Lifting stone
They are common throughout Northern Europe, particularly Iceland (where they are referred to as steintökin), Ireland, Scotland, Basque Country, Faroe Islands, Wales, North West England centered around Cumbria, Switzerland, Southern Germany centered around Bavaria, Austria, Scandinavia and also in the United States and parts of Asia such as Japan.
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 ultimate objective was to reach "fullsterkur" status, by lifting the heaviest stone, proving the man is 'fully strong'.
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.
[8] 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.
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 many generations, local fishermen used them to stay fit and to gain bragging rights in their little time on dry land.
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.
As the story goes, the lazy farmer wanted a fast track to an easier, more prosperous life, so the devil offered him his dream if he could simply complete one task: lifting the 220 kg (485 lb) Leggstein.
The stone was named after Pètur Gudmundsson and was at least 15 kg (33 lb) heavier back in the day before a piece of it broke off.
The stones originated as Magma which hurled red hot from Snæfellsjökull volcanic crater 4,800 ft above sea level.
Despite the sixth and final stone weighs 118 kg (260 lb), the first three of them are light and are meant for children to start their stone-lifting.
They are a pair of stones with metal rings fixed to each, located in Potarch, Aberdeenshire and made famous by strongman Donald Dinnie.
[19] Overhead pressing the first two stones of this set has also been featured at the Arnold Strongman Classic.Only 10 men (Jerry Pritchett, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Mateusz Kieliszkowski, Rob Kearney, Bobby Thompson, Martins Licis, JF Caron, Oleksii Novikov, Tom Stoltman and Mitchell Hooper) have overhead pressed the 136 kg (300 lb) second stone of this set.
At Sma Glen is a plinth and a stone along-with a challenge named after the practice of putting a saddle on a horse.
The king's teulu ("personal army", or "household") were selected from each village or town within his borders, based upon a man's ability to lift stones, run, jump, leap, wrestle, fence, shoot a bow and arrow and throw a spear.
Basque country is located in the western Pyrenees, straddling the border between France and Spain on the coast of the Bay of Biscay.
In North West England centered around Cumbria, are several historical stone circles such as Castlerigg, Swinside and Birkrigg.
[37] In Durham, a whinstone fetched from River Tees named Teesdale Feat Stone which weighs 135 kg (298 lb) posed a popular challenge which required the lifter to lift it on to a wooden table.
[38] The 245 kg (540 lb) Northumberland Stone which was featured at 2015 World's Strongest Team competition was a cheviot granite from Cumbria.
[43] In Switzerland, affiliated to the Unspunnenfest, a festival held once every twelve years, a historic stone weighing 83.5 kg (184 lb) is thrown overhead for the longest distance.
The contestants begin on a 6.1 metres (20 ft 0 in) runway, hurling the Aare granite stone as far as they could into a 4-inch-deep (100 mm) sand pit.
In 2004, Swiss carpenter Markus Maire established the current record in this event with a 4.11 metres (13 ft 6 in) throw.
Events involving carrying, walking, shouldering, loading, holding and throwing stones have become very popular in the US across many American highland games competitions.
In 2015, Iceland's Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson competed against the Highland games specialists and carried the stones for 42.93 metres (140 ft 10 in).
[49][50] A bulky, sharp and triangularly shaped stone weighing 221 kg (487 lb) named after Jón Páll Sigmarsson which is kept in New Hampshire, and used in some New England Highland Games.
Only 8 men in history (Jesse Marunde, Martins Licis, Mateusz Kieliszkowski, Mikhail Shivlyakov, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Matjaz Belsak, Bobby Thompson and Oleksii Novikov) have lifted this stone to their shoulder.
Scotland's Tom Stoltman holds the world record for the heaviest Manhood Stone ever lifted at 286 kg (631 lb).
Only 20 men in history have ever loaded one over a 4ft bar within a full competition: Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Austin Andrade, Mitchell Hooper, Trey Mitchell, Reza Gheitasi, Brian Shaw, Mikhail Koklyaev, Vytautas Lalas, Mike Jenkins, Travis Ortmayer, Mark Felix, Serhiy Romanchuk, Žydrūnas Savickas, Derek Poundstone, Phil Pfister, Oleksandr Pekanov, Steve MacDonald, Peiman Maheripour, László Fekete and Lucas Hatton.
