Rossschinder
A horse flayer is a polearm from the late Middle Ages and early modern times .
The name comes from Old High German and takes into account the use in combat. Ross-flayers were primarily intended as weapons against cavalry . On the one hand, they were used to pull the opposing rider off his horse ; on the other hand, they also enabled the porter to injure the opposing horse and render it incapable of fighting.
construction
The Rossschinder consisted of a wooden shaft about two meters long and a 40 to 50 centimeter long blade . The single- or double-edged blade was wider than that of the similarly used Kusen and Glefen . It curved at the tip so that it formed a barb. In addition, the weapon had a pointed spike, which was usually located on the opposite side of the blade. On some models, the barb and spike were also on the same side. Some Rossschinder also had a long dagger-like point, to which the barbs were attached on the side. Here the relationship to the halberd is clearly recognizable. Small quillons were common at the end of the shaft .
See also
literature
- Jan Šach: Illustrated lexicon of cutting and stabbing weapons . Erlangen 1999, ISBN 3-86070-792-2 .
