Nor does it sound much like the very long spears used by the steppe peoples who rode into European history and trod down Roman and medieval armies. The lancea was a “light spear”.Ī light spear doesn’t sound very much like the late medieval lance that armored knights used for jousting.
The Online Etymology Dictionary suggests that the word may be of Celtiberian origin, borrowed into Latin as lancea. On the one hand, lance entered English from the French and German usage, but linguists are not entirely sure of where the word comes from. The discussion of lance versus spear is a very complex topic when it comes to assessing J.R.R.
Q: Did the Knights of Dol Amroth Fight With Lances?ĪNSWER: There is an old saying in Middle-earth: “Elves fight with lances, Men with spears”.
