The things you do for research, episode 144...

Here is me at the medieval Christmas market today, testing the leverage of an 80 cm battle axe (single-bladed). The bloke didn't have a longer one, but promised he'd have more on the weekend so I can come back, lift them, and swing them around.

Danish Viking axes with 80 cm shafts are for girls; light and with little enough leverage so even I can swing them over my head and look fierce with them. cracicotus actually fled, and nazgulwears seriously considered immediate acquisition of a shield. But I swear, I was harmless! I had perfect control of that thing all the time, even when swinging it. Now, the Frankish francisca, that is something completely different -- much heavier and harder to handle as it was for throwing, even though the francisca they had there had an 80 cm shaft as well. So, my research concludes: the weight of the blade has much more influence on the way an axe handles than the length of the shaft.

More research will follow on Sunday.-