Spear bow
A longbow with a speartip, usable as both bow and spear.
A spear bow, also called a bow lance, is a longbow that has a spear tip or bayonet attached to the end of its upper arm. This design lets the user wield it as a spear when necessary, for instance as a secondary weapon. When the bow is strung, its curved shape functions like a curved spear, which can maneuver around a shield or other defenses. When unstrung, the bow straightens and behaves more like a standard spear. Such weapons have appeared in various cultures across history.
In Japan, two approaches were used. One involved fitting a dedicated socketed bayonet, known as a hazuyari, to the bow's end. The other was to tie an uchine throwing dart to the bow in an improvised manner.
In North America, the Lakota people used long spear bows, which they called bow lances.
In Scandinavia, Danish archaeologist Conrad Engelhardt excavated two Migration Period spear bows in Nydam Mose, Denmark, in 1859, dating from 250–400 AD. One had an iron tip, the other an antler tip. Later, among forty bows found at Nydam, eight were identified as spear bows. A later Sámi spear bow was also discovered by German archaeologist Harm Paulsen.
- Earliest known examples
- Two Migration Period spear bows from Nydam Mose, Denmark, dating to 250–400 AD
- Excavation
- Excavated by Danish archeologist Conrad Engelhardt in 1859
- Total found at nydam
- Eight spear bows out of forty bows found in Nydam
- Materials
- One with an iron tip, another with an antler tip
- Japanese types
- Two principles: a dedicated socketed bayonet (hazuyari) and an improvised uchine throwing dart tied to the bow
- North american example
- Used by the Lakota people as long spear bows called bow lances
- Sami example
- A Sámi spear bow found by German archeologist Harm Paulsen
Lore & Background
Spear bows have existed across many cultures and time periods. In Japan, two principles of spear bow existed: one was to fit a dedicated socketed bayonet, called hazuyari, to the end of the bow; another was to tie an uchine throwing dart to the end of a bow in some improvised manner. In North America, long spear bows called bow lances were used by the Lakota people. A Lakota bow lance with an iron point is known; its string features white ratskin and eagle downs, the bow arms eagle feathers, and the ends owl feathers.
In Scandinavia, Danish archeologist Conrad Engelhardt excavated two Migration Period spear bows in Nydam Mose, Denmark, dating to 250–400 AD—one with an iron tip and the other with an antler tip. Later, out of forty bows found in Nydam, eight were spear bows. A Sámi spear bow from later on has also been found by German archeologist Harm Paulsen.
Reader's Guide
The spear bow represents a practical fusion of ranged and melee weaponry, appearing independently in diverse cultures from Scandinavia to Japan to North America. Its design allowed a warrior to transition from shooting to thrusting without switching weapons, a significant tactical advantage in close combat. The curved shape of the strung bow enabled the user to work around a shield or other defense, similar to a curved sword, while unstrung it functioned more like a normal spear. The existence of such weapons across the Migration Period in Denmark, among the Lakota, in Japan, and among the Sámi suggests that the concept arose repeatedly wherever archers needed a backup weapon that was always at hand. The archaeological finds at Nydam Mose, where eight of forty bows were spear bows, indicate that this was not a rare or experimental design but a recognized variant in at least one ancient society. The Japanese development of both a dedicated socketed bayonet and an improvised dart-tie method shows two different approaches to the same problem. The Lakota bow lance, decorated with feathers and ratskin, also served a ceremonial or symbolic role beyond its practical use.
Did You Know?
- A Lakota bow lance had white ratskin and eagle downs on the string, eagle feathers on the bow arms, and owl feathers at the ends.
- Eight of the forty bows found at Nydam Mose were spear bows.
- In Japan, one method of making a spear bow was to tie an uchine throwing dart to the end of the bow.
- The two Migration Period spear bows from Nydam Mose had tips of iron and antler.
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