长柄斧

东方与西方都有名称或字义为长柄斧的武器，但两者形制不同。东方的长柄斧是宋朝用来对付重甲骑兵的武器，明代《武备要略》亦有纪载。^[1]^[2]

西方的长柄斧，或称头斧（pollaxe、poleaxe、pole-axe、pole axe、polax、hache）是欧洲中世纪步兵常用的长柄武器。

关于其名称，现今的词源学者有两派说法，一派认为该名称poll是指“头”的意思，可能用于标示其特殊头部形状或指这种武器是用来砍头。^[3]^[4]；另一派则认为此名称是长柄斧（poleaxe）的意思。^[5]

在14世纪与15世纪时，为了要击穿板甲而设计出了长柄斧。柄通常长1.2公尺至2公尺，装著钢制的斧身，设计因其部件的可替换而差异很大，打击面通常是一个斧头或锤子，其反面则是尖刺、锤子或钩子；而顶端则加上一个侧面看起来像匕首的尖刺。

长柄斧常常与斧枪（Halberd）混淆，长柄斧的斧刃通常比斧枪的斧刃来得小，使动能被集中在更小的撞击面，更适合击穿厚重盔甲。而有宽斧刃的斧枪通常用来对付较轻薄的盔甲。斧枪的枪身与斧身常是被锻造成一体，而长柄斧的枪身与斧身则是分开可拆换的。^[6]

参见[编辑]

^ 林志隆、陈钰祥，《宋辽夏金元兵器研究初稿》，第27页，文史哲出版社。
^ 程子颐，《武备要略》，卷八，第45页。
^ The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following etymology, s.v. Poleaxe:
[ME. pollax, polax, Sc. powax = MDu. polaex, pollaex, MLG. and LG. polexe, pollexe (whence MSw. 15th c. polyxe, pulyxe, MDa. polöxe), f. pol, POLL n.1, Sc. pow, MDu., MLG. polle, pol head + AXE: cf. MDu. polhamer = poll-hammer, also a weapon of war. It does not appear whether the combination denoted an axe with a special kind of head, or one for cutting off or splitting the head of an enemy. In the 16th c. the word began to be written by some pole-axe (which after 1625 became the usual spelling), as if an axe upon a pole or long handle. This may have been connected with the rise of sense 2. Similarly, mod.Sw. pålyxa and Westphalian dial. pålexe have their first element = pole. Sense 3 may be a substitute for the earlier bole-axe, which was applied to a butcher's axe.]
^ Wise, Terence; Embleton, G.A. The Wars of the Roses. Men at Arms 145. Osprey. 1983: 33. ISBN 0-85045-520-0.
^ For instance, Partridge gives the following etymology:
L Palus, stake becomes OE pal, whence ME pol, pole, E Pole, the ME cpd pollax, polax becomes poleaxe, AE poleaxe: cf AX (E)
^ The Poleaxe. [2019-11-21]. （原始内容存档于2021-02-24）.