What if the axe was a symbol of the nobility?

[Zioneer]

What if the axe was seen as a symbol of the nobility, due to it's use as a weapon of execution, and execution being a power of the nobility?

What if it was respected more than the sword as a weapon of nobles? Would knights and kings wield an jewel-encrusted axe, rather then a sword of the same type?

[T3h_shammy]

Swords just look cooler, also it is easier to use them in combat then axes. Swords promote 1 on 1 combat which was seen as chivalry in its finest. The effects of axe being the weapon of choice i havent a clue.

[cra0422]

Although the axe can work as a weapon, it's not as effective as a sword. Axes are designed to be outdoor tools. You could use a sword to chop wood, but the blade ends up getting ruined.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

An axe is a Cheap, Fairly easy to make weapon/tool. anyone can afford it, and it takes little skill to use.
A sword is a much more expensive weapon, and thus, the best swords go to the people who can afford it.

[Sachyriel]

I could see it being a symbol of nobility if that noble had some sort of recognized interest in joining people in chopping wood. Say it was a hobby of his, a way to relax, not only his weapon, but it's how he handles stress when not at war and talks to some of his subordinates (while chopping the blocks) or the peasantry. Since, you know, this is coming to their level in a non-arrogant way (he's actually chipping and working while he talks!) They'd love him for it, it becomes 'his' symbol, an axe.

[Valdemar II]

Axes was a symbol of nobility for thousands of year, and a battleaxe isn't a tool you use to chop wood.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Originally Posted by Valdemar II

Axes was a symbol of nobility for thousands of year, and a battleaxe isn't a tool you use to chop wood, i

Well, we should at least get confirmation if the OP means 'Axe' or 'battle-axe'

[Flocculencio]

Originally Posted by mmmeee0

I could see it being a symbol of nobility if that noble had some sort of recognized interest in joining people in chopping wood.

Kaiser Wilhelm?

[MNP]

Don't forget, swords are roughly symmetrically cross shaped. In a religious society that's also a powerful symbol.

[Sachyriel]

Originally Posted by Flocculencio

Kaiser Wilhelm?

Random questions aren't something that discussion builds upon, and you're going to have to make a larger post than that to get me to know what you're talking about. Maybe an anecdote or historical record of what he did.

I'm guessing it was a he.

[Lord Grattan]

Originally Posted by Flocculencio

Kaiser Wilhelm?

That was after he took early retirement.

[Minchandre]

Originally Posted by Valdemar II

Axes was a symbol of nobility for thousands of year, and a battleaxe isn't a tool you use to chop wood.

Excellent point about the fasces; IIRC, the point was actually that the axe represented execution and the rods beating, showing the bearer's authority to dispense punishment.

[Flocculencio]

Originally Posted by mmmeee0

Random questions aren't something that discussion builds upon, and you're going to have to make a larger post than that to get me to know what you're talking about. Maybe an anecdote or historical record of what he did.

I'm guessing it was a he.

Oy gevalt. It was a joke- after his abdication, the Kaiser lived in exile on an estate in the Netherlands. He went slightly bonkers, as one does, and developed a mania for cutting down trees. By the time he died the estate was mostly deforested.

[Sachyriel]

Originally Posted by Flocculencio

Oy gevalt. It was a joke- after his abdication, the Kaiser lived in exile on an estate in the Netherlands. He went slightly bonkers, as one does, and developed a mania for cutting down trees. By the time he died the estate was mostly deforested.

Well, at least he didn't go apeshit crazy and throw fasces.

[Stephen]

The main disadvantage to the battle axe is that it is harder to defend with compared to a sword. They mainly proliferate when body armour becomes more common on the battlefield requiring a heavier weapon with a little more punch.

[Flocculencio]

Originally Posted by Minchandre

Excellent point about the fasces; IIRC, the point was actually that the axe represented execution and the rods beating, showing the bearer's authority to dispense punishment.

However that was a Republican symbol- in the end the fasces represented the authority bestowed upon an individual by the Senate and People of Rome. I can't think of an instance in which an axe symbol has been used to show personal noble authority.

[Sachyriel]

Originally Posted by Flocculencio

However that was a Republican symbol- in the end the fasces represented the authority bestowed upon an individual by the Senate and People of Rome. I can't think of an instance in which an axe symbol has been used to show personal noble authority.[..]

...In Europe. Specific examples might be lost to history, but in North America, the image of the Tomahawk can be used with the image of the Pipe (pipe inside the axe). The pipe would be used to smoke Kinikinik (I'm not so good with Ojibwe [Aaniishnaabemowin] and it's not even the right tribe [but right language family!], but points for trying?) which was a sacred mixture of Tobacco (Aasemaa), Cedar and some other sacred plants. The effects of this mixture induced a similar state to what we see in smokers today, but allow for a difference in culture to indicate it was used as a respected ritualistic item instead of a consumer addiction. The Nicotine wasn't as powerful (though it had no filter) but the other herbs made it pretty tasty, and smoking it with another person was a sign of entering a semi-formal treaty (giving tobacco to an elder or someone you respect still has some of the same connotations on my reservation). Anyways, rambling a bit, but the point is that the Tomahawk and Pipe can be put together to get a symbol of the tribe it comes from, especially the chiefs who will pass it to one another as a sign of respect when entering agreements. It's also where 'bury the hatchet' comes from I've heard.

[Boto von Ageduch]

What about a Minoan victory TL and their favorite symbol of the double axe?

OK, it's a bit of a stretch for just exchanging a symbol ...


The battleaxe-bearers were still playing an important role in parades of Napoleonic-time armies. No doubt, their actual application was outdated then, but I don't have any clue what function they would be assigned to in an early-modernity battle. Would they clear the way when the pikes had hopelessly entangled into each other?

Of course, the axe-bearers were prominent within the military, but not noblemen.

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

Originally Posted by Boto von Ageduch

The battleaxe-bearers were still playing an important role in parades of Napoleonic-time armies. No doubt, their actual application was outdated then, but I don't have any clue what function they would be assigned to in an early-modernity battle. Would they clear the way when the pikes had hopelessly entangled into each other?

Battle axes, Halbereds, and other large Axes would probably take more metal than they're worth, and be hard to use. Need space to swing, and if the pikes are entangled, then there probably wouldn't be enough space to do so.

Hand axes, and tomahawks would be easier to keep in combat situations. that's about it.

[seraphim74]

Axes are simply too common. A sword was a symbol of a warrior, and noblemen usually were a warrior cast. A sword is good for only one thing - battle. Meanwhile an axe is a tool every peasant needs from time to time. You can forbid a peasant having a sword - it is not necessary for him in every day life. But an axe?
And now, since everybody have axes, there is no big difference between a nobleman and a peasant. Sure, a nobleman has beautiful, deadly battleaxe, and a peasant a simple axe, but both those weapons are too similar. A sword is something that distinguish a knight.