The Maul

The Maul is a long-handled, polearm style weapon that resembles a modern day sledge hammer though the head of the weapon is normally bigger. With a 4 to 6 foot handle and a large wooden or steel head the maul is another one of those weapons that does not take a lot of training to use but in the hands of an expert is devastating.

The maul was a used by archers during the Battle of Agincourt, 1415, as an improvised weapon. They used their tool, normally used to pound stakes into the ground, as an offensive weapon. Though this is one of the first recorded uses of a maul, this is certainly not the first time that a maul was used as a weapon. I am sure that at some point a farmer picked up a maul that he had been using to set a fence and brained some brigand that had come on their property. Of course, the maul in some form or another had been around in mythology for a quite a while.

Hephestus was the Greek blacksmith god and his weapon of choice, of course, was a hammer. Thor, though his hammer – Mjollnir, had a smaller handle than the maul it was still a hammer being used as offense instead of being used as a tool. These are just two examples but you know that warriors trying to make themselves look like those godly images used hammers and mauls as their weapons of choice.

The maul as an offensive weapon gives lots of advantages to the wielder. The handle or shaft can be used to deflect blows like a staff or a spear shaft. The head will sometimes have a spike on the top that can be set to receive a charge from cavalry. The best advantage of the maul is its weight. Once you get the head of the maul moving toward its target, it doesn’t stop. And when it impacts, it does not matter what your opponent is wearing. Leather or steel, the weight of the maul and the force of the blow will rattle the person that receives the blow. To their head or their chest the maul will shake the person to their foundation and incapacitate them. Not having to pierce armor and still leaving your opponent shaken gives the user of the maul a distinct advantage.

“Ahh the maul or 2 handed hammer . I love the maul, I don’t use one personally but it is not uncommon for some of my brethren to take a vow not to use edged weapons. So with that single handed hammer,  maces and the occasional 2 handed hammer or "maul" is used instead.  I can tell that these weapons on the field of battle are terrifying to your foes and truly inspiring to your allies. They can be anything from amazing works of art with litanies engraved all over them or as simple as a large stick with a stone tied to it. Either way the weapon itself is devastating and will shatter the finest plate armor, shield or thickest skull you can find. The one thing I would ask someone who is interested in wielding one of these  is simply "how’s your back?"
- Sir Wiz, Paladin

“The maul is a truly beautiful weapon to see used in the hand of an expert. I have hit people with hammers before but never have I gotten the reaction that someone gets when they are hit with a maul. The maul also has the effect of scaring the living hell out of your opponent. When you see someone running toward you with a huge hammer you know too things: they are strong as an ox and they are planning on beating your brains out. I have never had the opportunity to use a maul on another person but I may have to try one.
- Bobaganush the Pirate”

This entry was posted on 2. July 2010 at 12:44 and is filed under Arms & Armor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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