African spear

[Helleri]

Originally Posted by mross

How do you differentiate between the throwing spears and the stabbing spears?
I thought the smaller heads where the throwing and the larger heads the stabbing?

The head shape/length really depends on what it's meant to go through. But spears that are primarily meant to be thrown tend to have slender flexible shafts. One might often carry a few throwing spears so a bulkier shaft adds to weight and makes it harder to keep them bundled or quivered. A bulkier shaft can also result in more resistance in deeply penetrating a target. For instance if the weight of it causes it to wrench down upon impact that can change the path of the head. Whereas a thin flexible shaft doesn't provide as much resistance and can even help a point to worm it's way through upon impact by whipping around from the force of an impact or absorbing the return kinetic energy in a bowing and returning it back into a spear head when straitening out again to drive it further (or at least making it less likely to bounce out). A whip like shaft will also warble in flight and help stabilize the trajectory of a thrown spear.

You need a thicker more rigid shaft if you're meant to thrust with a spear. Because driving force imparts a lot more stress. One may also have to deflect an incoming blow. A thicker handle is also easier to keep a grip on. Spears that are more about thrusting may even have guards or langets (something one is not likely to see on a spear that is never intended to stop an incoming blow).