Húsafell Stone
Historic lifting stone in Iceland / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Húsafell Stone is a legendary lifting stone weighing 186 kg (410 lb)[1] located in a west country farming estate in Húsafell, Iceland about 132 km (82 mi) northeast of Reykjavík.[1] The slightly triangular, slab shaped stone is kept at a sheep and goat pen built from natural stones by Reverend Snorri Björnsson in the early 19th century, and was made famous by the legend of his daughter Guðný Snorradóttir carrying it.[1] 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.[1]
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 [note 1] for a full 360° revolution around the sheep and goat pen.[2] 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.