My favorite Viking joke involves Gunnar, a big Icelandic farmer who was the premier fighter of his age. He was involved in a feud, and a bunch of warriors came out to his farm to ambush him. Everything looked quiet, so they told one man to reconnoiter. “Climb up his roof and look through the smoke hole. See if Gunnar is home.”

It’s hard to sneak when you’re climbing a thatched roof. Gunnar heard the guy, and poked his spear through the thatch and through the Viking. He tumbled off the roof and staggered back to his buddies. They asked him “Well? Is Gunnar home?”

He said, “I don’t know if Gunnar is home. But his spear is.” Then he dropped dead.