Fullsterkur : Fully Strong.

Sport begins somewhere. At some time something is lifted, thrown, run with, caught, kicked. This object could be directed towards a target, or just out there. What comes before the sports of today? Where do they originate from? Probably basic feats of strength involving lifting and the propelling an object. We see this in the Olympic sports of javelin, discus, hammer throw and shot put. Old sports where modern technology has enhanced the people, clothing and the object that is thrown.

The sports of football and bat and ball codes integrate those older tasks into a larger group of techniques. Consider Rugby Union and the Scrum, the Line Out and the Maul. Feats of strength as two sides push agains the other for control of the ball. Power, speed, endurance these are the foundational attributes that all sports are based on. On top of these is a set of techniques that are on display to achieve the aim of the game.

What would happen if you stripped away all the technique? What would sport become? When you take away the clothing, the specialised equipment and the techniques developed; you are left with an object and the human body. What object do you use? Common ones. The day to day objects. Why do you do attempt to lift, throw or carry the object? A wager? To prove your worth in the community? A tradition?

Strongland.

On Netflix is the documentary series Strongland. It shows the lifting and endurance traditions of Iceland (Fullsterker), Scotland (Stoneland) and the Basque (Levantadores). In each culture the sport is lifting or moving stone. Each a proud tradition. Though there are differences in history and the place that each sport holds in their culture.

For the Scots the stones are being remembered. They are being re-found where they were left. The tradition is gaining a following once again. In Stoneland we are shown a sport that was once well known that is being revived. For some it is a connection to past roots. Those who no longer live in Scotland find themselves returning to lift the stones once more. In churches, fields and out front of pubs the stones are still there. There are locals who know what the stones were for. Some have placed plaques to inform young and the naive of the history of these stones. It is a rediscovery that feels fragile despite a history that weighs more than the stones themselves.

Basque country is in the north west of Spain, and the Basque are not Spanish. The Basque have their own language and their own culture which is proud and bold. They have their own lifting sport. A series of events based on the agricultural roots of the Basque people. Levantadores lift a variety of stones and even anvils. This is based on distance, and repetition. Different lifting descends from former trades and farming practices. Though the most unique are the different stones. These stones are manufactured and come in cubes, spheres and towers. They say that these sports came to be when either individuals or towns bet that they could beat the other. It was a feat of strength that showed who was the strongest. It is a unique tradition that is holding on through the passionate work of its practitioners.

Fullsterkur.

The final and longest in the Strongland series is Fullsterkur. Iceland holds its viking ancestry close to its heart. It has produced many winners in the world of weight lifting and strong man events. Like the Scots the stones are where they were left. The difference being that they were lifted at least once that year. We are taken on a tour of some of the stones and told of the connections and stories of the stones. There were different weights of stones. The biggest being the Fullsterkur. If you could lift the Fullsterkur you were strong enough to work on the fishing boats.

Iceland has a long and proud history of producing strong men and women. The reason I began this series come from the World’s Strongest Man competition. It used to be played as a series on Wide World of Sports in the mid 1980s. I remembered the blonde Jón Páll Sigmarsson who would compete with a smile and roar when he finished. His influence is throughout Fullsterkur. An influence that reaches to Game of Thrones. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson who plays The Mountain from Game of Thrones takes part in the of tour lifting the Iceland stones.

Sport at the core is about human application towards a task. What the application is aimed towards can be very different. In Strongland we are shown different applications for the same task. One is about access in the society. Another is the celebration of champions. The third is connection to culture. All three stone lifting cultures do this to different degrees. All three look backwards to an older time. The hope is that the former lifting can be brought back as a connection to what was. A way of anchoring the people to the stone of this world.