Chinese people have rounder eyes, while Japanese people usually have almond-shaped eyes. Blonde hair. The Origin and Genetic Background of the Smi. The average height of both males and females is high in Scandinavian countries when you look on a global scale, with the Nordic countries all ranking among the tallest 20 countries, and all with a male average height over 180 cm (5 ft 10 in). Their cheekbones are high and their noses are thin. In the rest of the Nordics (namely Iceland, Finland, and the Faroe Islands) the people tend to look very similar to the Scandinavians, with especially Finland having a very large majority of their population being light-haired (blonde, light-brown, red) and light-eyed (blue, green, grey) according to Peter Frost. Finnish Genes. Virtual Finland. Other things we can read about in the sagas and see on artifacts left behind for us to marvel at. Mythology In life Swedish people can generally act calm and reserved, seem a bit cold, like to keep things professional, prefer a well-planned approach, and believe maybe is a conflict-free way to say no. Viking merchants were noted for their many tattoos by the Muslim chronicler Ibn Fadlan, but that is the only real evidence of Viking tattoos that we know of, meaning its not very likely to be a widespread phenomenon in the Norse world. Winter, Hang some Old Norse mythology on your walls. By the way, if you'd like to connect to your inner Scandinavian with some stylish prints and clothing, I've created a collection of high-quality and authentic Nordic posters and apparel. link to 5 Great Places To Stay in Iceland. There are a few theories on why people from Scandinavia, and the Nordics in general, can be light-skinned under low UV conditions (i.e. swedish people facial characteristics. Also, many Swedes have light hair, but its not always Here are the average heights of adult males during the Viking Age, derived from sizable archaeological findings: Avg. Do Scandinavians have a lot of body hair? Vikings were described wearing artificial eye make-up that made their beauty never disappear, with their beauty enhanced in both men and women by Al-Tartushi around 950 CE. In fact, Vikings were likely more dark-haired than Scandinavians are today. WebAs such, in Western Norway, there is a higher percentage of people who have British and Irish ancestry, leading to traits such as darker hair. Stockholm While this is somewhat a result of natural selection that has allowed for adaptation to an environment with very low ultraviolet radiation, light pigments, like the Y chromosomal polymorphisms, are a result of a founding effect, not sexual selection, as it was once thought of in the past. Their eyes are light in many cases, including blue and green. The skin is pale pink with a blue iris. Did Vikings Wear Eyeliner and Other Makeup? Swedes are not only known for having light eyes and pale skin but also for their fair hair. Lets start with going through what we know about how the Norse wore and styled their hair: Here are some historically accurate Viking male hairstyles found in archeological evidence and described in historical accounts from the time period: These Norse hairstyles can be seen in archeological findings that have been dated from the Viking age, in the form of jewelry, sculptures, and other artifacts, as well as in historical accounts such as texts, letters, and inscriptions. Research surrounding the EDAR gene indicates that Scandinavians (along with most Europeans) generally have thinner hair, than for example East Asians and Native Americans. The ability to fend for yourself and put your needs first can mean a very successful lifestyle. Swedish people are known to tower over others due to their long legs, so its no surprise theyre considered a tall nation. Europeans. The Mankind Quarterly 63:2 (2002): 183-191. Other Nordic countries like Iceland have high cheekbones. Life While not every Swedish person has delicate features, many do. Both events occur when a few individuals are responsible for beginning a population, either as a result of arriving to their area first or after a massive reduction in a population that leaves only a few individuals to repopulate the area, as it is with bottlenecking. (http://members.tripod.com/SAMI_SIIDA/genetic.html). Tattoo is the first movie in the Millenium trilogy, arguably the best example of modern Nordic Noir in movie form. Read Article Now. Extensive genetic testing has helped put an end to the false conclusions that came from biased studies, based on everything from tooth size to skull shape. [10] I then categorized the colors as either light or dark: In other words, 85% of my friends and family in southern Scandinavia have light hair (ranging from blonde to light brown), and 75% have light eyes (blue, green, hazel, or grey). Still, genealogists from Stockholm university believe modern Swedes are most closely related to the hunter-gatherers from the so-called Pitted Ware culture when it comes to physical appearance. Point of View. The Mankind Quarterly 63:2 (2002): 122-148. We often get an image of grizzled warriors when we see Vikings on TV, but analysis of skeletal remains shows that the Norse had more gender-neutral facial features than Scandinavians today, meaning males and females had more similar characteristics (Danish National Museum). This percentage is exceptionally high because light eyes generally are not dominant in most countries outside of Scandinavia. Ive written an analysis of The Last Kingdom if you want to find out if its worth watching or not. [1] A small percentage of Swedish adults may be below the national average. Naturally, I wanted to see if this data held up based on my own experience, so I gathered all the hair and eye colors of 103 family members and friends who currently live in or around Malm, Sweden (one of the more culturally diverse cities in Sweden I should add). All living humans who descended from Africa have about 2% Neanderthal DNA, and this includes Scandinavians. The Swedish eye color is similar to the Nordic eye color. Though the Smi do have some Asian genetic influence, at its highest rate it is only 20-30%, which is no higher than the European average. On the other hand, many Swedes had contact with people residing in present-day Russia or in the Baltics. Editor's Choice The DNA study of 442 Viking skeletons (published in Nature) reveals that while Viking bands were mostly sourced from Scandinavia, they could also be comprised of Picts and Britons, as well as people with Southern European and even Asian ancestry (sometimes mixed with Scandinavian). All of our knowledge about pre-Viking Scandinavians comes from DNA analysis and theories, but for an idea of how modern-day Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians look like we can turn to some cold hard data and settle some standard questions right off the bat. Carpelan, Christian. [13], The Finns and the Smi maintained their separate language identity even at a time when other Uralic speakers were losing their language to the Indo-Europeans. Nordic fall/winter), but also get a darker tan under high UV conditions (i.e. We can see this more clearly in modern facial reconstructions produced by academics around the world based on skeletal and DNA analysis. Finland The highest cheekbones and blue eyes are the most desirable traits of Scandinavians. Mythology This period may possibly have been a reflection of the Smi living in their current region during the last ice age (20000-16000 BCE), continuing their way of life even through the time of the last glacial coverage of Scandinavia. The first farmersoriginating from Anatolia and Syria and commonly called Early European Farmersstart arriving to Europe and Scandinavia around 4 000 BCE with powerful new knowledge and tools, competing and wiltimately fusing with the original inhabitants. The cheekbones are a distinctive feature of Swedish men, with several examples of prominent people in the entertainment industry. Second, early Scandinavian ancestors are thought to have been dark-skinned, but after mixing with other populations and adapting to the geographical area this trait eventually disappeared. Korean people often have wide, open eyes. A study by the National Library of Medicine concluded that its more challenging for skin with more pigmentation (i.e., darker skin) to absorb vitamin D [4]. Furthermore, according to a 2016 study published in Wiley, people of European origin generally have a facial hair growth pattern concentrated around the upper lip, cheek, neck, and chin, so it can be assumed that most Scandinavians also are able to generally grow whats considered a full and thick beard. Studies show that most Scandinavian men are generally able to grow a full beard if they choose to do so, which of course not everyone does. She goes on passing the basin round from one to another until she has taken it to all the men in the house in turn. One of the few written accounts we have on specific Viking hairstyles is an Old English text where an Anglo-Saxon man is angry at his brother for adopting a heathen haircut and forgetting his own customs. The taller Vikings reached around 190 cm and the shorter around 170 cm. Ive written an article for those who are thinking of watching the show but havent made up their minds yet, where I also compare the shows IMDb ratings in detail toGame of ThronesandThe Last Kingdom. For several hundred years, there was a belief that the Smi and the Finns had a Mongoloid origin. Some regions have more than 10% redheads, while others only have around 1-3%. [11], It has been established that the Smi were isolated for many years and come from European roots; however, at some point the Finns appeared. Stockholm As a native Swede with a Finnish mother, Karl identifies as both Nordic and Scandinavian. A Swedish child is more likely to have dark hair if the other parent has dark hair. Other famous Scandinavians with high cheekbones include Fredrik Ljungberg (pictured below to the right), Mads Mikkelsen, Tim Avicii Berg, and Viggo Mortensen. Gene Expression. Another common facial (and body) feature of Swedes is their pale skin. They have been affiliated with being people of great courage and also with being countries that invaded other countries. Language The two species met and started having reproductive relationships in modern-day Israel some 60 000 years ago, before ultimately clashing and resulting in the demise of the Neanderthals. Old Norse mythology is filled with fascinating symbolism, and the runic alphabets of Germanic Europe have told numerous tales of heroic deeds and tragic deaths over the years. [5]. Some of the familiar Scandinavian personality traits include: reticence, a highly skeptical personality, general mistrust of strangers, cautious behavior, somewhat reserved personality and a lack of empathy. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a3d130deea91a297e34a58becbda175b" );document.getElementById("j39e62affa").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. From the tips of his toes to his neck, each man is tattooed in dark green with designs, and so forth. Vikings were often described and depicted with well-groomed and sometimes elaborate facial hair, ranging from full and long beards to more practical Viking-style mutton chops and mustaches. People with Scandinavian Personality Traits also make great leaders for difficult tasks where decision making is not popular. Hooded eyes are prevalent in the Scandinavian population, and studies have shown that about 18 percent of northern Europeans have so-called sagging eyelids (which is related to hooded eyes but more specifically excess skin over your eye that may or may not disrupt your vision). height of adult males during the Viking Age (in cm). Soft features mean the face is less angular and has fewer harsh lines (like sharp jaw bones and chin definition). Is the origin of this theory SVTs The first Swedes ? High cheekbones werent always seen as a positive trait in the Nordic region though, as it was fairly common for the Germanic Scandinavians to look down upon the Finno-Ugric Samis as less civilized, at least up until the late 20th century. Im diving deeper into what we know of Viking hair and hairstyles in a separate article, so if youd like to find out more and see some examples of fairly historically accurate modern Viking hairstyles go check that out. It should be added that those athletes are extreme outliers, and not at all representative of the general Nordic population. That said, beards are currently fairly popular in the Nordics, as they were during the Viking Age (when insulting another mans beard could lead to death). So many Swedes have light hair and eyes because its in their genetics. The Scandinavian facial features are unique in terms of appearance. He washes and disentangles his hair, using a comb, there in the basin, then he blows his nose and spits and does every filthy thing imaginable in the water. Those with these facial features have high cheekbones, but they are not considered attractive. But again, this isnt exclusive to every Swede, so its still possible for some to have more angular faces. (Complete Guide to Viking Traits), Recent advancements in DNA analysis tech have led to extraordinary insight into how Vikings looked, from hair and eye color to size and ancestry. The further north you live, the less sunlight you get during the colder part of the year. (Sajantila), [16] Savontaus, Marja-Liisa. Comparisons [1] But it has so many exciting places that deciding which area to visit can be challenging. Ill also cover the key takeaways below if youd rather keep going. I love this site, and I dont want to make sound as Im complaining now but I must say that I am very skeptical of the dark-skinned and blue-eyed people who are said to be the first Scandinavians. Icelands epic landscapes draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/27702690.pdf, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2688-8, https://books.google.se/books/about/The_Annals_of_Fulda.html, https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-04-18-highs-and-lows-englishman%E2%80%99s-average-height-over-2000-years-0, https://www.arkeologi.uu.se/Research/Projects/viking-phenomenon/, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270795692_St_Johns_College_Oxford_St_Brices_Day_Massacre_Chapter_3_A_Late_Saxon_Mass_Grave_The_Human_Bone, https://books.google.se/books?id=E26YDwAAQBAJ, https://books.google.se/books?id=XZ4ZDAAAQBAJ, https://historiska.se/upptack-historien/artikel/det-hangde-pa-haret/, https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/vast/modetrendens-blodiga-historia, https://arkeologerna.com/bloggar/kyrkoarkeologi/okand-kyrkogard-hittad-i-vreta-kloster/, https://varldenshistoria.se/civilisationer/vikingar/vikingar-slaktades-och-slangdes-i-massgrav, http://pediatrisk-endokrinologi.no/2008/1/Werner_2008_1.pdf, https://forskning.ku.dk/soeg/result/?pure=da/persons/26558, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228627175_European_hair_and_eye_color_A_case_of_frequency-dependent_sexual_selection, https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/the-people/appearance/, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-13064786. 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