Flail (weapon)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The flail is a medieval weapon made of one (or more) spiked
metal balls attached to a handle with a hinge or
chain.
There is some disagreement over the names for this weapon; the terms "morning
star," and even "mace"
are variously applied, though these can be used to describe other
weapons, which are very different in usage from a weapon with a hinge or
chain, commonly used in Europe from the
13th century to the
15th century.
Some of the confusion over this weapon may stem from its rare usage among the knighted class throughout history, which held the sword in much higher esteem. (The Hussites used the flail as its "national weapon" due to the fact that the Hussites were all footmen and were rebelling against the class system.) There is no reason to believe that the military flail is appreciably more damaging than either the sword or mace, and it is not so heavy that it needs to be swung in circles to gain momentum before striking. (It is likewise not light enough to be used as a whip.) One positive characteristic of the flail is that, unlike a sword or mace, it doesn't transfer vibrations from the impact to the wielder. But the flail's primary virtue comes from the fact that it is difficult to parry, and can curve over a shield which would block a straighter weapon; of course, the physical flexibility of the military flail also leaves this weapon clumsy on the defense.
The term "flail" comes from the motion of the weapon, and was actually given first to a farming implement used to separate wheat from chaff. This was normally a block of wood attached to a handle with either leather or rope. The term "morningstar" actually refers to the head of a weapon (the small round spiked ball) and can be used for either a morningstar mace (on a shaft) or flail (if on a chain). Flails also sometimes had blunt round heads or flanges like a mace. Some written records point to small rings attached to chains on a flail used to inflict greater damage, but no historical examples are known to exist.
Morning star (weapon)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The morning star was a medieval weapon resembling a mace, but with a large spike on the end and smaller spikes around the circumference. It was also known as the goedendag (from the Dutch word for "good day") and the holy water sprinkler (from its resemblance to the aspergillum sometimes used in the Catholic Mass).
It was used by both cavalry and infantry; the horseman's weapon typically had a shorter haft than the footman's, which might be up to six feet long. It came into use in the beginning of the 14th century.
The name "morning star" is often erroneously applied to the military flail (also known as the therscol), a similar weapon, but with the head attached by a short chain.
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