Hjalti 'Úrsus' Árnason (born 18 February 1963),[1] is an Icelandic former strongman, powerlifter and a strength sports promoter.

Known by the nickname 'The Great Ursus', Hjalti first began in strength sports by competing as a junior powerlifter in 1983.

It was noted that Hjalti primarily relied on his 'brute strength' and sacrificed technique and suffered from a lack of proper, regular coaching.

[3] In 1985, Hjalti competed in the very first Iceland's Strongest Man contest[4] and was second to Jón Páll whilst Magnús Ver Magnússon came third.

For Hjalti, when in the prime of his strength sporting career, this left him in the shadow of Jón Páll, and later the rise of Magnús Ver Magnússon.

He was a bouncer, a caring supervisor in a psychiatric hospital, a security agent, a debt collector, and a system administrator for Post and Telecom in Iceland.

Hjalti also remained close to sport and became a major promoter of strongman and other strength athletics in Iceland.