Game of Thrones‘s The Mountain Coming to Philly Ren Faire

Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson will play King Thor at the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire, a two-day event coming to Fairmount Park this May.

The Mountain from Game of Thrones

Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson, as The Mountain, in Game of Thrones’ fourth season.

Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson — better known to fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones as The Mountain — will appear next month at the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire. Björnsson will play King Thor at the Faire, which takes place on May 16th and 17th. “As the second-strongest man in the world,” a release says, “he’ll be performing feats of strength as well as portraying the leader of a Viking horde intent on invasion.”

Björnsson, who stands 6-foot-9 and weighs more than 440 pounds, was originally a basketball player. (Imagine having to move him out of the lane.) But a knee injury derailed his career, and he became a professional strongman. He was runner-up in last year’s World’s Strongest Man competition. For reference, he can deadlift 925.9 lbs.

This will be the “preview weekend” for the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire, held at 4100 Chamounix Drive (near the intersection of Chamounix and Belmont Avenue). This year’s two-day event is a “preview” of a longer event to be held in 2016. “Unlike most Faires,” the Philadelphia Ren Faire explains, “the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire is pointedly not situated in England, but rather a fictional trading hub where people from many countries gather to engage in commerce.” But Vikings will invade that weekend in May — Hence Björnsson playing King Thor.

What’s kind of neat is, if you have the cash, you can play part of King Thor’s entourage. For $269, you get to be a viking in Thor’s horde and fight along with him. (You also get a DVD.) For $129, you get to do a “viking workout” with Björnsson. Or, if you pay $39, you get a King Thor t-shirt.

For more information about the Philadelphia Renaissance Faire, visit its website.