Polearms

thumb|upright|Spear-armed hoplite from [[Greco-Persian Wars]]

upright=1.35|thumb|Pitching hay

A halberd (also called halbard or halbert) is a two-handed polearm that was in prominent use from the 13th to 16th centuries. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It may have a hook or thorn on the back of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants and protecting allied soldiers, typically musketeers. The halberd was usually long.

The naginata (, , ) is a polearm and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (nihontō). Naginata were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei (warrior monks). The naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna-musha, a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility.

late medieval weapon

thumb|upright=1.2|A variety of polearms consisting of Morning star (weapon)|morning stars, [[halberds, partisans, spontoons, war scythes, and a ranseur in the center]] thumb|upright=1.2|Evolution of various European polearms from the 13th to 18th centuries

hooked pole used as a tool

type of polearm

thumb|300px|Glaives (from Handbook of Weapon Knowledge: Weaponry in Its Historical Development from the Beginning of the Middle Ages to the End of the 18th Century by Wendelin Boeheim, 1890)

type of pole weapon with a curved single-edged blade with the cutting edge on the concave side of the blade

thumb|right|Dacian warriors wielding a two-handed on the Tropaeum Traiani

The xyston ( "spear, javelin; pointed or spiked stick, goad), was a type of a long thrusting spear in ancient Greece. It measured about long and was probably held by the cavalryman with both hands. It had a wooden shaft and a spear-point at both ends. Possible reasons for the secondary spear-tip were that it acted partly as a counterweight and also served as a backup in case the xyston was broken in action. The xyston is usually mentioned in context with the hetairoi (), the cavalry forces of ancient Macedon. After Alexander the Great's death, the hetairoi were named xystophoroi (, "spear-bear

Chinese flail weapon

thumb|175px|right|Two Māori men fighting with taiaha A taiaha () is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand. It is a close-quarters staff weapon made from either wood or whalebone, and used for short, sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with efficient footwork on the part of the wielder.

thumb|Types of ranseur, 16th century A ranseur, also called Brandistocco or Runka, was a polearm similar to the partisan used in Europe up to the 15th century. It was still seen in court as a ceremonial weapon through the 17th century.

Slavic weapon

thumb|Corseque, ca. late 16th - early 17th century. On display at Morges military museum. The corseque is a type of European polearm, characterised by a three-lobe blade on a shaft. The head features a long spike and two shorter and stronger lateral blades.

thumb|The Adoration of the Magi from the ''Livre d'heures d'Étienne Chevalier'' 1455). The leftmost character is holding a voulge A voulge (; also spelled vouge or wouge) is a type of polearm that existed in medieval Europe, primarily in 15th-century France.

pole weapon

Falarica, also phalarica, was an ancient Iberian ranged polearm that was sometimes used as an incendiary weapon.

type of pole weapon

A quarterstaff (plural quarterstaffs or quarterstaves), also short staff or simply staff is a traditional European polearm, which was especially prominent in England during the Early Modern period.

type of war hammer with a pointed head, usually with a short handle

150px|thumb|A makila with a horn pommel, woven leather grip and nickel silver fittings The makila (sometimes spelled makhila) is a traditional Basque walking stick, and is notable as both a practical tool and a cultural symbol of authority and strength.

thumb|right|Italian folding spetum, c. 1550 thumb|right|Detail of folding spetum showing hinge and side blades

thumb|Pluto holding a bident in a woodcut from the Gods and Goddesses series of Hendrick Goltzius (1588–1589)

thumb|A tewhatewha at the British Museum. A tewhatewha is a long-handled Māori club weapon shaped like an axe. Designed to be held in two hands, the weapon comes to a mata (point) at one end and a rapa (broad, quarter-round head) at the other.

thumb|Head of a sovnya A sovnya () is a category of traditional polearms used in Russia. Similar to the glaive, the sovnya had a curved, single-edged blade mounted on the end of a long pole. The modern term refers to weapons used by late-medieval Muscovite cavalry and were retained in use until the mid-17th century.

Dangpa () is the Korean name for a Ranseur (three-pronged trident-like spear) first described in the Muyejebo, a Korean martial arts manual of the Joseon Dynasty (published 1610).

thumb|