The company Wingard wearables has some similarly curved hook spikes. I have no affiliation with them or anything, just an observation. Thanks for the upload.
The hooked spike was used for hooking opponent's weapons to redirect them in close combat and to hook & pull a shield to open up targets for the other hand weilding a weapon. Also to hook limbs in close combat.
An interesting object. It would have been so easy to have made that a better weapon. In face, a spike would have been much simpler. Just breaking off part of the hook would make it a better weapon. Which really makes me think the original form was for some other purpose. The hook does look like a very good shape for hooking things and keeping them hooked. It has those nice flats and it's tapered, which looks very intentional.. Someone really wanted to cast hatchets with hooks on the back, because they wanted to hook things with them.
Agreed- I mean things get confused because the hawk is a tool and cultural symbol as much as weapon. Like the Spontoon tomahawk, there's no good reason (IMO) that it shouldn't have a sharp point but it didn't. Seems like such an obvious thing to do but it wasn't done. Why? No idea.
I came across some survivalist forum while looking up improvised weapons and they had a thread on improvised weapons and someone stated this about axes/hatchets: "Most people will back off or decide to discuss the situation and that is what I want. There is just something about a hatchet or ax that makes people want to think things over. A little knife they might think they could handle and survive but an ax is just a totally different thing. In my experience an ax in your hand, make no threats, just have it, usually calms things right down. I like the carpenter's hatchet that has a hammer head on the back side of the hatchet. I can throw that in my car with a nail apron and there is nothing much that the cops can say about it." Pretty sure the same can go for tomahawks.
They all do in that even the stiffest jack is a dense, weighted object at the end of your arm that is going to add to what you could have done with just your fist. But if we're talking about the kind of acceleration assist that for instance nunchaku have, where you put some energy into and can actually feel it take over and add it's own, then I'd say most of the weapons we're talking about do because most are flexible. Like the padlock swung with a bandana... the physics there are the exact same as with a sling which is a great force multiplier, it's why hunters and warriors used them instead of just throwing the rocks, because it definitely lets you send that missile out faster.
