Walk to the Side of the Mountain Quiz

Answer: Gregor Clegane ("Game of Thrones")

Hafpor's first acting role (where he did not appear as himself) was as Sir Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane, during the fourth season (2013) of the HBO series "Game of Thrones". The role called for an intimidating presence and he certainly presented that. He was not the first to play the role of "The Mountain" (Conan Stevens was in the role in season 1 and Ian Whyte in season 2) but he was the first to play him into subsequent seasons. He continued with the character until the conclusion of the series in season 8 (2017).

The other roles mentioned above are also roles that he played though they came significantly later.

Answer: Strongman events

Hafthor was spotted by Magnus Ver Magnusson, a four time World Strongman champion, who immediately recognized his potential. He wasn't mistaken. Hafthor, also known as Thor, would dominate strongman events across the globe for a decade from 2009. In 2018 he became the first man to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic, the Europe's Strongest Man and the World's Strongest Man competitions all in the same calendar year.

Regularly winning Iceland's Strongest Man competition, in 2015 he carried a massive ten metre-long log, weighing 650 kilograms, for a distance of five steps. If that doesn't impress you then this should... it broke a record that was established by the legendary strongman, Orm Storolfsson, almost a thousand years before.

Answer: True

Hafpor revealed his diet in an interview with "GQ" magazine (12 March 2020). To maintain his 202 kilogram physique required this enormous level of calories. This was spread over six meals throughout the day, however, it was always carefully programmed by his nutritionist, (at the time) Stan Efferding.

The meals were generally regimented, commencing with breakfast (six eggs, a mountain [pun intended] of bacon, and three pieces of French toast) at 7:00 am, followed by regular meals every two and a half hours after that. A fine balance is maintained between proteins, carbohydrates and fats and the diet had strong helpings of grains and vegetables, with supplements and vitamins. Despite the large weight Hafpor also maintained that he could not afford to get any heavier. Whilst it would help with his strength it would impact adversely on his endurance and, in strongman competitions, that was equally important.

A little bit of perspective. If you think that calorie intake is massive, consider this; in his lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, swimmer Michael Phelps was consuming 12,000 calories per day. This was necessary to maintain the fuel in his body to keep up with a swimming regime that took up five hours of his day, covering approximately fifty miles per week in the pool.

Answer: Basketball

As a junior, between the years 2004 and 2006, Hafpor played a total of 32 games for the National Junior and the National Under-18 teams. He also started his senior career at an early age, playing centre for the club Breioablik in 2004. He was recruited by FSu Selfoss in 2005 and then KR in the country's top tier competition. Throughout this time he was plagued by ankle injuries that, despite surgeries, would not mend properly. He would retire from the sport by the age of twenty.

Answer: He's a polyglot.

A polyglot is one who can speak a number of languages. Apart from his mother tongue, Icelandic, Hafpor also converses in English, Norwegian, Swedish and French. With such a great grasp of language it seems a bit harsh that one critic labelled that his ability to act was based on physique alone.

A leukocyte is a white blood cell, a polygraph is a lie detector test and to be polydactyl would mean that you have more than the normal number of fingers and toes. Hafpor's numbers are normal.

Answer: Vodka

In an interview with "Thrillist" (July 2016) Hafpor revealed that the move into the distilling business was not something that he'd planned but something that presented itself. One of his friends was tasked to prepare the graphic design for the product and showed him the initial designs. The move to bring Hafpor onboard cashes in on his role as "The Mountain" in "Game of Thrones" between 2013 and 2017.

Hafpor was pleased to be involved because (a) he was promoting Iceland and (b) the product indicates that it is made from pure Icelandic water, a strength of his nation that he is proud of. Icelandic Mountain Vodka promotes itself as being "distilled seven times so it feels extra smooth while still standing strong at 40% alcohol. The Icelandic Mountain Vodka is made with pure Icelandic water and is Gluten Free."

Answer: True

This was revealed in Michael Zaghi's article "The Five Most Unexpected Chess Players", published by the "Getting into Chess" magazine on January 10, 2021. Hafpor had completed an interview with Michael, after he had competed in the Chess.com PogChamps tournament where had gotten into the Championships round but was beaten in the quarter-finals.

So, what does a blitz rating of 800 mean? Is Hafpor a champion in the waiting? A Blitz rating of 800 won't shake the foundations or herald Hafpor as a new prodigy in the sport. He will be about middle of the field, which is still pretty good. The average Blitz rating on Chess.com is 913 and most of their players would fall in the range between 400 and 1,400.

Answer: Soda Stream

Hafpor was approached by Soda Stream, towards the end of the filming of "Game of Thrones" ("GOT") in 2017, to promote the company's drinks range and, more importantly, its environmentally friendly approach. He teamed up with two other "GOT" stars, Kristian Nairn, who plays Hodor and Hannah Waddingham, who portrayed Septa in the series.

The advertisements were a tongue-in-cheek observation on how people say goodbye to items in their lives and use that to drive home the message that Soda Stream is an environmentally friendly option when it comes to soft drinks. The advertisements resonated with the Icelander who advised "I love how we were able to combine humor with the very important message about preserving Mother Earth".

Answer: Bell's palsy

Whilst competing the Europe's Strongest Man competition in 2017, Hafpor advised that he'd woken one morning and his face was numb on one side. It had gotten progressively worse during the day until the right side of his face was paralyzed. He went to the doctors who'd made the Bell's palsy diagnosis.

Whilst a treatment was steroids, he was advised to wait it out and the condition did clear. He posted the event on Instagram with a photograph of his face because, he claimed, he didn't want his fans to think that he was in a bad mood during the championships.

Answer: Titan-weight

In 2021 Hafpor took to boxing. This stemmed from a challenge that he'd issued in 2020 to fellow strongman Eddie Hall, with whom he'd held a longstanding grudge. The heavyweight division generally commences at 200+ pounds but Hafpor, at his strongman weight, would weigh in at in excess of 400 pounds. He trimmed drastically for his boxing matches but he would still weigh in at over 300 pounds. His bout with King, who also weighed in at over 300 pounds was billed as "the heaviest fight in history", hence the label "titan-weight".

The bout eventually took place in March 2022, in Dubai, some two years after it had first been announced. In the interim Hafpor had fought exhibition matches with ex-WBO European light-heavyweight champion Steven Ward (a draw in January 2021), 2010 Commonwealth Games Heavyweight Gold Medalist Simon Vallily (a draw in May 2021) and a non-exhibition match against Canadian Professional Arm-wrestler Devon Larratt in September 2021, a bout that Hafpor won on a Technical Knockout (TKO). His bout with King resulted in a unanimous points decision to Hafpor.