{{short description|Type of pole weapon primarily used for bear hunting}} [[File:Monomakh's hunting.jpg|400px|thumb|Vladimir Monomakh resting after hunt]]
A '''bear spear''' was a medieval type of spear used in hunting for bears and other large animals, such as boars (in which case it might be called a '''boar spear'''). The sharpened head of a bear spear was enlarged and usually took the form of a bay leaf. Right under the head there was a short crosspiece that helped limit the penetration of the spear into the body of an animal and keep it at a distance from the hunter.<ref name="Bear spear">[http://getwar.ru/okhotnichya-rogatina.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122173029/http://getwar.ru/okhotnichya-rogatina.html|date=2018-11-22}} Spear for hunting (rus), with photos</ref>
==Description== Boar spears are relatively short and heavy, with two "lugs" or "wings" on the spearsocket behind the blade, which act as a barrier to prevent the spear from penetrating too deeply into the quarry where it might get stuck or break, and to stop an injured and furious boar from working its way up the shaft of the spear to attack the hunter.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Strutt|first1=Joseph|title=The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England: From the Earliest Period, Including the Rural and Domestic Recreations, May Games, Mummeries, Pageants, Processions and Pompous Spectacles|date=1801|publisher=Methuen & Company|page=14|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eJwSAAAAYAAJ&dq=Boar+spear&pg=PA14|accessdate=11 February 2018|language=en}}</ref>
The bear spear was similar to a boar spear, but it had a longer and harder shaft and a larger head. Often it was placed against the ground on its rear point, which made it easier to hold the weight of an attacking beast.<ref name="Bear spear" />
The bear spear was used against the largest animals, not only bears, but also wisents and war horses, thus not only in hunting, but in warfare as well. It could also be used against smaller animals such as boars, but in that case it was more unwieldy than the specialized boar spear.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}
In the Slavic countries, it was known as a ''rogatina'',{{efn|''Rogatina/rohatyna'' is derived from the word ''rog/roh'', 'horn', i.e., meaning "a horned thing"}} and used since at least the 12th century. The Slavic term ''rogatina'' has a broader meaning: the military ones did have a wide flat head, but did not necessarily have the crosspiece.<ref>{{ill|Aleksandr Viskovatov|ru|Висковатов, Александр Васильевич}}, ''Историческое описание одежды и вооружения российских войск'' [Historical Description of Clothing and Weapons of Russian Troops], St. Petersburg, Воен. тип. [Military Publishing House], 1841-1862</ref> According to the Hypatian Codex, it was first used as a military weapon in 1149, and as a hunting weapon in 1255, when it was used by Prince Daniel of Galicia in boar hunting; the chronicles say he "killed three of them with his ''rogatina'' himself".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Кирпичников |first1=А. Н. |title=Древнерусское оружие. Часть 2. Копья, сулицы, боевые топоры, булавы, кистени IX-XIII вв. |date=1966 |publisher=Археология |page=11 |quote=Впервые в летописи рогатина отмечена под 1149 г., что в общем подтверждается и археологически... Так, в 1255 г. Даниил Галицкий, охотясь на вепрей, «сам же уби их рогатиною три»}}</ref> One of the most famous is the ''rogatina'' of Boris of Tver dating to the 15th century, now in the inventory of the Kremlin Armoury.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Myers |first1=Bernard S. |last2=Copplestone |first2=Trewin |title=Art Treasures in Russia: Monuments, Masterpieces, Commissions, and Collections |date=1970 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xs1IAQAAIAAJ |language=en}}</ref>
In Poland, ''rohatyna'' could have a single side hook, rather than cross.<ref> Andrzej Rachuba, Sławomir Górzyński, Halina Manikowska: Heraldyka i okolice. DiG, 2002, p. 363. ISBN 978-83-7181-267-5.</ref>
In Germany, the bear spear or ''Bärenspieß'' was known from at least the Late Middle Ages but was rather rare when compared to Eastern Europe due to the much smaller bear population.{{cn|date=August 2025}}
==Gallery== {{gallery| |File:Rogatina (12889416).jpg|The head of a Polish ''rohatyna'' |File:Bear_Spear.jpg|A hunting spear from Germany or Austria, {{circa|1425–50}}.<ref>[http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rarm/ho_14.25.321.htm "Arms and Armor in Renaissance Europe" The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)]</ref> |File:HJRK A 32 - Boar spear head of Frederick IV of the Tyrol, c. 1430.jpg|Boar spear head, {{circa|1430}}, length {{convert|42|cm|in|sp=us}}. |File:Drevnosti RG v3 ill117 - Rohatyn of Boris Tverskoy.png|The ''rogatina'' of Boris of Tver }}
==See also== *Bohemian earspoon *Ahlspiess
==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://sunrisecustomknives.com/field-tests/field-test-jim-casselman/ Sunrise River Custom Knives] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027114253/https://sunrisecustomknives.com/field-tests/field-test-jim-casselman/ |date=2021-10-27 }}—Jim Casselman's account of a boar hunt with spears.
{{Pole weapons}} {{Hunting topics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bear Spear}} Category:Spears Category:Hunting equipment Category:Polearms Category:Bears and humans