The starting point for this paper is the enigmatic stanza 6 of the Norwegian skald Guthormr sindri's mid-900s poem Hákonardrápa. This stanza depicts the Norwegian king Hákon góði clashing his spears together over the heads of the fallen warriors after the battle of Avaldsnes. But why did he do it? And what did Hákon do when he "played" (lék) in front of his army before the Battle of Fitjar, as portrayed in Eyvindr Finnsson’s poem Hákonarmál? Roman sources, iconographic motifs from the migration period to the Viking age, as well as information in Old Norse literature, suggest that war dances, intimidating movements, as well as aggressive and incendiary gestures, cries and songs constituted an important aspect of warfare among Germanic and Scandinavian peoples. In this paper, it is suggested that Hákon's – to us – enigmatic performances in Hákonardrápa and Hákonarmál may be understandable within the framework of this martial context.