Spear

thumb|Don't want no jailhouse, shotgun, fish-hooks, golf clubs, I got my spears. —Bob Hilliard A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or bronze. The most common design for hunting or combat spears since ancient times has incorporated a metal spearhead shaped like a triangle, lozenge, or leaf. The heads of fishing spears usually feature barbs or serrated edges. Spears can be divided into two broad categories: those designed for thrusting as a melee weapon (including weapons such as lances and pikes) and those designed for throwing as a ranged weapon (usually referred to as javelins). __NOTOC__ Anonymous A Ἐν δορὶ μὲν μοι μᾶζα μεμαγμένη, ἐν δορὶ δ᾽ οἶνος Ἰσμαρικός, πίνω δ᾽ ἐν δορὶ κεκλιμένος. My spear wins bread, my spear wins Thracian wine:To drink it, on my spear-head I recline. Archilochus, fr. 2 (ed. M. L. West) tr. C. M. Bowra, OBGVT (1938) p. 184, no. 103    Rustum...hurl’dHis spear: down from the shoulder, down it came,As on some partridge in the corn a hawkThat long has tower’d in the airy cloudsDrops like a plummet. Matthew Arnold, "Sohrab and Rustum" (1853)   His spear,Whose fiery point now in his mail’d right-handBlaz’d bright and baleful, like that autumn Star,The baleful sign of fevers. Matthew Arnold, "Sohrab and Rustum"   The steel-spik’d spearRent the tough plates, but fail’d to reach the skin. Matthew Arnold, "Sohrab and Rustum" The anguish of the deep-fix’d spear grew fierce,And he desired to draw forth the steel,And let the blood flow free, and so to die. Matthew Arnold, "Sohrab and Rustum" B And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. Lord Byron, "The Destruction of Sennacherib", Hebrew Melodies (1815) F And the Spear was a Desert Physician who cured not a few of ambition,And drave not a few to perdition with medicine bitter and strong. James Elroy Flecker, "War Song of the Saracens", Forty-two Poems (1911) The western tribes of British New Guinea employ a charm to aid the hunter in spearing dugong or turtle. A small beetle, which haunts coco-nut trees, is placed in the hole of the spear-haft into which the spear-head fits. This is supposed to make the spear-head stick fast in the dugong or turtle, just as the beetle sticks fast to a man’s skin when it bites him. Sir James George Frazer, The Golden Bough (ed. 1922) ch. 3, sec. 2 H thumb|I'll fling a spear myself and leave the rest to Zeus. —Homer Christ-side-piercing spear. George Herbert, "Prayer the Church's Banquet", The Temple (1633) Don't want no jailhouse, shotgun, fish-hooks, golf clubs, I got my spears. Bob Hilliard, "Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)" (1947) The son of Enops, Thestor next he smote.He in his chariot with his body bentSat cow’ring low, a fear-distracted form,And from his palsied grasp the reins had fall’n.Then came Patroclus nigh, and through his cheekHis teeth transpiercing, drew him by his lanceSheer o’er the chariot-front. As when a manOn some projecting rock advanc’d, with lineAnd splendid hook draws forth a sea-fish huge,So him wide-gaping from his seat he drewAt his spear-point, then shook him to the groundProne on his face, where gasping he expir’d. Homer, Iliad, bk. 16, l. 482 (tr. William Cowper, 3rd ed. 1809) "I'll fling a spear myself and leave the rest to Zeus." Achilles, in Homer, Iliad, bk. 17, l. ~511 (tr. Robert Fagles, 1990) He...poised his far-shadowing spear and hurled it, and smote upon the shield of Aretus, that was well-balanced upon every side, and this stayed not the spear, but the bronze passed clean through, and into the lower belly he drave it through the belt. And as when a strong man with sharp axe in hand smiteth behind the horns of an ox of the steading and cutteth clean through the sinew, and the ox leapeth forward and falleth; even so Aretus leapt forward and fell upon his back, and the spear, exceeding sharp, fixed quivering in his entrails loosed his limbs. Homer, Iliad, bk. 17, l. 516 (tr. A. T. Murray, 1925) And nigh to him came Achilles, the peer of Enyalius, warrior of the waving helm, brandishing over his right shoulder the Pelian ash, his terrible spear. Homer, Iliad, bk. 22, l. 131 (tr. A. T. Murray, 1925) J Fierce as they seem, some bold Plebeian spearMay pierce their shield, or stop their full career. William Jones, Caïssa: or, The Game at Chess (1763) L thumb|One of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. —Luke 19:34 (KJV) The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. Luke 19:31–37 (KJV) the Holy Lance M His Spear, to equal which the tallest PineHewn on Norwegian hills, to be the MastOf some great Ammiral, were but a wand,He walkt with to support uneasie stepsOver the burning Marle. John Milton, Paradise Lost, bk. 1 (1674) A Forrest huge of Spears. John Milton, Paradise Lost, bk. 1 N    Again we breatheFresh air and sun through lanes your lances made. John Nichol, Hannibal (1873) act 3, sc. 11 (Taurea) P The thick-sprung reeds, which wat’ry marshes yield,Seem’d polish’d lances in a hostile field. Ambrose Philips, A Winter-Piece: To the Earl of Dorset", in The Tatler (5-7 May 1709) S Trail’st thou the puissant pike? William Shakespeare, Henry V (c. 1599) act. 4, sc. 1 (Pistol) Odin rides first with the gold helmet and a fair birnie, and his spear, which is called Gungnir. He shall go forth against Fenris-Wolf, and Thor stands forward on his other side, and can be of no avail to him, because he shall have his hands full to fight against the Midgard Serpent. Snorri Sturluson, Gylfaginning, ch. 51 (tr. A. G. Brodeur, 1916) Loki went to those dwarves who are called Ívaldi's Sons; and they made...the spear which became Odin's possession, and was called Gungnir...Then Loki gave Odin the spear Gungnir, and...the spear would never stop in its thrust. Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál, ch. 35 (tr. A. G. Brodeur, 1916) I will bury this my lance, this hateful thing,Deep in some earth-hole where no eye shall see—Night and Hell keep it in the underworld! Sophocles, Ajax, l. ~650 (tr. C. S. Calverley, 1862) His poynant speare, that many made to bleed. Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, bk. 1, c. 7, st. 19 (1590) A gentle youth, his dearely lovèd squire,His speare of heben wood behind him bare,Whose harmefull head, thrice heated in the fire,Had riven many a brest with pikehead square. Spenser, The Faerie Queene, bk. 1, c. 7, st. 37 T    Lynceus stept into the ring,And at his shield’s rim shook his stalwart spear.And Castor likewise poised his quivering lance;High waved the plume on either warrior’s helm.First each at other thrust with busy spearWhere’er he spied an inch of flesh exposed:But lo! both spearpoints in their wicker shieldsLodged ere a blow was struck, and snapt in twain. Theocritus, Idylls, no. 22 (tr. C. S. Calverley, 1869) Against Aeglos the spear of Gil-galad none could stand. J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion (1977) 5: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age Anonymous Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum,Þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon. Lo, praise of the prowess of people-kingsOf spear-armed Danes, in days long sped. Beowulf, sec. 1 (tr. F. B. Gummere, 1910) External links Category:Weapons