Assemble a spear or javelin for Herja

Assembly of the blunt on the shaft

The first thing to do is to get a standard shaft for Herja, solid enough for fighting. There are several wood species that work well, here we mostly use hazelwood as it is vastly available, from all diameters and sizes, but also because the wood is flexible and solid, so perfect for a shaft.

Concerning the size, a 2 handed spear, 1 handed, or even a javelin, all of them must be 2m maximum, blunt included. However, there is no minimum, so you can make it shorter for a javelin, as is the case for me here, measuring 1m70 in this example.

Concerning the diameter, since 2021 in order to have a minimum weight, it has to be of 2.5cm minimum on all along the shaft. We advise to start with a 2.8/3cm as for a 2m spear you won’t have to put as much ballast to reach 900g. Here it is 2.6cm at the thinnest, and 3cm at the largest.

When you have it, dry it in a spot neither too hot nor too humid for a few weeks. Remember to remove the bark for it to dry faster.

When your shaft is ready, it is time to install the blunt on it. For this, you will need to shape the extremity into a pointy shape. There are two possibilities:

• On the largest extremity. This is was the way it was done historically to get a better trajectory if the weight is in front when it is thrown
• On the thinnest extremity in order to have a balance point closer to the center to avoid tiring the arm if you are using only one hand to carry it.

Regarding the shape and the size of the tip, this is sadly dependent on your blunt, so you’ll have to manage it yourself. Regarding the method, there are several options. Here a few examples : With a knife, with a drawknife, with a sander/grinding machine, etc. Here I started with a drawknife to shape it and finished it with a grinding machine.

For more safety, we are asking you to finish the tip with a round end and not a real pike.

Once your shaft is correctly shaped, you can place your blunt on it. Do not hesitate to use strength for it to stay in place. Then, in order to respect the ruleset, you have to tape the blunt and the shaft together in order to make sure the head won’t be removed during a battle, which would put other participants at risk.