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Braveheart a Lie? Hollywood Debunked! Real Highlanders Battled With Lochaber Axe

Contrary to Hollywood portrayals, Highlandits opposite side. The spear tip could
warriors did not fight with large two-handedpenetrate chain armour, something a blade
swords, nor did they us the immense Lochaberwould otherwise be fairly useless against.
Axe portrayed in museums and photographsRarely seen in photographs and museum pieces,
today. Though making a wonderful cinematicthis spear tip was a critical component of
experience, the facts bear little resemblancemany  designs,  oft overlooked by historians.
to  their  movie-based  counterparts.
The blade edge, typically a crescent, 12 to
The Lochaber Axe was a weapon first used in18 inches in length, was effective against
the late 16th Century, and which gainedunarmoured troops, weak areas in an armoured
notoriety through famous battles such as theopponent, and for disabling horses, thus
Battle of Aldearn in 1645, Battle of Bothwellturning its rider into a foot soldier. In
Bridge in 1690, Battle of Dunbar in 1650,many incarnations of the Lochaber Axe, the
Battle of Inverlochy in 1645 and the Battleblade tip was very pointy, thus obviating the
of Kilsyth in 1645. Its name is a compositeneed for a spear tip on the opposite end.
of Lochaber, and axe. It was widely employedWhen not used against the horse itself, the
up  until  the  advent  of  firearms.blade was effective at cutting and slashing
the legs of the rider, rendering him
Lochaber, from the Gaelic Loch Abar, is aincapacitated.
region in the West Highlands of Scotland. The
large and rather sparsely populated regionThe hook backing to the blade had two
surrounds Fort William, and has been home topurposes. In the event of a siege, it could
various Highland Clans throughout the pastbe used to scale walls. However, its most
millennium.common employment was to dismount cavalry. As
a rider approached, the Highlander would step
An axe, generally used for splitting wood,back, hook the rider, pull him off the mount,
cutting it, and further shaping it, isand  once on the ground slice with the blade.
composed of a head and a handle, or helve.
Axes are often portrayed in and around tombsThe shaft, incorrectly reported by many
and religious facilities, having specialsources, was in fact not 7 or 8 feet in
significance in heraldry and religion. Axeslength. As some historians have pointed out,
were originally used in farming and modifiedthe weapon would have been to large and
in many ways to function as weapons,unwieldy to be effective in combat,
including some with two opposite cuttingparticularly when used by a man of 5 feet in
edges and others a single edge attached toheight. Highlanders were not 7 feet tall,
long  poles.resembling Conan, Goliath, or other
gargantuan heroes. Instead, they were slight,
The Lochaber Axe was the primary weapon ofquick, and hardy. The warriors needed a
Scottish Highlanders, particularly whenweapon that could make use of their
facing cavalry. Knowing they were on foot,dexterity, and to do so it needed to fit
and would be in combat against armoured,their size. The average Lochaber Axe had a
mounted enemies, the Highlanders knew theyshaft  of  4  to  5.5  feet  in  length.
needed a weapon which could effectively
combat those three components. Clan warriorsAny depiction of a Lochaber Axe having a 7
needed a way to dismount a rider and be ablefoot shaft is either grossly incorrect or
to  penetrate  armour  to  defeat  them.represents a ceremonial weapon, never
intended for combat. The shaft itself was
The four key components of the Lochaber Axetypically made of ash or other durable wood
include the shaft, or helve, a fine pointedand the girth of a pitchfork, for easy grip
spear tip on one end, and a blade with hookand handling.



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