Glima – Ancient Martial Art Practiced By The Vikings Is Still Popular Today

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Viking warriors were expected to master a fight with and without weapons to survive or win a battle.

A Viking warrior had to be able to fight with or without weapons. Image credit: Viking Martial Art Academy

It led to the development of a martial arts system called Glima that men and women of all ages practiced. The tradition of Glima has been kept alive, and the sport is still prevalent in Scandinavia.

Glima Was Practiced By Vikings And Norse Gods

Glima is mentioned in Old Norse texts. In the Prose Edda, in the book of Gylfaginning, one can read how the Norse God Thor took his journey to Utgards-Loki and was defeated in a wrestling match by the female jötunn Elli (Old Norse "Elli" means "old age")

It might seem odd that an older woman defeated the mighty God Thor, but she was skilled in the martial art of Glima.

But Thor was also familiar with Glima. Glima was so crucial for Viking society that their most popular god, Thor, was also the god of wrestling.

A depiction of Elli wrestling Thor (1919) by Robert Engels.

The word Glima in Old Norse means glimpse or flash.

Due to a lack of historical written records, it's difficult to determine when Glima became a popular ancient martial art.

What is known is that according to the Jónsbók law book from 1325 AD, original Norwegian settlers in Iceland brought Viking wrestling and the Glima combat systems with them to the island.

Glima is also mentioned in the medieval Icelandic book of laws known as Grágás (Gray Goose Laws), which refers to a collection of earlier Norwegian laws; there were wrestling rules.

The Difference Between Combat Glima And Sport Glima

This ancient martial art system is divided into two categories known as Combat Glima and Sport Glima.

Combat Glima: Viking warriors mainly used Lausatok (Løse-tak) for self-defense and combat.

Ancient Glima Art: Illustration: THOR WRESTLES ELLI by LORENZ FRØLICH

It is still possible to learn combat Glima, and the martial art style includes throws, blows, kicks, chokes, locks, pain techniques, and weapon techniques. Many experts consider combat Glima comparable with the best complete martial arts systems worldwide.

Men, women, and children in ancient times practiced Sport Glima. It was a popular and widespread sport in the Viking Age.

Sport Glima consists of several Scandinavian wrestling styles, such as Lausatok (free-grip glima), Hryggspenna (back-hold glima) and Brokartok (trouser-grip glima). Sport Glima has complex rules, with competitors divided into several classes based on strength and skill.

Glima is still practiced today. Image credit: Academy of Viking Martial Art

The most popular style in Iceland and Sweden is Brokartök. It's Iceland's national sport.

Scientists specializing in experimental archaeology studied ancient Viking battle techniques and discovered a new Viking fighting style. The study's results revealed that Vikings used their shields much more than previously thought.

 Though the Viking shields were constructed for defense, they were also effective attacking weapons. Combining Glima and specific shield techniques made Vikings excellent warriors who could not be easily defeated. As previously mentioned in an article on AncientPages.com, there are many reasons why Viking raids were successful.

Vikings had very sophisticated ships called longships. The longship's strength, maneuverability, and speed gave the Vikings vital advantages. The Vikings were skilled navigators with excellent knowledge of Europe's coasts and carefully planned their raids.

But more than longships and navigation skills is needed to win a battle. Vikings' combat techniques were based on martial arts such as Glima.

Updated on December 6, 2023

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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