"What is the name of this weapon?" Topic

Does anyone know what the weapon held by 2 figures in Foundry pack MED304 Men At Arms is called? The figure standing in the center of the top row, and the figure at the far right of the bottom row are both holding what looks like a giant 2-handed sword, but I am not sure what that is called – or even if that is a realistic weapon, it almost looks more like a fantasy weapon. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Some sort of falchion, perhaps?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falchion

I think its a seax, as depicted on the Essex Arms.

ngw.nl/int/gbr/e/essex.htm

No idea whether these were common, or even real, I can't locate a picture of a real one, only this depiction in heraldry.

Could be a Falchion, though I can't recall seeing one with a bite taken out!

Pics from the Maciejowski Bible show similar shape.
picture

It's not a falchion at least, falchions have outward curving blades, while that thing curves inwards. The closest weapon I can think of is the falx, but that doesn't have the notch in the blade.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falx

It's not a sax, Ivan. A sax is a short sword/large dagger.

It could be the charge on the Essex Arms, but that isn't a sax.

Is it not a flanged mace? … a really large, flanged mace.

link

(and yes, I know wikipedia is not the best resource material available).

Cheers,
Craig

He said s-E-ax not sax – they are different. A seax is the heraldic name for what, in reality, would generally be called a falchion.

I'd say its a falchion.

Damon.

Lots of desinformatsiya here, but some correct attributions; it and similar weapons have been called a lot of things:

link

Scadians have tossed around similar confusion here:

link

And elsehwere:

link

link

I suspect that if one had to put a handle on it, "godenak" is probably godenuff.

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Allen

A seax is a large knife-like object, used by the Germanic invaders of Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries. They have one on display at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. From memory, it is about 8 to 10 inches long – nothing like the weapons held by the Foundry figures.

It is often claimed that the Saxons were named after the seax as it is so closely associated with them.

The mystery Foundry weapon looks like some sort of notched falchion, but I don't know if such a thing existed!

dont have a name for it better then "Chopper" but you can buy one from amazon

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and like Swampster pointed out there are historic drawings of the weapon from the Maciejowski Bible.

there is another weapon that looks like this one that has a spike were the bite is, there is not a name for it ether but there are drawings and examples of the weapon in one and two hand variants

some think it was just called a heavy sword.

Could that be a spot of light in the photos? I'm not up on all Medieval weapons, so I'm unaware of what it might be.
Could it be a representation of the Low countries Plancon?

I also found a picture of this weapon in WRG's "Armies of Feudal Europe 1066-1300AD" by Ian Heath – Figure 28 (13th Century Infantrymen) has one and is swinging it like a baseball bat so it definitely looks like a 2-handed weapon – but I have read thru the description of that figure several times and can't find the term for the weapon!

Well, whatever it's called, it doesn't look like something I'd care to be hit with.

I agree with aecuris link 1. I also have this picture in a book but it's not specifically named. I looks like a big agricultural bill – which are typically single handed instruments of destruction. It possibly falls in the large multi shaped 'military bill' catagory.

Not a plançon a picot, Critter 1:

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I do have some of these Foundry guys mixed in with other figures that carry the similar godendag. (One of my main objections to the first link they posted above is that some are confusing the godendag with a bladed weapon.)

Allen

I've got one of those, and it's clearly a weird sword-like thing.

"(One of my main objections to the first link they posted above is that some are confusing the godendag with a bladed weapon.)

Allen"

A commonly raised point from what I've seen. Verbruggen puts it down to a translation error. A bit which has been translated as a godendag splitting an enemy in two, he reckons should be that the godendag was wielded with such force and frequency that the weapon split in two.

I have the figure and it has long puzzled me what he is carrying. My guess was that it was some kind of Falchion but I never was able to find a reference anywhere. Being an old Citadel figure I believe it may be some kind of fantasy indulgence by the sculptor.

I've always thought it was meant to be one of those thingies in the Maciejowskij bible, that we don't seem to know the name of. ;-)