I've never actually handled good examples of either spears or javelins and I'm wondering what the differences between the two are. I know that javelins are generally lighter than true spears, but the difference between a throwing spear and javelin is unclear to me. It seems to me like a heavier spear would be easier to throw due to the extra heft, but I'm only speculating. I'm interested in the A&A Viking spear and their javelin examples for throwing. Would their spears be appropriate for throwing (construction-wise or history-wise) or are their javelins better suited for this purpose? I'm thinking of a good, general example of a Medieval infantry weapon that could be used for thrusting or throwing and stand up to the abuse of practice.

Thanks

-Alain

Javelin is essentially a very short and light spear meant for throwing. I think I even saw something that looked like fletched javelins depicted in 14. or 15. century European paintings, but I am not really sure about it, please somebody correct me if I am wrong. One can thrust with a javelin if he has no better weapon, but it is a very good idea to have a normal spear, an axe or a sword in hand by the time the enemy gets close. Javelins were often small and light enough for a warrior to hold several in his shield hand.

Spear is longer and heavier than javelin. While javelin heads were optimized for thrusting, some spears could also effectively cut. Most if not all spears can be thrown. But because they are much heavier than javelins throwing distance is also considerably shorter. Actually knights threw their spears in duels. And I think some fighting manuals clearly say that one can either throw his spear or thrust with it, thus confirming that it was an ordinary spear, not a javelin (and pictures also confirm this).

There is a lot of gray area and overlap between javelins and spears! (Heck, even more than between daggers and short swords...) Some spears are clearly not meant to be thrown, being larger and heavier. Or boar spears, for example, with a crossbar. But a lot of surviving spearheads are surprisingly small, and were probably used for throwing or thrusting as needed. There are points which are clearly larger than arrowheads which are most likely javelins, but of course even those could be used for thrusting.

Javelins are not necessarily a lot shorter than spears. Roman auxiliaries are often shown with a pair of 6-foot throwing spears called lanceae, which have throwing loops on the shaft, but they are obviously sturdy enough to be used as spears if necessary. Much depends on the thickness of the shaft, and the sockets of surviving Roman points are most often around 3/4-inch. Very slim!

So it's really a sliding scale, with "spear" at one end and "javelin" at the other. In between, hard to tell for sure!

Matthew

I would imagine "pike" would be on one end, with javelin on the other -- spears are squarely in the center. I've always wanted to throw a spear, to see how brutal that could be.

M.

I'm guessing this is why they're referred to by the generic word "point" ?

M.

Thanks for the responses. That's sort of what I thought, but I've seen period artwork analyzed as portraying specifically spears and javelins. It sounds like it's simply a matter of interpretation.

Would an A&A Viking spear be appropriate for throwing? Or is that too heavy/large? Like, would a Viking have typically thrown that type of spear? Or did they have smaller "javelins" reserved for throwing? I understand that pretty much any spear, or almost any weapon for that matter, could be thrown, but was it practical and done on a regular basis during battle?

Thanks for the advice Jean. Are there exercises that would improve spear-throwing ability / technique?

Jean.
with all due respect, the worst thing one can do is practise with a ball. The natural wrist movement with a ball goes against the linear release one needs in throwing a javelin. The natural spin you give on a ball will twist the javelin and impede its' flight.
To practise javelin, you really need to have a javelin in hand, and the treatment will be different if you are seeking distance from that if you are seeking short range ( 10 to 15 yards) precision.

You can get a start on the idea of throwing a spear just by throwing a broom handle, weight at the end or not - The weight affects how it flies at long range, and certainly how it hits, but as long as you're holding it near the balance point the mechanics of throwing are similar. It can be a real challenge to keep the spear in line with your throw, as wrist movement during your release can make the spear 'drift' instead of facing in the direction it's going. It's definitely a learned skill that takes plenty of practice, and there are at least as many ways to throw a spear as there are to throwing a knife, or a ball, or anything really.

Incidentally, I think the small fletched spears mentioned earlier would be called 'darts'. The fletching helps keep them in line, especially at long distances.

I have the A&A Viking spear as well as several others. It has been a while, but I have thrown it before. It did go a decent distance. I have a short shafted spear with a Cold Steel assegai head that seems to throw better. I have never really tried to throw either spear for distance. Hope this helps.

Brian

I think there are some javelin, large darts that are very much specialized for throwing and not so effective for melee hand to hand fighting. That said as Matt said a great deal of overlap.

RPM

I have read that the Welsh would throw their spears in combat in the Welsh wars.

Their spears seem to have been rather long, so it seems any spear might be thrown if the situation was right,