Bec de corbin

A bec de corbin is a European polearm consisting of a combination of a hammerhead, spike, and hook mounted atop a long shaft. Unlike other long weapons of similar design, such as war hammers, a bec de corbin is intended to be used with the "beak", treated as the front side of the weapon, rather than the hammer.

Description
Although a bec de corbin is the product of a modified hammerhead attached to a staff, it is not a dedicated war hammer. A spike protruding from the top of the head dominates its profile while on the other side of the hammer face is a hook commonly referred to as a beak. This beak is designed to tear through enemy armor and into their flesh underneath, and the weapon was essentially a war pick.

The leaf-shaped spikes of bec de corbin employed by the Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins, however, were so broad and prominent that they effectively functioned as spearheads. A gilded variant of this type of bec de corbin also saw service with the French Assassins though it was inferior as a combat weapon.

History
During the French Revolution, the bec de corbin was among the many weapons within the arsenal of the Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins.

Appearance

 * Assassin's Creed: Unity