Jóhann K. Pétursson

Jóhann Kristinn Pétursson (9 February 1913 – 26 November 1984), also known as the Icelandic Giant and the Viking Giant, was an Icelandic circus performer and actor who at his peak measured 2.34 metres (7 ft 8 in) in height and weighed 163 kilograms (359 lb).[1]

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Jóhann.
Jóhann K. Pétursson
Jóhann K. Pétursson with Kristján Eldjárn
Born
Jóhann Kristinn Pétursson

(1913-02-09)9 February 1913
Dalvík, Iceland
Died26 November 1984(1984-11-26) (aged 71)
Dalvík, Iceland
Other names
  • The Nordic Giant Olaf
  • The Icelandic Giant
  • The Viking Giant
Occupation(s)Circus performer, actor
Height2.34 m (7 ft 8 in)

Early life

Born in Dalvík, Iceland on 9 February 1913, as the third of nine children in his family, Jóhann had a normal development until the age of 15, after which he experienced accelerated growth.[2]

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 2.205 metres (7 ft 2.8 in) and his weight at 135 kilograms (298 lb) 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 2.225 metres (7 ft 3.6 in).[3]

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.[4] 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.[4]

During his career, he used the stage name "der Nordische Riese Olaf" ("the Nordic Giant Olaf") in Germany, and "the Icelandic Giant"[5] or "the Viking Giant"[6][7] in the U.S. In addition to being a circus performer, he acted in several movies, such as Prehistoric Women.[8] 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.[4] Billed at 2.64 metres (8 ft 8 in), he initially made US$200 (US$2,050 in 2017) 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 (US$9,000 in 2017) per week by the mid-1950s.[9]

A prominent member of the Tampa Showmen's Association (TSA) and the International Independent Showmen's Association (IISA), 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.[10] In 1981, he was profiled in the documentary film Being Different.[11]

After sustaining 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.[3]

References
  1. Berthelsen, Herman (2002). Skjeggete damer og siamesiske tvillinger: fra tivoli til "Big Brother" (in Norwegian). J.W. Cappelens Forlag. p. 93.
  2. "The Giant with a Gentle Disposition". The Tampa Tribune. July 13, 1977. p. 43. Retrieved October 14, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. De Herder, W. W. (2009). Acromegaly and gigantism in the medical literature. Case descriptions in the era before and the early years after the initial publication of Pierre Marie (1886). Pituitary, 12(3), 236–244. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11102-008-0138-y
  4. Nickell, Joe (2005). Secrets of the Sideshows. University Press of Kentucky. p. 91. ISBN 9780813123585.
  5. "Never a Dull Moment, Circus Freak Boss Says". The Akron Beacon Journal. April 21, 1948. p. 9. Retrieved October 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. "No Slings When Our Boy Bobid Meets a Giant". The Ottawa Journal. August 25, 1950. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. "Giant Man, Giant Check". The Tampa Times. April 11, 1975. p. 20. Retrieved October 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. Rætt við Jóhann Svarfdæling árið 1972
  9. Mannix, Daniel P (2014). Freaks: We Who Are Not As Others. eNet Press. pp. 76–77.
  10. Staff writer(s) (8 December 1984). "Jóhann K. Pétursson verður jardsunginn í dag". Dagblaðið Vísir.
  11. Jay Scott, "Rasky's 'freaks' turn out to be extraordinary ordinary people". The Globe and Mail, June 13, 1981.
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