Húsafell Stone

The Húsafell Stone is a legendary lifting stone weighing 186 kg (410 lb) located in a west country farming estate in Húsafell, Iceland 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 legend 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.

The Húsafell Stone

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. It is widely regarded as a world class test of physical strength and a gold standard in 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 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 the sport of strongman. Canada's Gregg Ernst set a record at the event by carrying the 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

An athlete carrying a replica of the Húsafell Stone at Brodick Highland Games.

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 an exact replica which weighed the exact same as 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, was used quite a few times in competitions ranging from 1992 World's Strongest Man, 1993 World Viking Challenge, 2021-2023 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, 2020 Arnold Strongman Classic and 2022 Rogue Invitational.

World records

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

All-time world record

• 98.16 metres (322 ft 1 in) by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (2019 Iceland's Strongest Man).

→ Andrés Guðmundsson's near two full revolutions around the pen and Gregg Ernst's linear 70 metres (229 ft 8 in) eluded many strength athletes for more than 25 years. Hafþór managed to surpass both those distances by carrying the stone for 90 metres (295 ft 4 in) in the designed linear path at the 2017 Iceland's Strongest Man. He extended the world record by again carrying the stone in the designed linear path at the 2019 Iceland's Strongest Man where it stands to date.

Record around the original pen

• 83.90 metres (275 ft 3 in) (about 2.4 revolutions) by Vilius Jokužys (2022 Magnús Ver Magnússon Strongman Classic).

Fullsterkur status

• Despite the lack of an official archive to exactly know how many people have achieved 'fullsterkur' status, 25 men have carried the stone at least a full revolution around the pen during strongman competitions. Some historians speculate that the number of men who have achieved this feat during the past two and a three-quarter centuries, to be in the range of 100 to 150.
  No woman has performed the 'fullsterkur' feat, however six women have managed to lift the stone off the ground (a.k.a. putting wind under the stone). They are Kristín Gísladóttir, Susan Holland-Keen, Liefia Ingalls, Sandra Bradley, Ragnheiður Jónasdóttir and Jeana Machina.

In popular media

Húsafell stone is featured among several other popular Icelandic lifting stones by Icelandic strength icons Stefán Sölvi Pétursson, Magnús Ver Magnússon, Andrés Guðmundsson, Andri Reyr Vignisson, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson along with the custodian of the stone Páll Guðmundsson (6th generation direct descendant of Reverend Snorri) in the 2018 documentary feature film 'Fullsterkur' (literally translates as 'full strength' in English) which explores the history and culture of heavy stone lifting in Iceland.

Notes:

See also

• List of individual rocks
• History of physical training and fitness

External links

• FULLSTERKUR: featuring the Húsafell Stone (YouTube)
• Creation of Húsafell Stone replicas (YouTube)