Blonde and burly, the Vikings are commonly viewed as a Scandinavian warrior-race who traversed treacherous seas to raid and colonise distant lands.
However, the biggest ever study of skeletons from archaeological sites in Europe and Greenland has shown that the Vikings were less of a race and more of an idea, with some even hailing from Scotland.
DNA analysis from bones from burial sites in Orkney has found that the remains were of Scottish locals who had adopted Viking identities.
Skeletons with British heritage were also found in Norway, while other Vikings had ancestors from Asian and Southern Europe. Many were found to have dark, not blonde hair.
Prof Eske Willerslev, of St John’s College, University of Cambridge, and the University of Copenhagen, said: “This study changes the perception of who a Viking actually was – no one could have predicted these significant gene flows into Scandinavia from Southern Europe and Asia happened before and during the Viking Age.”
“We have this image of well-connected Vikings mixing with each other, trading and going on raiding parties to fight kings across Europe because this is what we see on television and read in books – but genetically we have shown for the first time that it wasn’t that kind of world.
“The results change the perception of who a Viking actually was. The history books will need to be updated.”
The imagery rather includes the blokes in helmets trotting back to their ships with the local birds over their shoulders. Along with that nirvana, the mother in law free marriage, this does rather imply a certain genetic mixing in the next generation. And folks were going a viking for several generations…..
Ah, yes, but “what everybody knows” isn’t actually known until there is at least two major academic journals dedicated to cancelling the other one over minor and immaterial differences in the interpretation of “what everybody knows”.
Are
significant gene flows into Scandinavia from Southern Europe and Asia
We have always been multi-racial! Stop complaining about gang-rape, racists.
The Rus were Vikings who went to the richer powerful east and used Russia’s river system to get to the Black Sea to trade with the Byzantines, pelts and amber for slaves and other useful items. The Varangian Guard even protected the Emperor. So no surprise about gene flow. Dark Gotlanders (the trade centre in the Baltic) proudly claim they are a relic of this trading empire. The Vikings who went west were their poor relatives.
As was commented under the article, these days you first have to try to work out the agenda of the person presenting you with the new facts you’re being expected to believe. Since this has the highest number of likes in the comments, it would seem this is a popular opinion. Historians join scientists & journalists as people you wouldn’t want to buy a used car from
Come to think of it, it’s getting to the point the only person you would buy a used car from with confidence is Arthur Daley.
The key phrase in that quote is “…no one could have predicted…”. Except, of course, Prof Eske Willerslev with his insightfulness.
Archaeologists in Britain and Europe dig up pottery all the time which demonstrates trade between far distant places (perhaps not directly, but at least in stages). So why would not the people doing the trading intermingle with the populations with which they trade.
“… you first have to try to work out the agenda of the person presenting you with the new facts you’re being expected to believe.”
The agenda is very clear; as with Cheddar Man and the British, Scandinavians have to accept their replacement by third-worlders because they’re actually the real Vikings.
Skeletons with British heritage were also found in Norway, while other Vikings had ancestors from Asian and Southern Europe.
If today’s Scandinavians are descendants of the multi-culti Vikings then these findings should be no surprise – the far-flung genes would still be present and would have been discovered. If that’s not so, either today’s Scandinavians are from different stock or those ancient non-Scandos didn’t reproduce.
There seems to be clear indication of an Essex influence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z10hsmYVTR4
(bikinis and charm)
(yes, guilty)
@LGH. My understanding is that the Vikings that went West were the Danes and Norwegians and the ones that went East, eventually creating the Rus kingdoms, were the more adventurous Swedes. This goes some way to explaining the amount of blondes in the Baltic states and why modern day Swedes are so dull.
MC September 17, 2020 at 7:32 am – “We have always been multi-racial! Stop complaining about gang-rape, racists.”
And that is their openly expressed agenda. They are lying to further White genocide.
I imagine the local birds were getting some serious gene flows, whether they wanted them or not. Although just like today more than a few probably enjoyed a bit of exoctic gene mixing.
There’s only one little tap of the space bar between the rapist and therapist.
How do they know which skeletons are Vikings and which are their slaves?
And Vikings didn’t have helmets with horns on them. That was a Victorian invention.
bloke in spain,
“As was commented under the article, these days you first have to try to work out the agenda of the person presenting you with the new facts you’re being expected to believe. Since this has the highest number of likes in the comments, it would seem this is a popular opinion. Historians join scientists & journalists as people you wouldn’t want to buy a used car from”
I think historians have always been like this. Follow their funding and it eventually leads back to the state, whether it’s the BBC or universities. You’re going to get a selection bias, right the way from the top to the bottom, of people accepting The Agenda.
Lots of stuff people were taught in history was pure BS, propaganda for earlier ideas.
Lucy Worsley does a good series on Lies in history, the propaganda we were taught to beleive.
Never invaded since 1066? What do you call 1688? etc
Slightly OT but as Sweden has been mentioned…..
Anyone’s who’s been following Sweden will know that they’ve been in denial about immigrant crime, but for those who haven’t been paying attention their middle class is starting to wake up to the problem:
And in an echo of the gang rapes here:
“Never invaded since 1066? What do you call 1688? etc”
And that’s ignoring the successful French invasion in between.
WKPD: ‘Prince Louis, who then sailed to England with an army despite his father’s disapproval … Louis captured Winchester and soon controlled over half of the English kingdom. He was proclaimed “King of England” in London by the barons, …’
If you take London and Winchester I think that counts as “successful”.
1688 hardly counts as an invasion, as William of Orange and his missus Mary (the niece of Charles II) were invited to become monarchs, and arrived at the head of an English army to make sure James II fucked off pronto.
tbh @BiW nails that one.
Bloke in Wales said:
“1688 hardly counts as an invasion, as William of Orange and his missus Mary (the niece of Charles II) were invited to become monarchs, and arrived at the head of an English army to make sure James II fucked off pronto.“
Nonsense. He was invited over by a handful of rebellious Whig aristocrats and landed with an army of 15,000 foreign troops.
BiW: Mary (the niece of Charles II)
Yes, the niece of Charles II but also the daughter of his successor and brother, James II, so there’s some obviously anti-Catholic refashioning of history going on here which Tim shouldn’t properly allow on his avowedly RC family blog.
In contrast to his wanton brother, Charles II, famous for a predilection for a finely-turned ankle and other attractive features and appurtenances, James is said to have left the choice of his misstresses, who were without exception munters, to his confessors.
‘ Skeletons with British heritage were also found in Norway..’
Slavery was commonplace in those days. Viking raiders frequently took captured locals from ‘Britain’ back – woman, children, strong youths, to use as oarsmen, work on their farms or sell.
Unsurprising that skeletons of those slaves would be found in Vikingland.