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Numerous Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian sources depict the use of the spear being used one handed in an overarm style.

* Caedmon, æsc-plega, “Spear-bearer” is applied to a soldier. [HEWITT 1996: P.28]

* History of Judith, æsc-plega, “play of spears” used as a term for battle [HEWITT 1996: P.28]

* Codex Extoniensis, æsc-stede, “a field of battle” [HEWITT 1996: P.28]

* Beowolf, Eald æsc-wiga, “some old spear warrior” [HEWITT 1996: P.28]

Manuscript drawings tend to be stylised and often copied older templates. Spears are depicted often and most warriors are seen to be carrying them. Unfortunately the spearheads are usually shown as a simple arrow shape which bears no resemblance to the actual spearheads found in archaeology.<br>

We do have a number of depictions of spears from stone sculptures in Britain. The carving of Christian stone crosses became popular in northern England in the 10th and 11th centuries [RICHARDS 2004: P.214].<br>

Paul Hill points out that the term æsc is only used to refer to large two-handed, long bladed weapons used by a high status warrior [HILL 2004: p.65]. He then goes on to argue that the term geir was more commonly used.<br>

== Spearheads ==

[[File:Spears-types.png|thumb|Terms for spearhead components]]

* England. So far I have identified 45 spearhead finds from England. 20 are of type K/M or M. 7 others are of winged form.

* Wales. 2 finds [REDKNAP 2000:p.53-54]

* Iceland. 81 spearheads have been found dating from the Viking Age. They have been found in 56 graves and 22 spearheads have been registered as stray finds. 40 spearheads belong to type K, 3 to type G, 2 to type H, 3 to type I and 1 to type E. The remainder are probably of local manufacture and do not sit easily within Petersen’s typology.[ANDROSHCHUK and TRAUSTADOTTIR 2004]

Most spearhead finds dated from 800AD to 1100AD in Britain are single discoveries often from rivers and are dated by their form against Petersen’s typology. <br>

We do however have a few graves in Scotland, the Isle of Man and northern England. Unfortunately most of these were excavated in the 19th Century with only basic notes about the burials being recorded. To make things even worse many of the spearheads from this era have ended up in private collections or have become ‘lost’. Haakon Shetelig [SHETELIG 1940] has helped us here by compiling a series of books of Viking Age finds from England and Scotland. These books list all of the known finds up to 1940 including some that are now lost.<br>

==== Categorising spears, javelins and arrows ====

==== Leaf shaped heads ====

'''Thålin Group 1'''<br>

Leaf shaped heads, Petersen types A(B), C(D1) and E, seem to go out of fashion by 950AD [PETERSEN 1919]. Other people have suggested that a few leaf shaped heads may have continued throughout the period [*Citation Needed].

==== Angular shaped heads with short sockets====

'''Thålin Group 2'''<br>

Group 2 consists of Petersen types D:2, G and H. They are all types with edge shoulders placed low on the blade and a short conical socket with marked narrowing below the blade.<br>

Fuglesang includes the winged spears of Petersens type D2 in with this group as he removed wings as a determinant of typology making Petersens D2 and G types the same. See the section on ‘Winged Spears’ for examples of D2 style spear heads.<br>

====Angular spearheads with long sockets ====

'''Thålin Group 3'''<br>

Group 3 consists of Petersen types F, I, K & M. They are all types with a narrow blade which is often shouldered and a socket that is long, narrow and conical.<br>