While there are several different types of axes you might use for working outdoors, woodworking, and while camping & hiking, not all axes are utility tools. Some axe had more nefarious purposes, or at least were used that way. And, some axes just looked cool.
Let’s take a look at some of the more famous axes of history, and remember, it’s not always the axe, but the person using the axe, that really stands out.
While maybe not as cool as what someone can come up with in their mind and create a story around, the fact that there are all true makes them cool in their own right.
Carry Nation was allegedly a very fond of Jesus, and not very fond of alcohol. She was known for storming into pubs with a few supporters in tow. She would then splinter the bar to pieces with a hatchet while praying and quoting scripture.
If the mixture of the hatchet and scripture working in unison is Samuel L. Jackson enough for you to make this cool (and make Carry intimidating), the fact that she was very tall for her time, 6-feet tall to be exact, should give you a clearer image of the kind of shock a pub-goer might have felt upon her entrance and proceeding show.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/list/5-famous-battle-axes
The somewhat vulgar children’s rhyme based on Lizzy’s alleged misdeeds is rather descriptive –
Lizzy Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41.
If you have not heard of Lizzy until now, the short poem should sum up what she is best known for. Ironically, though the poem live on infamy, Lizzy was never convicted of the murder of her father and step-mother due to her appearance. And let’s be fair, we weren’t there so who knows who committed the terrible crime.
Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lizzie-borden-took-an-axe
Jake Bird is more known for what he said after being convicted of his heinous crimes (performed with an axe) than for the crimes themselves.
Bird was a drifter and while looking for work, one night he for still some unknown reason, he decided to let himself into the home of Bertha Kludt. He proceeded to gruesomely murder her and her daughter Beverly June with an axe.
He tried to claim he was surprised during a burglary attempt, but that wasn’t enough to get him off the double murder charges.
What makes Bird so infamous however is that when being sentenced he alleged cursed or hexed the legal professionals that were involved saying, “I’m putting the hex of Jake Bird on all of you who had anything to do with my being punished. Mark my words. You will die before I do.”
And sure enough, Bird outlived his attorney, the officer that took his confession, the judge, the court’s clerk, another officer that was involved, and a prison guard all passed away before Bird himself.
Source: http://www.southsoundtalk.com/2016/03/31/jake-bird-tacoma/
If you think there were some crazy stories from the non-fictional events above, there are plenty of fictional characters that are hard to forget. Oh, and they have a penchant for axes too.
Jack Torrence was the trouble author in the famed novel the Shining by Stephen King. In the original film adaptation, Torrence was played by Jack Nicholson.
In the film, one of the most memorable scenes is when Jack tries to hack down a bathroom door with the intention of hacking apart his wife and son who were hiding inside the bathroom.
And, what did he use? An axe of course.
While not the most glamorous or vicious use of an axe, it is one of the most memorable.
Johanna Mason is a fictional character with a fondness for an axe in a book and movie series where the protagonist has a fondness for a different weapon, the box and arrow. That series is of course The Hunger Games.
Though quite the skilled axe-wielder, her real skill was her cunning and ferocity. In the novels she survived by feigning weakness and only letting her true murderous self show after many of the others had already died in their hunt to be the lone survivor.
In the movies she is portrayed by Jena Malone, who does a very solid job.
Source: http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/Johanna_Mason
A list of axe-wielder, fictional or not, would not be complete without including Jason from the Friday the 13th film series. Though he is almost always seen with his white plastic hockey goalie mask, it’s not unusual to picture an axe first when you hear his name.
Axes weren’t his only murderous weapon of choice though. He was OK with using just about anything he could get his hands on, from machetes to ice picks to his bare hands.
But, Jason’s most dangerous weapon of all was his ability to magically travel faster while plodding along than his victims who were running for their lives.
Source: https://www.sideshowtoy.com/blog/the-many-murder-weapons-of-jason-voorhees/
Though this is a short list, it covers some of the heavy hitters. From real-life hatchet friendly women, to fictional serial killers, the one thing everyone on this list has in common is their willingness to forgo more popular tools and weapons in lieu of the axe.
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