Bec de corbin
A bec de corbin (Template:Langx, Template:IPA) is a type of polearm and war hammer that was popular in late medieval Europe. The name is Old French for "raven's beak".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=castelnaud>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Similar to the Lucerne hammer, it consists of a modified hammer's head and spike mounted atop a long pole. Unlike the Lucerne hammer, the bec de corbin was used primarily with the "beak" or fluke to attack instead of the hammer head.Template:Citation needed The hammer face balancing the beak was often blunt instead of the multi-pronged Lucerne, and the beak tended to be stouter; better designed for tearing into plate armor, mail, or gambeson. Nonetheless, some becs-de-corbin also had a multi-pronged hammer.<ref name=castelnaud/> The spike mounted on the top of the head was also not nearly as long and thin as on the Lucerne. Bec de corbin is sometimes used as a general term to describe several types of war hammer, such as mauls and horseman's picks. A similar name, bec de faucon (meaning "falcon's beak"), refers to a related weapon called a poleaxe or, more specifically, to the hook on its reverse side.
References
External links
- Spotlight: The Medieval Poleaxe, by Alexi Goranov