The history of axe throwing is either very long, or very short, depending on who you ask. While it has only become popular as a recreational activity in the last decade, throwing axes have been used for war and hunting for pretty much as long as we have had axes (a very long time).
One of the more notable cultures to use throwing axes for combat are the Franks; a Germanic tribe existing in Europe in the Early Middle Ages. Their weapon of choice was the Francisca Axe – a particularly mean looking axe with an arch-shaped head. These axes were thrown in a volley immediately before hand-to-hand combat with swords, in order to break shields and disrupt the enemy line.
Another well known type of throwing axe is the Tomahawk. First created by the Algonquians before Europeans came to the continent, the Tomahawk was commonly fashioned from a stone attached to a wooden handle with rawhide. Contrary to popular belief, the original Tomahawk’s primary use was as a hand-to-hand weapon, rather than a throwing weapon. This is because the warrior was often left defenseless once it was thrown, and the brittle stone blade had the potential to shatter on impact, rendering it useless.
