Wrestlers - Haukadalur, Iceland
N 64° 18.593 W 020° 18.018
27W E 533843 N 7131732
This statue of two wrestlers is located outside of the Hotel Geysir in Haukadalur, Iceland. The national sport of Iceland is the Icelandic "Glíma" which is a type of wrestling.
Waymark Code: WMPBRW
Location: Iceland
Date Posted: 08/05/2015
Views: 7
The stone statue has one wrestler holding another wrestler over his shoulder and upside down. The upright wrestler has both of his arms lifted above his head and is holding the upside down wrestler with them. The upside down wrestler is holding on to the other wrestler's shorts with both of his hands and appears to be kicking his legs in an attempt to get free.
The family that owns the hotel has a strong connection to wrestling. Their ancestor, Sigurdur Greipsson, was a famous Icelandic wrestler known as a "glímukappi".
"Glíma, Icelandic wrestling, is the country’s national sport. Dating back to the Icelandic Commonwealth, it is believed that settlers brought wrestling traditions with them from Scandinavia and the British Isles in the 9th century AD. The sport then gradually developed into the glíma of today, as it says on the website of the Wrestling Association of Iceland.
Glíma is known from the Icelandic sagas. The sources indicate that at the time of the Icelandic Commonwealth, strength was more important than technique. However, today the best wrestlers are not just strong, but also quick and cunning.
In the olden days, men weren’t respected unless they could wrestle. Sheep herders often wrestled to stay warm and men used to wrestle after mass for fun. In folk stories, protagonists often use glíma techniques to fight trolls and outlaws."
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