I was trying to find a martial arts style from the traditions of Western Europe. I expected to find information on various types of sword fighting, pugilism, and wrestling. However, I was a bit surprised to find Glima, a style of wrestling originating in Iceland (yes, you read that correctly).
Glima is an old art, dating at least to the 12 century. Points are scored when one of the participants is thrown to the ground, so the wrestling does not continue on the ground. The rules stress sportsmanship and fair play, and there's an odd dance-like quality to the initiation of a match. For example, check out this video from a Glima competition in 1932:
Glima is still practiced today, and seems to have retained much of its original character unlike other arts that have taken aspects from other systems. It's interesting to me that while arts involving striking, kicking, or weapon handling are widespread, wrestling arts seem to be almost universal among populations of human beings, no matter how isolated.
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