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Crossbow bolt from the 14th century.
The crossbow bolt is the projectile used with a crossbow, whose four-sided pyramidal iron has a square base. Shorter (about 30 cm) than the arrow and also heavier, it has a reduced fletching, made of leather or parchment. These characteristics reflect a use in tense shooting whose objective is to penetrate armor, for which the ballistic qualities (mass and shape) of the bolt are excellent.
Famous crossbow bolts
William Tell's crossbow bolt, with which, according to legend, he pierced an apple on the head of his son.
The crossbow bolt fired from the castle of Châlus by Pierre Basile which, mortally wounding Richard the Lionheart, changed the face of the history of Europe, allowing Philippe II Auguste to give the kingdom of France most of its current borders.
The dondaine
The dondaine is a type of projectile fired by medieval crossbows commonly grouped under the name of bolt. Exclusively for military use, the dondaine is characterized by the swollen shape of its shaft, intended to increase its weight and therefore its force of penetration. It is traditionally equipped with a triangular bladed tip, with or without barbs.
The word dondaine (or dondon) is still used today to refer to a fat woman, the projectile having a similar shape. It is found in the well-known refrain of old songs:“La feri dondon, la feri dondaine” – to ferir means to hit the target (in this case, with a dondaine); it is perhaps a remnant of a crossbowman's song, which during the flight of the dondaine, encourages him with the voice "feri therefore!" and, having succeeded, rejoices with "elle a feri, dondaine".
The Virton
The vireton is a type of crossbow bolt, intended for military use in the Middle Ages. Similar to the dondaine by the swollen shape of its barrel, it differs from it by the helical arrangement of its empennage. This imposes a rotation around its axis during its flight (hence its name:to turn means to turn), which increases the stability of its trajectory (gyroscopic effect similar to that given to a projectile by a rifled cannon) and causes (coupled with the use of barbed points) terrible injuries.