38
Medieval crossbowman depicted with an assortment of bolts and a "Goat's Foot" lever loader
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this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2024
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Super cool. Why are some arrows shaped like that? Was their goal to knock something down instead of stabbing it?
The crescent shape was used for hunting large water birds and small game like rabbits. With birds, there was a danger with pointed heads that it might just pass through, so these did more damage. They were also less likely to get buried in the ground do their large cross section
Oh right! I remember this from arrows now. Thank you for reminding us!
Similar shapes on maces were to break bones through armor (iirc).
The crescent shape I don't get though, is it for cutting lightly armored targets?
I reckon dick cutter
Grab the dick, and cut
The fantasy explanation is for cutting ropes, but my guess is it just makes worse wounds.
I can't speak as to all of them, but...
Medieval quarrels often had a more 'square' head shape to prioritize focusing force and the sturdiness of the projectile head over sharpness. #12, #13, #19, and #21 look to be of that sort.
Some of those projectiles would have been used for hunting, including such 'tricks' as heads made to cause bleeding, not to exsanguinate the animal, but to provide a blood trail to track it with after it runs off, or blunt-headed bolts to kill small birds without destroying all the meat.