By Osric of AEscesdun
The spear was the weapon of the Anglo-Saxon. Evidence from the laws suggest that everyone from rural freeman of the levy to high-ranking Earl would carry a spear. It obviously must have been the primary weapon as it is not possible to carry a spear as a sidearm. Most people also carried a shield.
In the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Battle of Maldon", reference is more than once made to the throwing of javelins, and the Bayeux Tapestry shows spears being thrown. But there are many spearheads known which were are simply too big to be used as effective javelins. Many tenth and eleventh century manuscripts show warriors armed with a shield, and spear held overarm. (There is, as far as I know, no evidence for the use of the spear couched underarm prior to its use thus by mounted knights.)
Virtually every man in the Anglo-Saxon army would carry a spear in battle. Some may have used a long spear two-handed, either with or without a shield slung from the shoulder, but most would fight with a spear carried overarm with one hand whilst carrying a shield in the other.
Many illustrations show warriors wearing swords, and even the lower ranking Fyrdsman would likely bear a scramaseax. At any time, if the combat tactics dictated or the spear was broken or lost, this shortarm could be drawn and used.
To translate all of this into re-enactment displays for the public should not be difficult. A unit with half the men bearing spears and the other half with shortarms could, I believe, lead to interesting and dramatic battles if it was engaged by a sword-wielding Viking shieldwall. If forced into retreat, charged, or wishing to, for example, boarsnout the enemy, the spears could be disposed of and the unit transformed into a shortarm block as we are used to seeing at the moment.
The massed use of spears in this way would greatly enhance the racial identity of the Anglo-Saxon army, be historically accurate, and look impressive and intimidating whilst not compromising the action spectacle of a show or the safety of its participants.
Based upon an article from the Haymoon (July) 1995 Runestaff and editorialized by Matt Stum for the WWW.