Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

The Anglo-Saxon warrior carried, in addition to a sword, spear or axe, a single-edged knife called a seax or scramasax. This was principally for administering the final death-blow to a fallen foe, but those of lowly status might not be able to afford anything else, and the size of the scramasax could vary from a mere three inches (7.5cm) to ten times that length. The weapon of the average length found by archaeologists, six inches (15cm), was called the hadseax while the longest of them was known as the langseax.

See also: axe; spear; sword

Related Reading:

• Norman Knight AD 950-1204
  (Warrior 1)