II.
THE MEDIEVAL WEAPONS

3 - The Pole-Arms

« THE TRIDENT »

« ĐINH BA »

釘鈀

       The Trident « Đinh-Ba » (釘 鈀) is a kind of weapon having appared since the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) inspired of antique weapons « Đãng » ( 鎲) and « Ba » (鈀), That why it's called « Đãng-Ba » (鎲 鈀).

       It's a category of weapons holding several blades and it's named « XOA » (叉) ; it includes Three Classes :

       1 - The Class of « XOA with Short Handle - Đoản-Bính Xoa » (Handle about of 0,29 m long) : it belongs to « Hidden Weapons - Ám-Khí » ;

       2 - The Class of « XOA with Average Handle - Trung-Bính Xoa » (shaft of 1,5 m long) : it is called « Flying XOA - Phi-Xoa » (飛 叉) ;

       3 - The Class of « XOA with Long Shaft - Trường-Bính Xoa » (Shaft of 2m to 2,40m long) : it is called « XOA with Three Heads - Tam-Đầu Xoa » (三 頭 叉) when there are three blades - the one in the middle is longer than those on each side at least 10 cm - still designed under the name of « Buffalo Headed XOA - Ngưu-Đầu Xoa » (牛 頭 叉), that Đại-Việt Kingdom called « Trident - Đinh-Ba » (Skt. Trishula).

           The Ancients had distinguished also two categories of Trident Đinh-Ba « Tam-Đầu Xoa » (三 頭 叉) :
           A) - The Category of « Đinh-Ba Văn », called « Văn Xoa 文 叉 » : That's the one owning Three Blades oriented towards in front of the Trident ;
           B) - The Category of « Đinh-Ba Võ » called « Võ Xoa 武 叉 » : That's the one owning Two Blades oriented toward in front of the Trident and a Blade oriented backwards near by the shaft of the Trident. It was still called « Linh-Nha-Tiên 靈 鴉 鞭 » in Đại-Việt and « Nhạn-Linh Thương 鴈 靈 槍» in China.

« Buffalo Horned Xoa - Ngưu-Giác Xoa »
(牛 角 叉)

(Credit Photo : ifl.co.kr)

      The War Trident « Đinh-Ba » (釘 鈀) belongs to the category of weapons reserved to Cavalry. It's still called « XOA of Cavalry - Mã-Xoa » (馬 叉) or « Xoa with Three Heads - Tam-Đầu Xoa » (三 頭 叉) in common use in Đại-Việt, above all at the Period of Renaissance LÊ Dynasty (1533~1789).

           Students of Traditional Martial Arts from Việt-Nam require to distinguish between Trident - Đinh-Ba mentioned previously and Combat Fork - Chỉa Ba.

           Combat Fork - Chỉa Ba belong to the category of weapons reserved to Fantassins and named « Three Banch Xoa - Tam-Cổ-Xoa » (三 股 叉).


           To tell the truth, the Combat Fork - Chỉa Ba includes Two kinds :

           1 - The Combat Fork, used in Hunting for fighting against Tigers and Panthers ;

           2 - The Combat Fork, used in War, called « Tam-Cổ-Xoa - Three Branch Xoa » and could be also classified in the rank of Military Trident Quân Xoa 軍叉.

      In addition, at the TỐNG (SONG 960-1279) Dynasty period and the LÝ (1009-1225) Dynasty period, the medieval weapon Trident (Đinh-Ba) was combinated :

         1 - with Siêu-Đao for inventing a kind of Cavalry Vouge holding Three Points and Two-Edged Blades which was named « Tam Tiêm Song Nhận Đao » (Three-Point Two-Edged Sabre) ;

          2 - with Spear (Thương) for inventing a kind of Cavalry Spear holding Three Points and Two-Edged Blades which was named « Tam Tiêm Song Nhận Thương » (Three-Point Two-Edged Spear) or « Tam Tiêm Thương » (Three-Point Spear).

« Cavalry Vouge Blade supplied with Three Points and Two Edges »
« Tam Tiêm Lưỡng Nhận Đao ».

(Crédit Photo : ashokaarts.com)

« Three Points Spear - Tam-Tiêm Thương »
reconstructed for training in Martial Arts Drill Halls.

(Photo Credit : Brendan Lai's)

      Since the late 19th century, another Category of Polearm was also invented in Đại-Việt :

       - Either by combining the Javelin with Two Pertuisane Blades from Near Contemporary Period and by adding Two Edged Hooks oriented towards the Javelin jupe. This Polearm lately invented is called « Double Pertuisane XOA - Song-Mâu Xoa 雙 矛叉 » ;

       - Or by combining the Javelot with a Blade of « Buffalo Horned Xoa » ( Ngưu-Giác XOA - 牛 角 叉) » and by adding Two Edged Hooks oriented into the du Javelin Jupe for making it a new kind of « Combat Fork holding Two Hooks » called « Double Hooked Combar Fork XOA » ( Lưỡng Câu Tam-Cổ XOA - 兩 鉤 三 股 叉 ).

       However, these kinds of « Double Pertuisane XOA » and « Double Hooked Combar Fork XOA » were designed rather for decorating the Medieval Weapons Display than for using on battlefields.

(To be continued...)

• The Trident Wielding