Húsafell Stone

The Húsafell Stone is a legendary lifting stone located in a west country farming estate in Húsafell, Iceland weighing 186Kg ( 410 lbs ). Located about 132 km (82 mi) northeast of Reykjavík. The slightly triangular, slab shaped stone is kept at a sheep and goat pen built from natural stones by Reverend Snorri Björnsson around 1756, and was made famous by the tall tale of his daughter Guðný Snorradóttir carrying it. The stone has been used as a test of physical strength by either simply lifting the stone, or by lifting and carrying it around the sheep and goat pen. The stone is also known as pen slab (Kvíahellan in Icelandic), because its original purpose was to act as the gate to the sheep and goat pen, ensuring the animals remain in the pen without escaping.

Tests of strength According to Icelandic folklore, there are three levels to which a person's physical strength is measured by the stone. There are also three different feats of strength affiliated to them.

Level 1 – Amlóði A person who could break the floor with the Húsafell Stone (lift the stone from the ground) is called "weakling" (amlóði in Icelandic). The sheer weight of the stone (410 lbs or 186 kg) coupled with the difficulty of getting a grip on it due to its shape makes this first level already a significant display of physical strength.

Level 2 – Hálfsterkur If a person could break the floor, lap it, and stand up with the stone, they were considered "half-strong" (hálfsterkur). If one can achieve that, there are two further tests of strength. The first is to close the gate to the pen, by lifting the stone and placing it adjacent to the wall south of the northern door into the pen. The second is to lift the stone and place it on a big stone with the name 'Snorri' engraved to it, located in the northern wall of the pen.

Level 3 – Fullsterkur In the third and final level, to perform the ultimate test of strength and earn the iconic "full-strong" status (fullsterkur), a person should break the floor, lap it, hoist it up to their chest while standing with it, and walk the stone around the perimeter (approx. 34 metres or 112 ft) for a full 360° revolution around the sheep and goat pen. This final level can only be achieved by someone with extreme brute strength and endurance, as hoisting the massive stone onto the chest while standing compresses the thorax and decreases lung capacity significantly. It is widely regarded as a world-class feat of physical strength and a gold standard in elite strongman competitions.

In strongman competitions Throughout the 1980s, many strong native Icelanders including Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Hjalti Árnason and Magnús Ver Magnússon have carried the stone (348 lbs) around the pen, but most notably by Highland Games specialist Andrés Guðmundsson who almost went two full revolutions with it, establishing the benchmark to beat. The stone was first used in a competition in 1985 when the organizers transported it to Laugardalshöll for the inaugural Iceland's Strongest Man competition, where Jón Páll Sigmarsson famously danced with the stone. When the stone was featured at the 1992 World's Strongest Man competition. The organizers transported it to Þingvellir, making it a popular and influential event in strongman. Canada's Gregg Ernst set a record at the event by carrying the 348 lbs stone for 70 metres (229 ft 8 in) in the designed linear path. The first time it was featured at the original location was in 1993 World Viking Challenge where the competitors had to take it around the snow covered pen during Winter.

Replicas and variations

In subsequent years, replicas of varying weights and sizes of the stone were made and used in strongman competitions all over the world. For the 1998 World's Strongest Man in Morocco, they used a similar replica which weighed 173 kg (381 lb). Magnus Samuelsson won the event by carrying it 79.7 metres (261 ft 5 in) in the designed linear path. For the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic in Columbus, Ohio, Rogue - USA created a replica which weighed 62 lbs heavier than the original. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson won it by carrying the stone 66.7 metres (218 ft 11 in) around a structure which resembled the original sheep and goat pen. At the 1997 World's Strongest Man in Nevada, four Scandinavians Magnus Samuelsson, Svend Karlsen, Jouko Ahola and Flemming Rasmussen managed to carry a 163 kg (359 lb) replica for more than 80 metres (262 ft 6 in) in the designed linear path. At 1999 Atlantic Giant held in Faroe Islands, the competitors had to carry a 180 kg (397 lb) replica in a three-part linear path of 30 metres (98 ft 5 in) in the fastest time. At 2022 Rogue Invitational, the competitors had to carry a sandbag which was shaped like the stone, for maximum distance. At the 2024 Iceland's Strongest Man, the organizers took the original stone to Selfoss where the athletes had to take it around a 20 metres (65 ft 8 in) circle located in the middle of the 'Tryggvagarður' garden. The original Húsafell Stone (348 lbs), was used quite a few times in competitions ranging from 1992 World's Strongest Man, 1993 World Viking Challenge, 2021-2025 Magnús Ver Magnússon Classic's and numerous times in Iceland's Strongest Man. Replicas and other variations had also been used in 1999 and 2000 Atlantic Giant, 1999 Britain's Strongest Man, 2004 Netherlands' Strongest Man, 2009 Norway's Strongest Man, 2013 Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championships, 2013 UK's Strongest Man, 2019 Strongman Champions League Norway, 2019 and 2020 Arnold Strongman Classic's and 2022 Rogue Invitational. Several world renowned carrying stones such as Jón Páll Sigmarsson stone, Northumberland stone, Seefeld whitestone, Alfastein, Faroe-kviahellan and Bucharest stone were inspired by the original Húsafell Stone.

World records All performed with the original 186kg (410 lb) stone.

All-time world record 109.95 metres (360 ft 8 in) (approximately 3.2 revolutions around the pen) by Paddy Haynes (2025 Iceland's Strongest Man)

Linear record 98.16 metres (322 ft 1 in) (in a 30 metre linear path back and forth) by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (2019 Iceland's Strongest Man)

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