Viking genetics unraveled

Vikings

Many Vikings were likely more brunette than blonde. (Image: Jim Lyngvild)

The Vikings have decisively shaped the history of Europe. But who were the “Northmen” really? This is now revealed by comparative DNA analyzes of more than 400 Vikings from different parts of Europe. The genetic data reveal that by no means all Vikings were blonde Scandinavians. Instead, many of them were descended from people of the Baltic, British Isles, and even Middle Eastern farmers. The Vikings were genetically as diverse as most other peoples of the time, the researchers report. The high degree of genetic mixing, especially along the coasts, also confirms that the connections via the sea played an important role at the time.

Their name said it all: “Vikings” is derived from the Scandinavian term for pirate and describes the common image that many people have of the “Northmen” relatively well: blond, heavily armed giants who landed by ship and robbed the coastal inhabitants. In reality, however, the Viking culture was much more than that: from around 800 to 1050 it comprised settlements, trading centers and extensive trade routes that stretched across Europe and into Greenland and even North America. “The Vikings exported ideas, technologies, language, religion and everyday practices to these regions, developed new socio-political structures and, in turn, assimilated cultural influences,” explains the international research team, led by Eske Willerslev from the University of Copenhagen. “The Viking era changed the political, cultural and demographic map of Europe in a way that can still be seen today.”

Less uniform than expected

However, the genetic basis of the Viking culture was previously only known in part. Although they are commonly regarded as Scandinavians, it was not possible to determine whether this was also reflected in their genetic makeup and ancestry and what regional differences there were. That is why Willerslev and his team have now isolated and analyzed the genomes of 442 men, women and children from Viking graves from Russia to Greenland and from northern Scandinavia to Ukraine. In addition, the researchers used comparative samples from various European populations from the Bronze Age to the present day. “The Viking genomes enable us to decipher how genetic selection unfolded before, during and after the Viking migrations through Europe,” explains Willerslev’s colleague Fernando Racimo. “At the same time, we can use it to determine what the Vikings looked like back then and compare them with today’s Scandinavians.”

The DNA analyzes showed that the Vikings were genetically far less uniform than is commonly assumed. “We found genetic differences even between different Viking populations within Scandinavia,” reports Willerslev. “This shows that the Viking groups in this region were more isolated than previously assumed.” The genetic data also shows that, for example, the inhabitants of the south-western part of Sweden were more similar to the Danes than the people in other parts of Sweden. The researchers assume that geographical obstacles such as mountains made communication more difficult there, while the sea route facilitated contact between Scandinavia and neighboring regions, especially on the coasts.

Many different roots

Another result of the genetic study fits in with this: Contrary to popular belief, the Vikings were by no means all blonde Scandinavians. Instead, they too descend from populations of different origins and origins. The genetic makeup of most of the Vikings goes back to a mixture of Stone Age hunters and gatherers, early farmers and the descendants of people who immigrated from the Eurasian steppe – similar to other European peoples of this time. As a result, relationships to the Baltic and Central European populations as well as traces of Middle Eastern and Asian ancestors can be detected in their genome. “Our study changes the image of the Vikings significantly,” says Willerslev. “Most of them were not blonde, but had brown hair, and were influenced by genetic influences that came from outside Scandinavia.”

The genomes of two Vikings who died on the Orkney Islands and in Norway also confirm that the Vikings were less a homogeneous tribe than a culture of people of diverse origins. Although they were buried according to typical Viking tradition and wore Viking clothing, they were not of Scandinavian descent, but belonged to the Picts, a Celtic tribe that lived in what is now Scotland. Two other individuals were half Pictish and half Scandinavian. “It shows us a very different side of cultural relationships – beyond robbery and looting,” says co-author Daniel Lawson of the University of Bristol. Accordingly, the Viking culture was also open to members of other peoples. “Our results contradict common assumptions about who the Vikings were – the history books will have to be changed accordingly,” says Willerslev.

Source: Ashot Margaryan (Universitöt Copenhagen) et al., Nature, doi: 10.1038 / s41586-020-2688-8

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