The roots of Iceland’s stone lifting culture can be found in the Dritvik cove on the country’s west coast, where the famous Dritvik Stones still offer the same challenge they have for centuries. Historically, the sailors and fishermen who rowed out from this port would lift the stones to prove their worth to a ship’s crew. Men of particular stone-lifting stature would earn themselves better pay and/or a greater share of a boat’s eventual haul (since they were theoretically carrying a larger percentage of the load).