Jóhann K. Pétursson


Jóhann Kristinn Pétursson, also known as the Icelandic Giant and the Viking Giant, was an Icelandic circus performer and actor who at his peak measured in height and weighed.

Early life

Jóhann was born in Akureyri, Danish-ruled Iceland on 9 February 1913, as the third of nine children in his family. The same year his family moved to Dalvík. At four years old the family moved to Svarfaðardalur. Later he would be known as Jóhann Svarfdælingur.
Jóhann had a normal development until the age of 15, after which he experienced accelerated growth. At the age of 17, he was very strong and reportedly could lift a lorry, but had back and joint issues and difficulty walking by age 20. In 1935, he was studied by Knud Krabbe in Copenhagen, who recorded his height at and his weight at but doubted that he had acromegaly as his body was proportional and there was no sign of hypogonadism. However, he had an enlarged sella turcica. He was re-examined in Leipzig in 1939, measuring at.

Career

Due to his physical ailments, Jóhann was unable to find normal employment and instead toured Europe's vaudeville theatres, doing so until the outbreak of World War II. He was in Copenhagen during the German invasion of Denmark and remained there until the end of the war, working in a shipyard. In 1948, he was invited to move to the United States by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The tallest Icelandic man on record, his home, living trailer, vehicles, furniture, and clothing were all custom-made.
During his career, he used the stage name "der Nordische Riese Olaf" in Germany, and "the Icelandic Giant" or "the Viking Giant" in the U.S. In addition to being a circus performer, he acted in several movies, such as Prehistoric Women. Early on in his career, he often wore a suit and top hat, but with the Ringling brothers he dressed as a stereotypical Viking, sporting a full beard and horned helmet. Billed at, he initially made US$200 per week when he came to the United States in 1948, but soon gained popularity and became an independent attraction, earning over US$1,000 per week by the mid-1950s.
A prominent member of the Tampa Showmen's Association and the International Independent Showmen's Association, he was involved in their charitable activities. His memory is honoured with personal belongings displayed in the Showmen's Museum of the IISA in Gibsonton, Florida.

Later life and death

He retired in 1963 and moved to Florida. He married and had one child, of average height. He spoke four languages: Icelandic, Danish, German and English. In 1981, he was profiled in the documentary film Being Different.
After a fall in Tampa, Florida in 1984, he returned to his birthplace Dalvík, where he died a few months later at the age of 71. He is buried in Dalvík.