usually placed - for additional blows. Double-sided axes, on the other hand, had blades on both sides of the handle, as a rule, of a symmetrical shape. It is convenient to strike blows in both directions with such axes.

Although the times when young people headlong went into the game world in order to fight enemies on the lands of the province of Skyrim and are behind, the controversies of supporters of different types and styles of passing the game itself still do not subside. Someone says that there are no classes in the game, but this is only de jure. In fact, everything is different and if you think about it, there are three classes at the heart of everything. Warrior, magician and thief.

However, today the conversation will focus on the warrior and the best choice for him as a weapon. Also, for clarity, it is necessary to indicate that he will be armed with an average one-handed weapon, that is, not with a two-handed weapon and not with knives. So let's get over it.

The initial choice of weapons, dictated by the sword, ax and hammer, is quite canonical for all parts of the series. True, if earlier there were mainly swords in favor, now, then the time seems to have passed. These three types actually differ only due to two indicators - speed and amount of damage.

And here everything is clear that the speed of the sword is the highest, the ax is average, and the mace is the least, but at the same time the power of damage from all these types of weapons also differs among themselves. So what should you choose? The question depends on the level and quality of the game. If the player loves to tank and at the same time, at later levels, take out enemies with virtually one single blow, then he should like using the hammer.

However, if speed and efficiency are the key factors in defeating the enemy, then it is better to use the sword. The ax is ideal for those who wish to combine these two factors during combat. One way or another, but sooner or later the players will have to decide which is better.

And in order to better tell them an excellent way out - we advise you to use the middle stage of the weapon, the Ax. Indeed, the ax is one of the most suitable weapons for fighting and passing the game on difficult levels. Even without a clue of how to win battles, a new player will be able to perfectly take advantage of the theme of the possibilities that this particular weapon gives him.

The crushing of enemy defenses, optimal speed, good damage and sufficient strike range play almost the main role in the conduct of combat. Thus, if the warrior still doubts what to choose as the main weapon for the entire subsequent passage of the game, we advise him to use the ax, because with this weapon the player has every chance to fight off the hordes of the undead and defeat the dragon Alduin.