On last weekend’s episode, we got a glimpse of the champion who would be fighting for Cersei at Tyrion’s trial by combat. Gregory Clegane is called “The Mountain” because he’s freakishly big and strong. He is also the older brother of fan favorite, The Hound. The Mountain is renowned for his strength in combat in the show, but it’s no act. The actor who plays the character is actually the world’s 2nd strongest man.
Hafthor Bjornsson, who portrays The Mountain on the Game of Thrones show, is 6 foot 9 inches in real life and weighs a massive 419 pounds. He competed in the World’s Strongest Man competition in Beijing in 2013, coming in second. It’s no minor feat considering Bjornsson can bench press 500 pounds, squat 770 pounds and deadlift 925 pounds. To keep up his fitness regimen and weight, Bjornsson consumes a whopping 10,000 calories a day.
It should be interesting to see how Clegane squares off against Oberyn Martell in the next episode of Game of Thrones. The Mountain is definitely monstrously strong, but Oberyn is driven by a 20-year-long urge for vengeance and is said to have some tricks up his sleeve as well. Do you think the Mountain or the Red Viper will prevail?