((For the record some of this is oversimplification and conjecture, but hopefully it is at least interesting!))
Spears, Lances, Pikes, and why Final Fantasy's names make no sense.
One of the stranger naming mismatches in the Final Fantasy universe, is the fact that most European/West Asian pole weapons, regardless of their actual design and use are simply called 'lances'. I suspect that this is a deliberate cultural choice, as Japanese already has a word for spear, Yari. However the word Yari also means a specific and particular Japanese weapon, and doesn't really work when describing European ones.
They could have used a romanization of Spear or Pike, but I suspect due to the popularity of Knight/Medieval themes in Anime/Manga/Games, the more knightly sounding Lance, became more popular.
So what is a Lance? How does it differ from other piercing pole weapons, and if they aren't lances, what /are/ Lancers using?.
The Spear: A spear is a short stabbing pole-arm, one that gives its user greater reach than a man armed with a sword, knife, or other shorter weapon. Probably the most common weapon in human history. The thing that differentiates the spear from other pole-arms of the period is that it is generally a one handed weapon. A spearman was almost equipped with a shield as well, to protect him from other spearmen, as well as missile weapons.
![[Image: OL4QRLR.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/OL4QRLR.jpg)
Anglo Saxon Spearmen.
The Lance: A lance is the attempt to lengthen and strengthen a spear, while still making it a one handed weapon. To do this Lances are typically gripped closer to the center, a large counterweight behind the hand keeps the weapon steady. This gives a weapon that is longer and more powerful than any one handed spear, but is so heavy, that it would be very difficult to use on foot. As such, the lance is almost always used on horseback. The rider only needs to point the weapon and hold on, using the momentum of the horse to drive the weapon. They were a shock and standoff weapon, any spearman defending against a mounted rider knew that their lance would probably kill him before he ever got a chance to strike back.
![[Image: TSpqu4Kl.png]](http://i.imgur.com/TSpqu4Kl.png)
Render of a medieval lance.
The Pole-arm: As mounted, armored cavalry became more prevalent, spear and shield armed infantry became less and less useful in open battle. Their small spears weren't enough to pierce the modern plate armor of knights, and a new breed of infantry made them equally useless against other foot soldiers. These new infantry were often armored in plate and mail, much like their mounted brethren. They usually carried a different type of weapon, the pole-arm. Pole arms are the mounting of traditionally one handed weapons to a pole. Weapons such as axes, picks, and maces found new life, and when swung on the end of a lengthy pole, had the force to punch through most armor of the period. These weapons often included protrusions such as hooks or spikes, used to pull mounted men of their horses. There are an incredible variety of different pole-arms, all slightly different, but pole-arms as a class reigned supreme during the late middle ages.
![[Image: Rv6dD4E.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/Rv6dD4E.jpg)
14th Century painting by Jean Froissant, portraying the battle of Agincourt in the 100 years war.
The Pike: An evolution of the spear, the pike was forced into being by two coinciding forces in history. The refinement of gunpowder weapons, and the rise of modern drill and formations. While unwieldy and expensive, arbequeses could punch though all but the most expensive plate. Within a short period of time, new armies, often mercenary appeared on the scene. They ditched the expensive armor and training of earlier foot-soldiers, instead focusing on moving large groups of people around in precise ways. They combined this with a new weapon, the pike. Wielded with two hands, and 20 or more feet long, the pike was an unwieldy weapon, almost useless in single combat. However a formation of thousands of men could form a block. A forest of steel tips that could literally march through an enemy formation. Longer than even the lances of knights, a properly formed square was almost impregnable in melee. It's only weakness was to be slowly be worn down by missile weapons, or for a second pike square to march into it. This was a horrific display, referred to as 'the push of pike'.
![[Image: lnefDAN.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/lnefDAN.jpg)
16th Century Engraving showing a 'Push of Pike'
So what do lancers use? You may notice that none of those descriptions seem close to how lancers fight. While the weapons are the same, the tactics are not. So aside from the Weapons, what is the Lancer based off of? The answer is more obvious than you might think.
![[Image: X50Bpakl.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/X50Bpakl.jpg)
The Yari. A Japanese two handed spear that was used in a one on one fighting style. Longer versions were used like pikes in European armies. However the shorter versions were often used by samurai as their primary weapon, both on foot and on horseback. Many of the spinning and slashing moves used by Lancers in FFXIV seem closest to Yari Techniques. Here is one tromping through Coerthas!
![[Image: IvqoLykl.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/IvqoLykl.jpg)
So there you have it, the exoticism of western names and weapons, but a fighting style that is close to home, The Lancer.
Spears, Lances, Pikes, and why Final Fantasy's names make no sense.
One of the stranger naming mismatches in the Final Fantasy universe, is the fact that most European/West Asian pole weapons, regardless of their actual design and use are simply called 'lances'. I suspect that this is a deliberate cultural choice, as Japanese already has a word for spear, Yari. However the word Yari also means a specific and particular Japanese weapon, and doesn't really work when describing European ones.
They could have used a romanization of Spear or Pike, but I suspect due to the popularity of Knight/Medieval themes in Anime/Manga/Games, the more knightly sounding Lance, became more popular.
So what is a Lance? How does it differ from other piercing pole weapons, and if they aren't lances, what /are/ Lancers using?.
The Spear: A spear is a short stabbing pole-arm, one that gives its user greater reach than a man armed with a sword, knife, or other shorter weapon. Probably the most common weapon in human history. The thing that differentiates the spear from other pole-arms of the period is that it is generally a one handed weapon. A spearman was almost equipped with a shield as well, to protect him from other spearmen, as well as missile weapons.
Anglo Saxon Spearmen.
The Lance: A lance is the attempt to lengthen and strengthen a spear, while still making it a one handed weapon. To do this Lances are typically gripped closer to the center, a large counterweight behind the hand keeps the weapon steady. This gives a weapon that is longer and more powerful than any one handed spear, but is so heavy, that it would be very difficult to use on foot. As such, the lance is almost always used on horseback. The rider only needs to point the weapon and hold on, using the momentum of the horse to drive the weapon. They were a shock and standoff weapon, any spearman defending against a mounted rider knew that their lance would probably kill him before he ever got a chance to strike back.
Render of a medieval lance.
The Pole-arm: As mounted, armored cavalry became more prevalent, spear and shield armed infantry became less and less useful in open battle. Their small spears weren't enough to pierce the modern plate armor of knights, and a new breed of infantry made them equally useless against other foot soldiers. These new infantry were often armored in plate and mail, much like their mounted brethren. They usually carried a different type of weapon, the pole-arm. Pole arms are the mounting of traditionally one handed weapons to a pole. Weapons such as axes, picks, and maces found new life, and when swung on the end of a lengthy pole, had the force to punch through most armor of the period. These weapons often included protrusions such as hooks or spikes, used to pull mounted men of their horses. There are an incredible variety of different pole-arms, all slightly different, but pole-arms as a class reigned supreme during the late middle ages.
14th Century painting by Jean Froissant, portraying the battle of Agincourt in the 100 years war.
The Pike: An evolution of the spear, the pike was forced into being by two coinciding forces in history. The refinement of gunpowder weapons, and the rise of modern drill and formations. While unwieldy and expensive, arbequeses could punch though all but the most expensive plate. Within a short period of time, new armies, often mercenary appeared on the scene. They ditched the expensive armor and training of earlier foot-soldiers, instead focusing on moving large groups of people around in precise ways. They combined this with a new weapon, the pike. Wielded with two hands, and 20 or more feet long, the pike was an unwieldy weapon, almost useless in single combat. However a formation of thousands of men could form a block. A forest of steel tips that could literally march through an enemy formation. Longer than even the lances of knights, a properly formed square was almost impregnable in melee. It's only weakness was to be slowly be worn down by missile weapons, or for a second pike square to march into it. This was a horrific display, referred to as 'the push of pike'.
16th Century Engraving showing a 'Push of Pike'
So what do lancers use? You may notice that none of those descriptions seem close to how lancers fight. While the weapons are the same, the tactics are not. So aside from the Weapons, what is the Lancer based off of? The answer is more obvious than you might think.
The Yari. A Japanese two handed spear that was used in a one on one fighting style. Longer versions were used like pikes in European armies. However the shorter versions were often used by samurai as their primary weapon, both on foot and on horseback. Many of the spinning and slashing moves used by Lancers in FFXIV seem closest to Yari Techniques. Here is one tromping through Coerthas!
So there you have it, the exoticism of western names and weapons, but a fighting style that is close to home, The Lancer.
