The spear is probably one of the oldest weapons in the history of warfare and hunting. If we look back in history, the knife was probably the oldest fabricated weapon – created as early man learned how to chip stones to make an edge.
Sibol and the Serpent Spear is a 3rd Person Shooter with one level of aim training. Beat the clock by hitting all targets and achieve the highest score! Initially created for the 48-hour GMTK Game Jam 2020 held last July 11 to 12 with the theme 'Out of Control.' The Serpent Spear With the opportunity to work in an old shop as a living historian, inspiration has taken its hold over me to begin pursuing a number of projects which have been brewing in the years that I have been without a regular place to light the forge. More, doing so without modern equipment, it has expanded my ability to critically. And it h head of a serpent, and great scales as of iron upon it no arrow or spear could pierce, and it had the legs bear, and the claws of a leopard, and its tail was a great scourge, and its countena e was hatred, and it spake of its fury and in furious rebukes.
While originally intended as a tool, it probably didn’t take those early ancestors of ours a whole lot of time to figure out that their favorite tool could also be used as an effective weapon.
Attaching a stone knife to a stick to extend the reach was a logical progression
Attaching that early stone knife to a stick to extend the reach was a logical progression that was bound to come. The only real question would be how long it would take for someone to come up with the idea and then figure out a way of tying it on there.
Of course, spears can also be made from sharpened sticks, leaving the rock knife out of the picture altogether. It’s hard to say which came first as sharpened sticks can be found in nature; but even if we assume that the sharpened stick was the first spear known to man, the idea of making a stone point for the spear was another logical progression for people who already knew how to knap stone – one that would be especially useful against dangerous animals.
The above weapon is what most people imagine when they think of a spear
While mankind has been beating and cutting up one another ever since Cain hit Abel over the head with a rock, we actually began using those weapons to kill animals before using them to kill our fellow man. Even Cain had used knives for slaughtering and butchering lambs before using that rock to kill his brother.
Yet, anything that can be used for killing animals can be equally effective for killing people – maybe even more effective because human beings don’t have sharp fangs and claws to fight back with. We are unique in all of nature in our dependency on tools.
The Spear as a Weapon
Historically, spears have been one of the most common weapons used throughout the ages. While the simplicity of design and manufacture could have something to do with this, the ability of the spear to last through the ages attests to its effectiveness as a weapon.
As weapons go, the spear is extremely simple. Consisting of nothing more than a shaft and point at its most basic level, spears can be modified to have a sharper and more deadly point, as well as to have a secondary point or weighted ball at the butt end. This served as a counterbalance, making the weapon easier to use as well as providing a secondary means of attacking with it.
One of the ways this secondary point could be used was to ensure that any enemies being walked over were truly dead. Reversing the spear to use the primary point to stab an enemy on the ground could leave you defenseless, while using the secondary point made it easy to swivel the point back down and stab an oncoming enemy.
Sibol And The Serpent Spear Mac Os X
Basically, the spear is a stabbing weapon and is much more likely to be used two-handed than one-handed. The big advantage of a spear when used two-handed is that it can be maneuvered incredibly quickly, allowing the wielder to defeat someone with a sword by parrying their blow and then driving home to stab them.
However, when the spear is used one-handed in conjunction with a shield, that mobility is lost. In such a case, the only chance that the spearman has of survival is by working together with other spearmen in a formation.
The spear was used to great success by the dramatically outnumbered Spartan forces at the Battle of Thermopylae
Working in a formation, like the 300 Spartans and few thousand other Greek warriors did in the Battle of Thermopylae, gave spearmen a huge advantage – especially if they were well-trained to work in that way. Whereas sword-carriers will attack the person in front of them, a spear can be used effectively for attacking the person in front of the wielder’s neighbor. This gives them a real opening for their thrust, as well as confusing the enemy ranks.
Adaptability of the Spear
Not only is the spear one of the oldest weapons known to mankind, but it has also easily been one of the most adaptable. If we look back through history, we find countless versions of the spear as people modified its design to meet their specific needs.
Most of the time, adaptations have involved changing the length. A spear needed for fighting against heavy infantry might be six to eight feet long, while one used to defend against horsemen would need to be 12 feet long or longer. The jousting lance, which some would declare the epitome of spear design, was typically about 14 feet long.
While the primary purpose of the spear was to be a stabbing weapon, it also served a secondary purpose as a ranging or thrown weapon. The Roman legions were probably the best at this and carried the javelin, which was a lightweight, tapered, balanced spear specifically adapted for throwing. Yet, while spears designed for throwing were lighter weight and balanced, any spear could be thrown. In the case where a spear formation was broken up by combat losses or a cavalry charge, the spearmen would throw their spears before reaching for a sword, ax, or other weapon hanging from their belt.
Polearms, developed specifically for use by men on foot when battling against mounted cavalry, are an extension of the spear. While there are many variants of polearms, they essentially combined the spear and the ax or the sword and the spear, giving the infantry soldier the ability to fight by both stabbing and slashing, thereby improving their chances of defeating their enemy and surviving.
The Spear in a Survival Situation
Today’s weapons make the spear obsolete. Even the longest spears never stood a chance against a bullet, which explains how they faded into the dustbin of history. Yet, in a situation where the use of firearms is curtailed, either due to a shortage of ammunition or the need for silence, there might be a place for a spear. I know I’d rather arm myself with a spear than a tomahawk, both for its versatility and its effectiveness.
A crude makeshift spear can be an excellent survival tool for both hunting and defense
Another thing is that anyone bugging out is probably going to need some sort of walking stick anyway, especially if they are going to be crossing rough terrain. If that’s the case, then why not use a spear as your walking stick rather than just a plain stick? While no match against firearms, it gives you a weapon in your hand, while not impeding your ability to walk while carrying a loaded backpack. Should you need to grab a gun, it’s not a problem to drop your spear in order to do so.
The snake has long been used as a symbol of sly subtlety. A serpent’s presence has been characterized by cunning cynicism dating as far back as biblical times, when the snake persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of Eden’s garden. Even the phrase “snake in the grass” expresses hidden threat. Shakespeare uses this treacherous reptile in Macbeth to convey the same evil. In his poetic prose, Shakespeare may not speak of a character’s malevolence directly; rather, he alludes to it through serpentine imagery. I analyzed four images of this type in Macbeth. What is their purpose, and what do they signify? A deep undercurrent of meaning flows beneath each image.
In act one, scene five, Lady Macbeth tries to instill invisible evil into herself and her husband in preparation for Duncan’s murder. She asks for supernatural unsexing, for a thickening of her blood that will “stop up th’ access and passage to remorse.” She fears her husband is too weak to murder Duncan, which she believes is Macbeth’s only path to the crown. After tauntingly questioning her husband’s manhood, she convinces him to follow her gory plan and gives him instructions to do so.
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“To beguile the time, look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.”
She says that to succeed, they must feign mediocrity amongst their guests, concealing their sinister desires. Appearing normal will not invoke suspicions. The serpent Lady Macbeth speaks of is the evil ambition Macbeth has, craftily slithering out of the shade of the virtuous flower when the deed is to be done. This image is used in a traditional manner, denoting mischief and concealment. It represents Macbeth’s hidden ambitions and his wife’s plans. This is the first example of an extensive amount of scheming that will occur in an effort to cover the bloody truths of Macbeth’s rise to the throne. It also follows the theme of appearance versus reality- “fair is foul and foul is fair.” What Duncan thinks to have “a pleasant seat” is actually the poisonous serpent underneath, waiting till nighttime to prey on its docile victim.
Macbeth expresses his suspicions about Banquo and Duncan’s murder in act three, scene two. When Lady Macbeth says “things without all remedy should be without regard,” he disagrees.
“We have scorched the snake, not killed it. She’ll remain close and be herself whilst our poor malice remains in danger of her former tooth.”
Here, the snake is a metaphor for the obstacles impeding his rise to power. He says they have merely injured these hindrances, not eliminated them. In time, they’ll reassemble just as strong, while Macbeth and his wife will be vulnerable to them again. He feels his work is not yet done, and hires murderers for Banquo to finish it. The “former tooth” of the snake Macbeth fears will get revenge on him foreshadows the remainder of his life. Upon scorching Duncan, Macbeth sets off his devilish ambitions and begins butchering his way through a downward spiral. His scorching of the snake ultimately leads to he and his wife’s painful demises and a loss of all he had gained.
The “snake” Macbeth was apprehensive about earlier is eliminated by the murderers when they kill Banquo in act three, scene four. Macbeth thought that his impediments would dissipate with the General; instead, they remain in Fleances’ escape. About the incidents, Macbeth says:
“There the grown serpent lies. The worm that’s fled hath nature that in time will venom breed, no teeth for th’ present.”
The “serpent” that has plagued him is lying still in a ditch, certainly not a bother to him any more. He is now troubled by its spawn, the presently innocent “worm” that he knows will become a danger in time. Even after more bloodshed, Macbeth is not free of the weighty snake. Fleance will mature into a threat, fathering a son that will begin the seven generations of Scottish kings Macbeth wanted to kill off. A final serpentine image is used in act four, scene one. The Weird Sisters initiate their brew with a “fillet of a fenny snake.” The serpent, along with many other animalian ingredients, is used to show vileness. It is not a particularly significant image in the full play, yet in this scene it precedes twenty-six lines of further ingredients. Heading the filthy brew with a swamp snake, easily the most loathsome of all animals, the Witches set the revolting tone of their potion.
Sibol And The Serpent Spear Mac Os X
If a picture tells a thousand words, consider the importance of an image upon a play as short as Macbeth. Shakespeare colorizes his play with contrasting dark images of snakes. They are placed evenly throughout the play, serving various purposes. The four examples of serpentine imagery in Macbeth illustrate the theme of appearance versus reality, foreshadow coming events, and set the tone of passages, all the while maintaining the deceptive finesse that characterizes the snake in all literary works.