Spear (Period); boar-spear (Period)

Tilting spear (Period)

A spear is a weapon for thrusting or throwing, with a sharp point set on a long shaft.  It’s a period charge, found in the arms of Carlhaw, c.1450 [Ingeram 70].  The spear is palewise, with the spearhead (also called its “steel”) to chief, by default; a “spear proper” has a brown wooden shaft and a sable steel.  The shaft and steel need not be the same tincture: the shaft’s tincture is considered the main tincture of the spear for contrast and conflict purposes.

In period armory, the most common form has a lozenge-shaped spearhead.  The spearhead may have a crossbar partway down the shaft; this variant may be explicitly blazoned a “boar-spear”.

Also common in period armory is the “tilting spear”, also called a “lance” or “tourney spear”, characterized by its bell-shaped hand guard above the handle.  Its most famous period example is the canting arms of Shakespeare, granted 1596 [Wagner 73].

Javelin (Accepted); pikestaff (Accepted)

In Society armory, there are examples of the “javelin”, a throwing spear used in sport, simply a sharpened stick; and the “pikestaff” or “pike”, a very long spear with a leaf-shaped head.  For related charges, see pole-arm, spearhead, trident.  See also staff.

The Order of the White Lance, of the Middle, bears:  A lance argent.

The Baron of Red Spears bears:  Or, two boar-spears in saltire surmounted by another palewise gules, overall a laurel wreath vert.

Angus Kerr bears:  Or, a spear sable.

Stephen of Coldjoust bears:  Ermine, a tilting spear palewise azure.