Gunnar Hámundarson and in close combat his weapon of choice was the "atgeir", which scholars consider to have been a halberd or glaive of some sort. He was said to have taken this famed weapon in battle from a man named Hallgrímur, while on a Viking raid to the island of Eysýsla (Saaremaa in present-day Estonia - see detailed account on that page). Gunnar was also a skilful stone-thrower, able to hit enemies between the eyes from meters away, and an excellent swimmer. There was supposedly no game at which he had an equal. His behaviour was always polite, but firm —
Altarpiece of the Halberd Lawrence. Simon is holding the halberd which gives its name to the altarpiece. At the sides of the throne, between columns and draperies, are two sections of sky with clouds. Like in other Lotto's works, the symmetry is broken by the variety of postures and gestures; the work is general characterized by a certain archaic style, explainable by the relatively provincial commissioners and the late stage of his career. Altarpiece of the Halberd The Altarpiece of the Halberd is a painting from around 1539 by the Italian High Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto. It is housed in the Pinacoteca civica Francesco