Lifting stones are heavy natural stones which people are challenged to lift, proving their strength. They are common throughout Northern Europe, particularly Iceland (where they are referred to as steintökin), Scotland, Ireland, Basque Country in northern Spain, Faroe Islands, Wales, north west England centered on Cumbria, Switzerland, southern Germany centered around Bavaria, Austria, Scandinavia, Greece and also in the United States and parts of Asia such as Japan. Recently, lifting stones have been incorporated into the World's Strongest Man and other similar strongman competitions, using various cast, found, or established challenge stones such as the Húsafell Stone, Dinnie Stones, Inver Stones and Odd Haugen Tombstone. There are also modernized versions of events derived from ancient contests, in which athletes load heavy spherical stones onto a platform, known as Atlas stones. Famous lifting stones from around the world and the greatest stone lifters in strongman are listed below.
Iceland Icelandic stonelifting roots have an ancient history going back to c. 874 – 1056, with sagas about Orm Storolfsson, Finnbogi and Grettir Ásmundarson. Chronicles around 16th century state that lifting stones were traditionally used to qualify men for work on Icelandic fishing boats. Centuries ago, when approximately sixty fishing boats were operating, it required a practical way to quickly test whether someone was capable of working as a crew member. The stones not only became the formal interview but also sorted them to ranks. The ultimate objective was to reach "fullsterkur" status, by lifting the heaviest stone, proving the man is 'fully strong'. Some famous Icelandic lifting stones are described below.
Icelandic lifting stones
Húsafell Stone
The most famous legendary lifting stone in the world is the Húsafell Stone, named after the west country farming estate where it is located, about 132 km north east from Reykjavík. The iconic triangular-shaped stone which weighs 186 kg (410 lb) is said to have been crafted from a large rock, back in 1756, by a local pastor named Snorri Björnsson. Nicknamed the 'Kviahellan' (pen slab) by Snorri, he used it as the gate to his sheep and goat pen, ensuring the animals remain in the pen without escaping. The stone has since been used by strongmen as a test of strength. According to Icelandic folklore, there are three levels to which your physical strength is measured by the stone. In ascending capacity they are amlóði, hálfsterkur and fullsterkur. Someone who could break the floor with the stone (lift the stone from the ground) which is already a substantial feat of strength, is called lazybones (amlóði in Icelandic), while anyone who could squat down, lap and lift it up to their waist level would be considered half-strong (hálfsterkur in Icelandic). However, for the iconic Icelandic full-strong status (fullsterkur in Icelandic), a person should lift it up to their chest, stand with it and walk it around the approximately 34 metre (112 ft) perimeter for a full 360° revolution around the sheep and goat pen. This final level can only be achieved by someone with extreme physical strength, stamina and endurance as hoisting the massive stone on to the chest while standing compresses the thorax and decreases lung capacity significantly.
Dritvík Stones
At the tip of the west coast, on Djúpalónssandur beach at the foot of Snæfellsjökull, at the western end of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, lies four legendary stones called Dritvík stones which dates back to the 14th century. Historically, the sailors who rowed out from this port were asked to lift each stone onto a natural plinth called 'Stallurinn', to prove their worth to be a ship's crew member and also to decide their ranks and share of the catch. For example, to qualify as an oarsman a man would have to lift the hálfdrættingur onto the plinth, hoisting the hálfsterkur would make you a 'steersman' (second in command) and the fullsterkur would make you 'skipari' (master of the boat). The plinth had been around waist height, but throughout centuries almost all of it is now buried beneath the dark sand. Today, lifters prefer to lift the stones up to chest level and stand tall with them for a good lift. The four stones are classified as:
Amlóði (hamlet or "weakling" ) at 23 kg (51 lb) Hálfdrættingur ("half-carrier") at 54 kg (119 lb) Hálfsterkur ("half strength") at 100 kg (220 lb) Fullsterkur ("full strength") at 154 kg (340 lb)
Judas Stone Located in the Látravík cove at the westernmost point of the Westfjords region, the Judas Stone earned its name more than a century ago, when local farmers repeatedly tried to use it in the construction of a wall, only to have it 'betray' them like Judas Iscariot by always slipping out of place due to its unbalanced nature. The stone which weighs 127 kg (280 lb) has been used during the 80s and 90s in Icelandic strongman competitions where it had to be carried for 50 metres in the fastest time.
Latra Stones Also located in the Westfjords region between Tálknafjörður and Bíldudalur in the famous seabird cliffs are four stones called Latra Stones. For many generations, local fishermen used them to stay fit and to gain bragging rights in their little time on dry land. They have been used in Icelandic strongman competitions where competitors had to load them on top of oil barrels. Like in Dritvík Stones, there is a hierarchy based on their size:
Amlóði at 96 kg (212 lb) Hálfsterkur at 107 kg (236 lb) Fullsterkur at 144 kg (317 lb) Alsterkur at 177 kg (390 lb) There is also an additional fifth stone called 'Klofi stone' weighing 200 kg (441 lb).
Brynjólfstak The heaviest of Iceland's natural lifting stones is the 281.5 kg (621 lb) Brynjólfstak, which is a 1.5 meter long basalt located near Tálknafjörður in the Westfjords region. Legend says that the stone was first pulled from the sea in 1845, when a mighty farmer named Brynjólfur Eggertsson asked four of the strongest men in the area to lift the giant slab on to his shoulders. From there, Brynjólfur is said to have attached the stone to him with straps and carried it uphill, to the nearby ridge where it is currently located. The stone has since been named in his honor as Brynjólfstak (Brynjólfur's finger) due to the elongated shape of the stone.
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