The maul was and still is a heavy wooden hammer or mallet like tool used to pound stakes into the ground. The maul, like many
other domestic tools during the middle ages, doubled as a fighting weapon among the poorer classes of Europeans pressed into
military service. By virtue of its size and weight, the maul required two hands to wield it. During war, many mauls were reinforced
with metal bands around the head to prevent splintering; many were also fitted with spikes on the striking surface of the head for
increasing the damage they inflicted.