Glíma

Glima wrestling
Focus	Grappling
Hardness	Full-contact
Country of origin	Scandinavia
Creator	Unknown

Glíma is the Icelandic national style of folk wrestling.

There are four points that differentiate it from other forms of wrestling:

• The opponents must always stand erect.
• The opponents step clockwise around each other (looks similar to a waltz). This is to create opportunities for offence and defence, and to prevent a stalemate.
• It is not permitted to fall down on your opponent or to push him down in a forceful manner, as it is not considered sportsman-like.
• The opponents are supposed to look across each other's shoulders as much as possible because it is considered proper to wrestle by touch and feel rather than sight.

The core of the system are eight main brögð (techniques), which form the basic training for approximately 50 ways to execute a throw or takedown.

Surrounding glima is a code of honour called drengskapur that calls for fairness, respect for and caring about the security of one's training partners.

The word glíma is the Icelandic term for "wrestling" in general. The same word has also a wider meaning of "struggle".

Variants[link]

[edit] Glima proper

The first version is by far the most widespread and the one typically associated with the term glima. Indeed, most people would say the term should be restricted to this kind only, and it is this version which is Iceland's national sport. Historically it was also the one put in highest esteem for favoring technique over strength. Each of the two wrestlers wears a special belt around the waist and separate, additional belts on the lower thighs of each leg, which connect to the main belt with vertical straps. A fixed grip is then taken with one hand in the belt and the other in the trousers at thigh height. From this position the glima-wrestler attempts to trip and throw his opponent. In this style of glima, a thrown wrestler may attempt to land on his feet and hands and if he succeeds in doing so he has not lost the fall. The winning condition in this type of glima is to make the opponent touch the ground with an area of the body between the elbow and the knee.

Official Glima competition belts Two official glima belts in different sizes.

Glíma is different from all other ethnic grips in three ways:

Upprétt staða

Pursuers shall remain upright. The positioning in many of the ethnic grips sports often resembles a setsquare but in Glíma that is called ousting or “bol” and is banned.

Stígandinn

Glíma involves steps, which involves contestants stepping forth and back like they are dancing in a clockwise motion. Stígandi is one of the characteristics of Glíma and designed to avoid a standstill and create opportunities for offence and attack.

Níð

It is forbidden in Glíma to tail your opponent to the floor or push your opponent down with force. That is considered to be unsportsmanlike and opposing the nature of Glíma as a sport for honorable sportsmen and women. Glíma sportsman or a sportswoman shall conquer his opponent with a Glíma grip so well implemented that it suffices in a “bylta”, which forces your opponent to fall to the ground without any further action. The concept “níð” does not exist in other ethnic grip sports.

Every year the best Glíma sportsmen and women compete for victory in the Íslandsglíma tournament. There they compete for the trophy “Grettisbelti”, which is the oldest and most prestigious trophy in Iceland. The Íslandsglíma first took place in Akureyri in the year of 1906 and the winner of the tournament is awarded with the Grettisbelti trophy and the title “Icelandic King of Glíma”. In the past decade women have also participated in the sport with good results. Their big tournament is called “Freyjuglíma” and the winner is crowned as the queen of Glíma.

Hryggspenna[link]

Hryggspenna is more similar to other styles of wrestling and is considered to be more a test of strength than of technique. In Hryggspenna the opponents take hold of each other's upper body; whoever touches the ground with any part of the body except the feet has lost.

Lausatök[link]

In Lausatök (loose-grip wrestling) the contestants may use the holds they wish. This style is a kind of reconstruction since it was out of practice for a period of about 100 years before being taken up again recently, within the last generation.^{[citation needed]}

It is much more aggressive and differs in many ways from other styles of Icelandic wrestling. Lausatök comes in two forms: A version for self-defence and a version for friendly competition. In either all kinds of wrestling techniques are allowed but in the friendly version they are still taught to be executed in a way so they won’t cause the opponent injury. In such a friendly match the winner is considered the one who is standing tall while the other is lying on the ground. This means that if both the opponents fall to the ground together the match will continue on the ground by the use of techniques to keep the other down while getting up.

Even more divergent from other forms of Icelandic wrestling is lausatök when trained purely for self-defence (as is done a couple of places in Scandinavia). In such training the harmful and hurtful techniques or ways of executing the techniques, that are not accepted in other forms of Icelandic wrestling, are explored in as free and creative a way as possible while not injuring one's training-partners. Lausatök is one of the influences in creating the European martial art of Runa Glima which includes the Single Ringed Stick, Double Ringed Stick, Triple Ringed Staff and knife. The historical runes in a psychological combat context are also a part of study where as Glima practitioners are known to use Icelandic magical staves.

Organizations[link]

The Official logo of the IGA association Two staves, kept in the shoes, gapaldur under the heel of the right foot and ginfaxi under the toes of the left foot, to magically ensure victory in bouts of Icelandic wrestling (glíma).

The International Glima Association (IGA) is the global organisation uniting all people and groups interested in Glima.
The current president of IGA is Orri Bjornsson from Iceland.

Champions[link]

The most prominent prize in Glima has always been the Grettisbelti. The winner has for decades been called Glímukóngur "the Glima king". This is the Icelandic open in Glima and has always drawn the best wrestlers of each era. Below is a list of the winners the years they won and the club they competed for.

Glimakings of Iceland

World championship[link]

The first world championship in Glima and Hryggspenna was held in Roskilde, Denmark in August 2008. The list of medal winners is below.

Glíma

Men, +100 kg
1. Orri Björnsson, Iceland 4 points
2. Sindri Freyr Jónsson, Iceland 3 points
3. Eduard Mihailov, Estonia 1+2 points

Men, -100 kg
1. Pétur Þórir Gunnarsson, Iceland 6 points
2. Jón Smári Eyþórsson, Iceland 5 points
3. Brynjólfur Örn Rúnarsson, Iceland 3,5 points

Men, -90 kg
1. Pétur Eyþórsson, Iceland 5,5+1 points
2. Ólafur Oddur Sigurðsson, Iceland 5,5+0 points
3. Hreinn Heiðar Jóhannsson, Iceland 4 points

Men, -81 kg
1. Snær Seljan Þóroddsson, Iceland 5 points
2. Bjarni Þór Gunnarsson, Iceland 4 points
3. David Lundholm, Sweden 3 points

Men, -73 kg
1. Óðinn Þór Kjartansson, Iceland 4 points
2. Aleksejs Kurilovs, Latvia 3,5+1 points
3. Steinar Bjarki Marínósson, Iceland 3,5+0 points

Men, -66 kg
1. Halldór Óli Kjartansson, Iceland 4,5 points
2. Magnús Bjarki Snæbjörnsson, Iceland 4 points
3. Júlíus Gunnar Björnsson, Iceland 2,5+1 points

Women, open category
1. Jóhanna Guðrún Magnúsdóttir, Iceland 3 points
2. Guðrún Heiður Skúladóttir, Iceland 2 points
3. Laufey Frímansdóttir, Iceland 1 point

Hryggspenna

Men, +100 kg
1. Eduard Mihailov, Estonia
2. Christian Bartel, Germany
3. Orri Björnsson, Iceland

Men, -100 kg
1. Zbignevs Romanovskis, Latvia
2. Jón Smári Eyþórsson, Iceland
3. Brynjólfur Örn Rúnarsson, Iceland

Men, -90 kg
1. Pétur Eyþórsson, Iceland
2. Ólafur Oddur Sigurðsson, Iceland
3. Andress Kools, Netherlands

Men, -81 kg
1. Vjaceslavs Masloboevs, Latvia
2. Bjarni Þór Gunnarsson, Iceland
3. Snær Seljan Þóroddsson, Iceland

Men, -73 kg
1. Aleksejs Kurilovs, Latvia
2. Óðinn Þór Kjartansson, Iceland
3. John Jozen, Netherlands

Men, -66 kg
1. Halldór Óli Kjartansson, Iceland
2. Benjamin Werth, Germany
3. Magnús Bjarki Snæbjörnsson, Iceland

Women
1. Jóhanna Guðrún Magnúsdóttir, Iceland
2. Laufey Frímansdóttir, Iceland
3. Ashley Leyten, Netherlands

References[link]

• M. Bennett Nichols ,Glíma, New Orleans (1999)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Glima

• International Glima Association
• The Icelandic Wrestling Federation (Glímusamband Íslands)
• The Gripping History of Glima
• Glíma! Pathe Pictorial (1932) (youtube.com)

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This biographical article is written like a résumé. Please help improve it by revising it to be neutral and encyclopedic. (November 2010)

Jóhann Jóhannsson (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈjoːuhanː ˈjoːuhanːsɔn]; born September 19, 1969 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Icelandic composer and producer. The BBC has called him "an intrepid musical enigma"^[1] and his work has been called "elegant, haunting and melancholic".^[2] His music is frequently informed by minimalism, film music, baroque music and drone music and combines classical orchestration with electronic music .

Jóhann's arresting Englabörn album from 2002 was one of the first and most influential releases in the broad-reaching post-classical / modern composition field.^[3] Jóhann Jóhannsson has since released several albums with the 4AD, Touch and Fat Cat labels.

While Jóhanns background in Iceland’s flourishing alternative music scene has influenced his work, Englabörn combined echoes of holy minimalism, Erik Satie, Purcell and Moondog with the electronic music of labels like Mille Plateaux and Mego. Later works include ‘Virthulegu Forsetar’ (2004), scored for a brass ensemble, electronic drones and percussion, and the orchestral albums Fordlândia (2008) and IBM 1401, A User's Manual, a composition which uses sounds produced from the electromagnetic emissions of the old IBM 1401 mainframe computers.

Jóhann's work has been widely acclaimed. Kitty Empire wrote about 'Virthulegu forsetar' in The Observer: “It´s hard to classify this beautiful album by Icelandic composer Johannsson. On this, his second album, he employs an orchestra of 11 brass players, glockenspiel, piano and organ, with added bells and electronics; so it lies somewhere between classical, ambient music and experimental soundtrack”,^[4] while Andy Beta gave 'Englabörn' a score of 8.9 in Pitchfork Media: “exceptionally restrained, the piano moving like droplets off of slowly melting icicles, the violin breathing warmth from above. The hesitation of each breath and falling bead feels as though it were a Morton Feldman piece condensed to three minutes.”^[5]

In 2010, Jóhann collaborated with the experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison on ‘The Miners Hymns’ (2011), a film and accompanying composition for brass band, pipe organ and electronics which "celebrates social, cultural, and political aspects of the extinct industry, and the strong regional tradition of colliery brass bands".^[6] The piece had a live premiere in Durham Cathedral in July 2010 and was released on CD and DVD in May 2011. The album was called "A gorgeous brass-based requiem for northeast England’s former mining community" by the BBC.^[7]

Jóhann has won awards for his film music at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Sapporo International Short Film Festival.^[8][9][10] His numerous film scores include ‘The Good Life’ (Eva Mulvad, DK 2010), ‘Varmints’ (Marc Craste UK 2008) and ‘For Ellen’ (So Yong Kim US 2012).^[11] Jóhann is an accomplished composer for contemporary dance and theater and his collaborations with the internationally renowned choreographer and dancer Erna Omarsdottir, IBM 1401, A User's Manual (2002), and ‘Mysteries of Love’ (2005), have been performed widely across Europe.

He is a co-founder of Kitchen Motors, an art organization/think tank/record label which specializes in initiating collaborations, promoting concerts and exhibitions, performances, chamber operas, producing films, books and radio shows based on the ideals of experimentation, collaboration and the search for new art forms.^[12]

Jóhann founded Apparat Organ Quartet in 1999 which has released two well received albums since 2002 and has gained acclaim for their live performances in Europe, America and Japan.^[13] Jóhann has also produced and written music with Marc Almond (Stranger Things album), Barry Adamson and Pan Sonic, The Hafler Trio, Jaki Liebezeit and others.

Jóhann has performed in venues all over the world with his ensemble, including Centre Pompidou, London's Barbican Centre, Brussels' Palais des Beaux Arts, and the Prague's Rudolfinum.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Englabörn (2002, Touch)
• Virðulegu Forsetar (2004, Touch)
• Dís (2004, 12 Tónar, in Iceland; 2005, The Worker's Institute, in the US)
• IBM 1401, A User's Manual (2006, 4AD)
• Englabörn (2007, 4AD)
• Fordlandia (2008, 4AD)
• And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees (2009, Type)
• The Miners' Hymns (2011, Fat Cat)

Singles[link]

• The Sun’s Gone Dim And The Sky’s Turned Black (2006, 4AD)

Selected works[link]

As composer[link]

Feature films[link]

• Íslenski draumurinn by Robert Ingi Douglas (Iceland, 2000)
• Óskabörn þjóðarinnar by Jóhann Sigmarsson (Iceland, 2000)
• The End of St. Petersburg by Vsevolod Pudovkin (Russia, 1927)
• Maður eins og ég by Robert Ingi Douglas (Iceland, 2002)
• Dís by Silja Hauksdóttir (Iceland, 2004)
• Wicker Park by Paul McGuigan (United States, 2004)
  • Writer and performer for tracks: "Sálfraedingur", "Ég Átto Gráa Aesku", and "Ég Sleppi Thér Aldrei"^[10]
• Blóðbönd AKA Thicker than Water by Árni Óli Ásgeirsson (Iceland, 2006)
• Ashes and Snow by Gregory Colbert (US 2005)
• Personal Effects by David Hollander (US 2009)
• By Day and By Night by Alejandro Molina (MX 2010)
• Dreams in Copenhagen by Max Kestner (DK 2010)
• The Miners’ Hymns by Bill Morrison (UK 2011)
• The Good Life by Eva Mulvad (DK 2011)
• For Ellen by So Yong Kim (US 2012)

Short films[link]

• Keepsake by Tim Shore (United Kingdom, 2003)
• Propinquity by Jonathan Skinner (United Kingdom, 2006)
• Varmints by Marc Craste (United Kingdom, 2008)
• Junk Love by Nikolaj Feifer (DK 2011)

Television documentaries[link]

• Corpus Camera (Iceland, 1999, Stöð 2)
• Leyndardómar Íslenskra Skrímsla (Iceland, 2000, Sjónvarpið)
• Erró- Norður, suður, austur, vestur (Iceland, 2000, Stöð 2)

Plays[link]

• Margrét Mikla by Kristín Ómarsdóttir (1996, Icelandic Take-away Theatre)
• Vitleysingarnir by Ólafur Haukur Símonarsson (2000, Hafnarfjördur Theater)
• Fireface by Marius Von Mayerberg (2000, RÚV)
• Englabörn by Hávar Sigurjónsson (2001, Hafnarfjördur Theater)
• Kryddlegin Hjörtu by Laura Esquivel (2002, Borgarleikhús)
• Viktoría og Georg by Ólafur Haukur Símonarsson (2002, Icelandic National Theatre)
• Pabbastrákur by Hávar Sigurjónsson (2003, Icelandic National Theatre)
• Jón Gabríel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen (2004, Icelandic National Theatre)
• Dínamít by Birgir Sigurðsson (2005, Icelandic National Theatre)
• Døden i Teben by Sophocles/Jon Fosse (2008, Det Norske Teatret)
• Ganesh versus the Third Reich by Back to Back Theatre (2011, Back to Back Theatre)

Stage works[link]

• IBM 1401, a User's Manual with Erna Ómarsdóttir (2002)
• Mysteries of Love with Erna Ómarsdóttir (2005)

Awards[link]

• First prize for Best Original Score for Varmints at the Rhode Island International Film Festival (2008)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Johann Johannsson.com - Official website
• Biography of Johann Johannsson at Touch Music
• Kitchen Motors.com - Johann Johannsson's record label
• Beggars.com - The biography, discography and promotional photos.
• Interview with Jóhann Jóhannsson on Headphone Commute (September, 2011)

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