History Main / NationalWeapon

*** The tomahawk was also adopted by colonial militia and [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution the Contenential Army]] for the natural reason that they found themselves [[ForeverWar opposite Indians]] enough times for ideas to creep through. The colonials having more access to ironmongery made metal heads rather then flint; which incidently made them a useful trade good in peacetime. During the beginning of the AmericanRevolution the Americans were short of bayonets and tomahawks were often used as a substitute.

*** The tomahawk was also adopted by colonial militia and [[AmericanRevolution the Contenential Army]] for the natural reason that they found themselves [[ForeverWar opposite Indians]] enough times for ideas to creep through. The colonials having more access to ironmongery made metal heads rather then flint; which incidently made them a useful trade good in peacetime. During the beginning of the AmericanRevolution the Americans were short of bayonets and tomahawks were often used as a substitute.

* ''{{Dune}}'' crysknives made from the tooth of a sandworm are sacred to Fremen.

Just as cultures might have an iconic BattleCry attached to them, often they will have a weapon that has a similar status. Sometimes it will have a religious or magical significance; it might for instance be a copy of a blade that was ForgedByTheGods. Perhaps it typically has a BadassCreed engraved on it. Or maybe it is simply hard to imagine them fighting without it, and even if it becomes obsolete it is impossible to imagine this group ''parading'' without it because it has a symbolic status that goes beyond its functionality. As TropesAreFlexible, this does not have to be a whole culture's weapon; it can be the weapon of any group: say, an order of {{Warrior Monk}}s, or a [[FantasticCasteSystem Caste]] or a SecretCircleOfSecrets, or a [[LadyOfWar gender.]] The point is that the weapon is so much connected with a group that it serves as a logo as well as a weapon.

* The cannon and the warship (in their various incarnations) can be thought of as the ''occupational'' weapons of the IntrepidMerchant. They play up the need for organizational skill, and technological mastery, and don't require the training in [[IKnowKungFu individual prowess]] that hand weapons do. A given IntrepidMerchant is likely to learn how to handle a ship in his ordinary occupation; he might even learn to fight by dealing with pirates. If you find a [[ProudMerchantRace mercantile people]] with [[ProudWarriorRace warlike pretensions] (as a number--particularly the English and the Dutch--had) you will likely find that they had either or both of a [[BadassArmy Badass Navy]] or [[BadassArmy Badass Artillery]].

* The cannon and the warship(in their various incarnations) can be thought of as the ''occupational'' weapons of the IntrepidMerchant. They play up the need for organizational skill, and technological mastery, and don't require the training in [[IKnowKungFu individual prowess]] that hand weapons do. A given IntrepidMerchant is likely to learn how to handle a ship in his ordinary occupation; he might even learn to fight by dealing with pirates. If you find a ProudMerchantRace with [[ProudWarriorRace warlike pretensions]](as a number had)you will likely find that they had either or both of a [[BadassArmy Badass Navy]] or [[BadassArmy Badass Artillery]].

*** Then again, the United States is one of the few places where someone might own one [[MundaneUtility just to play baseball]].

** The Bat'leth functions as this for the Klingons.
** Interestingly Vulcans, though no longer a Proud Warrior Race still use Lirpas in ceremonies.
** The Mek'leth dagger too for Klingons though it is not quite as iconic.

* The Brown Bess musket and later the Lee-enfield rifle were once almost as much emblems of the British army as the red coat.
* The Jezail used to be a favorite among Pushtans. It is an unusually long, though curiously unrifled musket that was once used for [[SniperRifle sniping]]. It went out of style when local tribes first took to the Lee-enfield and later to the AK-47. And of course to modern sniper rifles.

* For most Arabs, the scimitar.

* More like National Armor than weapon, the unofficial emblem of the Romanian Army since 1938 has been
[[http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j170/peter_suciu/romanian_m34_big1.jpg the Dutch Helmet]], based on the Dutch M28 and M34 steel helmets. It had been adopted back in [[TheThirties the late 1930s]] for some reason, and due to local production and German shipments of captured Dutch equipment during WorldWarTwo it became ubiquitous enough to be held in production during the Communist years. It has been in regular use until [[TheNineties the mid-1990s]].

** The Jezail used to be a favorite among Pushtans. It is an unusually long, though curiously unrifled musket that was once used for [[SniperRifle sniping]]. It went out of style when local tribes first took to the Lee-enfield and later to the AK-47. And of course to modern sniper rifles.

* More like National Armor than weapon, the unofficial emblem of the Romanian Army since 1938 has been [[http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j170/peter_suciu/romanian_m34_big1.jpg the Dutch Helmet]], based on the Dutch M28 and M34 steel helmets. It had been adopted back in [[TheThirties the late 1930s]] for some reason, and due to local production and German shipments of captured Dutch equipment during WorldWarTwo it became ubiquitous enough to be held in production during the Communist years. It has been in regular use until [[TheNineties the mid-1990s]].

* Dwarves use Axes in ''LordOfTheRings''

* For most Arabs the scimitar.

* Goa'uld" have their force staffs in [[Franchise/StargateVerse Stargate]].

* Boomerangs for Australian Aborigenes.

* While not the favorite weapon exactly the francisa throwing ax was famous enough for the Franks to be named after them.
* Likewise the AngloSaxons got their name after the "sax" which is a Germanic heavy utility knife.

** The [[TheKingdom Federated Suns]] loves their [[JackOfAllTrades Centurions]], and [[MoreDakka autocannons]].

* England and Wales were strongly associated with the yew longbow in the middle ages (as a result, they tend to be called the English or Welsh Longbow but there's no real evidence if either was a more accurate term).

* Claymores for BonnieScotland

* The United States has a couple of National Weapons, but it's safe to say that the handgun is currently the foremost among them. A lot of this has to do with two things: the first being that the United States is virtually the only country in the world with no specific restrictions on the ownership of handguns and its status as a celebrated icon in American cinema.

** The Bowie knife,

* [[KatanasAreJustBetter Katanas]] for Japan at least for {{Samurai}}