Germanic Nordic and Scandinavian Physical Traits Today. Scientists are now able to create eerily realistic facial reconstructions, getting us closer than ever to finding out who they were and what the Vikings looked like. [9] With the help of modern technology we have gotten a phenomenal insight into what the Vikings and Norse people might have looked like, and the unique diversity in the Viking bands who spread across Europe. Norse Facts 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. This is why they are so popular amongst men. Lets take a more detailed look at how the Nordic peopleboth male and femalestack up against each other and the world when it comes to height: The Danish are the tallest people in the Nordics, with the average male Dane reaching 182 cm / 512, followed by the Icelandic men at 181 cm, and finally the Swedes, Norwegians, and Finns at 180 cm. Nordic Coffee Culture Explained: From Fika to Kask. A Swedish child is more likely to have dark hair if the other parent has dark hair. WebGenetic studies on Sami is the genetic research that have been carried out on the Sami people.The Sami languages belong to the Uralic languages family of Eurasia.. Siberian origins are still visible in the Smi, Finns and other populations of the Finno-Ugric language family.. An abundance of genes has journeyed all the way from Siberia to Finland, a So it does appear that the Smi experienced a period of isolation and at some point in time the Finns seem to be included in this isolation. (Niskanen 148), [17] Sweden is a beautiful country that attracts many tourists and ex-pats each year. Todays Scandinavians are about 65%-80% Scandinavian as far as DNA goes, with the rest of the DNA being primarily Finnish, Western European, British, Eastern European, and Irish (all are > 1%). Denmark Recommendations Fika Check it out if youre curious! Yet, there exists no actual evidence that we know of that any Norse person ever wore their hair like that, but with names like Sveynn Forkbeard (a beard parted in two) and Harald Fairhair (especially remarkable hair), its fair to assume that Vikings valued and cared for both their hair and their appearance in general. So what do the rest of the Nordics look like? Its of course enough to at least give a slight chance for the stereotypical metal Viking with tribal tattoos to actually be a thing, especially to fans of shows like Vikings and The Last Kingdom. Nordic [8] (Yli-Kuha), [3] The average linear dimensions were greater in males than in females, although both groups had slightly higher cheekbones. When it comes to how the Norse wore and styled their hair, we do have some artwork findings that show us a few examples of how Viking hairstyles could look, such as the Valkyrie knot for Norse females and the Norman cut for Norse males. of the Nordics (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Greenland). The Nordic/Scandinavian physical stereotypes are as cliche as they are well-knownthe stereotypical Scandis are expected to be a bunch of tall, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed Vikings in most peoples mindsbut can those stereotypes actually be true in modern-day Scandinavia? The sagas reveal feats of great strength, and while that may be exaggerated, analysis of skeletal remains show larger-than-average muscle mass. He ultimately returned to his native Malm with his love, where they now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore the world. These individuals have a higher percentage of their head than other Scandinavians. After all, there could be more reasons Ibn Fadlan described the group of Rus he encountered on the river Volga as tattooed from top to toe, as he mightve wanted them to appear more exotic and barbaric to the Muslim world. Winter, Get in touch with your inner Scandinavian. The ability to fend for yourself and put your needs first can mean a very successful lifestyle. Recommendations In order to survive the UV-bombardment during summers as well as the lack of sunlight in the winters, the skin of Scandinavians have needed to be adaptable. Lets also look at how Nordic people as a whole compare to people from other regions of the world in height: After adding up the individual country data and calculating a weighted average for each region (i.e. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest Nordic resources, insights, tips, hidden gems, and much more. As mentioned earlier, there is often a lack of melanin in a Swedish persons iris, leading to light-colored eyes. For many years, there was a common belief that the Smi may have migrated from the east and have an Asian genetic background rather than a European one. And why are they forever bound to the history of the Smi? 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 The skin is pale pink with a blue iris. Viking sculptures and engravings have been found with generally long hair and beard that was usually shaped, tied or braided in different ways in order to not be in the way (while in combat or working). Can You Get By With English Only In the Nordic Countries? Next, take a look at the persons facial features. In addition, they have higher athleticism, which is considered a positive sexual trait in most cultures. [2] Genes and Languages in Europe: An Analysis of Mitochondrial Lineages. 1995. 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 genetic origin of the Smi people is complex and difficult to trace. Identifying the races of Europe and applying specific personality traits to the different regions is certainly not a new idea. [10] Sweden Oslo For example, many female skeletons from Viking graves generally had stronger jawlines than modern Scandinavian women, while many men generally had slimmer faces that the Scandinavian men of today. The Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherers lived in the region between 8000 BCE and 2800 BCE, and have been found to have had mixed eye colors (ranging from blue to light-brown), mostly dark hair (with the odd blondes present), and intermediate skin color (somewhere in between dark and light) with the odd light-skinned individual also present. Hello, I am interested in this claim here: It is believed that Vikings had more gender-neutral facial features than Scandinavians today, meaning males and females had more similar characteristics. You can also add to the list being introverted, confident and very focused. So many Swedes have light hair and eyes because its in their genetics. Although light features are standard, some swedes have darker hair and eyes. Blonde hair. 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). A study comparing the facial profile of young adult Swedes and Danes found that the Scandinavians have slightly higher cheekbones than the Danish population. So What Do Scandinavian People Actually Look Like? Norse High levels of Vitamin D produces more melanin, which in simple terms enables skin to tan instead of burn. There have been multiple publications that have looked at how the Scandinavian Personality Traits are prevalent as much as the light hair and light eyes are prevalent in people with heritage in this region of Europe. Language People with Scandinavian Personality Traits also make great leaders for difficult tasks where decision making is not popular. 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. Other Nordic countries like Iceland have high cheekbones. Popular Post I do believe that there is a typically Swedish face type you rarely see elsewhere. The main feature are large blue eyes that are unusually close to The colors of their eyes are typically light and are normally gray, brown or a mixture of both. Combining all of these sources (archaeological evidence, DNA findings, and written texts) gives us a fuller picture of how Viking Age hairstyles mightve looked, does show some interesting findings. (Complete Guide), The Scandinavian physical stereotypes are as cliche as they are well-known the stereotypical Scandis are expected to be a bunch of tall, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed Vikings in most peoples minds but can those stereotypes actually be true in modern-day 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. Editor's Choice In 2005 a reported coined the term the Seattle Freeze and added the large amount of Nordic immigration in the early 19th century as one of the key components of this unwelcoming vibe that Seattle evidently gives off. Although it isnt exactly common with Epicanthic folds among the Swedish population, Swedes with Sami heritage (famous examples include Jens Byggmark, Anja Prson and Ingemar Stenmark), and from the northern parts in general, have higher rates of Epicanthic eye folds. 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. The Viking beard was a source of pride and honor among the free men, and insulting ones beard could result in a deadly outcome or sometimes even prolonged feuding between families. The high cheekbones are not unique to the Scandinavian culture. Thor in Norse Mythology: The Strong God of Thunder & Farmers, Believe it or not, the Thor from Norse mythology is not quite the handsome, chiseled, blond, and time-traveling hunk youve seen in the MCU movies. Movies They also exercise more than the average person. Get in to the Scandinavian spirit at home with our premium museum-quality prints and original apparel sent right to your doorstep with free shipping worldwide. Europeans. The Mankind Quarterly 63:2 (2002): 183-191. English The Greeks or Hellenes are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to Greece, Cyprus, southern Albania, Anatolia, parts Life This false belief was due to linguists of the time believing that Finno-Ugric languages had an eastern origin. A few notable exceptions have been found on the Oseberg cart from around 800 CE, where shorter haircuts with shaved sides and backs are clearly engraved multiple times, though there are plenty of long-haired specimens as well. I never heard of a darker skin mixing and become as white as we are today. General Smi Website. Vikings vs. Last Kingdom vs. Game of Thrones, Curious how The Last Kingdom compares to Vikings, and how they both compare to Game of Thrones? This ice age did not officially end until 9500 BCE with larger population growth not occurring until 8000 BCE. Finally, there are some written accounts as well that describe hairstyles in more or less detailed ways. Still this does not answer the underlying question of where the Smi originally came from. During the Viking Age, DNA analysis of skeletal remains suggests that the majority of Danish Vikings had red hair, so it seems to have been a prevalent trait in the region for a long time. Fashion I would say 5050, there has always been mosty people with brown hair in Sweden, the vikings did dye their hair blonde. But most have blue eyes, no 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). Greek people features stereotypically include having olive-brown skin, brown eyes and dark brown hair. Between 1-10% of the population of Scandinavia have red hair according to studies that have mapped out the so-called red hair genes. While there are some that feature The Arab chronicler Ibn Fadlan reaffirms this, being quite impressed with the size of a group of Norse merchants (specifically Rus, likely with Swedish origins) he encountered on his travels near the Volga river. The idea that geographical location and genetics plays a huge role in how personality develops. This article will discuss what Swedish people look like in more detail. Nordic fall/winter), but also get a darker tan under high UV conditions (i.e. What Is a Survival Benefit in Life Insurance? Scientists are now able to create eerily realistic facial reconstructions, getting us closer than ever to find out who they were and what the Vikings looked like. Julku, Kysti. Quiz Gods [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. Other famous Scandinavians with high cheekbones include Fredrik Ljungberg (pictured below to the right), Mads Mikkelsen, Tim Avicii Berg, and Viggo Mortensen. Scandinavians do have curly hair, but as weve established most of them have wavy or straight hair. On the other hand, many Swedes had contact with people residing in present-day Russia or in the Baltics. The following are the most common Swedish features. Where do Finns Come From?. Virtual Finland. Now, however, this region predominantly speaks Indo-European languages, which makes the fact that the Smi maintained a Uralic language even in areas that had been taken over by Indo-Europeans even stranger. Food Rather, humans around the world generally consider reproductive factors such as waist-to-hip ratio and other indicators of fertility and health as attractive, rather than a specific eye/hair/skin color or similar. Names According to a Popular Science Monthly study, most Scandinavians have wavy hair, with some parts of northern Scandinavia having more coarse/straight hair. This idea was revolutionary. This may be the result of a period of isolation the group experienced in the course of their natural history. Go check it out if you havent made up your mind yet! So, if a person ever decides to visit Sweden, they should be prepared to see lots of blue eyes! 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). Some famous Scandinavians with high cheekbones include Fredrik Ljungberg, Tim Avicii Berg, and Viggo Mortensen. WebMajority are brunettes, the rest are fake blondes. Gedde-Dahl, Issel-Tarver, DiRienzo, Pbo. Curious how Vikings actually looked like? Korean people often have very round faces. This wave of primarily herders eventually fused with the current habitants (I see a pattern here) to produce the so-called Battle Axe culture group in Scandinavia, establishing themselves and flourishing in modern-day Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Your email address will not be published. However, this doesnt mean that all Swedes are tall. [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. So other than the color of the eyes, lets look at which other eye characteristics are unique or interesting in the Scandinavian region. It should also be added that the countries around the Dinaric Alps in Western Balkans would place in the top if S.E. Whether the Scandinavian beauty myth is real or not is hard to say, but Nordic magazine The Local listed Beautiful Women and Handsome Men among the top 10 things US expats notice after theyve lived in Sweden for a while. The eyes are also a very distinctive feature of Scandinavians. There are plenty of famous Scandinavians with notably high cheekbones, a trait which is commonly passed down in the Nordic region through families with Sami heritage. High Cheekbones and Blue Eyes Swedish Facial Features, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), The Best Safety Feature For Preventing Whiplash, 5 Reason To Relying On Fulfillment Services For Your E-Commerce Business, Things You Should Know When Renting a Car While Traveling With Kids, Keys To Starting A Successful and Sustainable Coffee Bean Company. Music The amount of curly-haired people in the Nordics is furthermore a much lesser part of the population compared to the rest of Europe. White Caucasian features, either fair or darkhaired with fair skin.Whithin Sweden there are some different complexion types, not everybody has blue Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a5192d68ae09dbbbee634a67fbff4656" );document.getElementById("j39e62affa").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Viking, Norse, or Scandinavians from the Viking Agewhats the correct term? Is the origin of this theory SVTs The first Swedes ? 1999. DNA analysis from specimens from this period has shown people with dark hair, a mix of light and dark skin, and most likely blue eyeswhich sounds like a lot of modern-day Scandinavians I know. As a result of their high cheekbones, they have a high chance of being considered more attractive by foreign men. While there are some that feature darker Mongoloid-like characteristics, there are others who display very light colored pigments in their skin and hair. Especially since Vikings have been documented to take good care of their hair and appearance in general, and since there are some similar haircuts where the sides and back are shaved. A genetic distinctness even exists within the heterogeneous Smi, which leads some to believe that perhaps being classified as a Smi should be a grouping based on living a certain way of life rather than having a certain genetic component. Savontaus, Marja-Liisa. 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. Keep reading to learn more! Who is this group of people? Light eyes are common tho, but so are brown and hazel. Tattoo is the first movie in the Millenium trilogy, arguably the best example of modern Nordic Noir in movie form. Some Swedes have dark hair, but its more common for them to have lighter hair. Im a Nordic native (a Swede with a Finnish mother to be precise) who likes to get nerdy and share first-hand experiences, data-driven resources, and useful guides to help people discover and understand the culture, people, life, sights, design, and history (Vikings anyone?) Swedes are not only known for having light eyes and pale skin but also for their fair hair. Winter, Hang some Old Norse mythology on your walls. May 2000. And the eyes are also one of the most important factors of physical attraction. 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. How do the modern-day Scandinavians compare to their ancestors? 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). [3] Curious about where the Vikings came from and how they ended up in Scandinavia? Vikings vs. Last Kingdom vs. Game of Thrones, Curious how The Last Kingdom compares to Vikings, and how they both compare to Game of Thrones? Well, in many cases not at all. But for Ibn Fadlan, the Rus Viking way of washing oneself every day wasnt really deemed satisfactory, as he wrote the following in a section titled Disgusting habits: Every day without fail they wash their faces and their heads with the dirtiest and filthiest water there could be. Its no so hard to understand Ibn Fadlans disgust, when you factor in that according to muslim faith one has to wash in running water or water poured from a bowl (and not reused). http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq23.html (accessed February 26, 2005). This result is consistent across the Nordic region. Oslo Research surrounding the EDAR gene indicates that Scandinavians (along with most Europeans) generally have thinner hair, than for example East Asians and Native Americans. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. History People from all over the world with high cheekbones are often seen as attractive by todays standards, with Swedish beauty contestant Ida Ovmar as one recent example where its worked out in her favor. Having worked with graphic design for most of my life, Im a huge fan of typography and symbolism, and also a huge history nerd. There are no scientific studies suggesting Scandinavians, or any other people for that matter, are considered more attractive than others. Besides their high noses, they have high cheekbones. Additionally, there is also a lack of melanin in the skin, causing it to turn pale. While it doesnt necessarily have to be blonde, it can also be different shades of light brown. There is no denying that Ragnar Lothbroks (Vikings) and Uthred of Bebbanburgs (The Last Kingdom) mohawk-ponytail hairstyle is really cool, and they have almost become synonymous with how Vikings should look for many people. While the eyes are not an important part of the Scandinavian facial features, they have bright, large, and beautiful eyes. (Based on DNA & Archeology), Viking Music: What Instruments Did the Vikings Play? This indicates that Vikings intermingled with people they met on their explorations, both on-location but also bringing them home to Scandinavia in some cases. Enjoy your visit! Read Article Now. Furthermore, it has been observed that northern Europeans in general also have a much higher frequency of a specific genetic trait that is linked to straight hair. Thanks Jonna for your comment, and Im happy to hear you enjoyed the article! http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/where_do.html (accessed February 26, 2005). However, their high cheekbones are not due to genetics. Can you tell me which of the articles that refers to and on which page I can find that claim? It is thought that at one point in time that this group may have ranged as far as northern Germany up through Scandinavia. Sweden 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. So it seems that all the pieces of the Smi puzzle have almost been put into place; however, with a history as long as theirs, pieces are always bound to be missing. To elaborate on this, facial hair is included under the term androgenic hair, so based on data from the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, we see that over 70% of Nordic men (along with Mediterranean men) can grow a beard or mustache (which is well above the global average). Streaming Tips Other Scandinavians with high cheekbones include Fredrik Ljungberg, Mads Mikkelsen, and Tim Avicii Berg. They also tend to have medium-sized skulls and are very punctual. Id say typical scandinavian face is an upturned nose, pale skin, For another deep-dive into Scandinavian looks, Ive plowed through massive amounts of archaeological objects and DNA analysis to find out how Vikings actually looked (how big they were, how they wore their hair, where they came from, their hair and eye color, etc. Volkswanderung. Human Race Archives. They built powerful cultures and countries. I wrote an article describinghow Nordic people actually look, with all the data you need to get a good picture of exactly how blond, blue-eyed, tall and strong Scandinavians are on average today. The theory is that this has had a long-term effect on the genetical makeup that determines skin color and tanning ability in the Scandinavian region. (Sajantila), [10] As such, there was a larger proportion of dark-haired Vikings found in the study than there are dark-haired Scandinavians today, affirming that while they are largely associated with coming from the Scandinavian region, there was plenty of diversity from all over the known world within the people identifying as Viking. It is estimated that at least 50% of Scandinavians have a light hair color, with some regions in Sweden, Finland and Norway reaching 80%. One was Finnish and the remaining five were Karelian. As recently as 1999, the Smi had not yet been placed on the language and gene map of Europe. They have a pronounced nose, high cheekbones, and slim lips. It seems the research project is well-funded too (https://kaw.wallenberg.org/forskning/atlas-med-forhistoriskt-dna-ger-ny-bild-av-manniskans-ursprung), so they seem to have the best tools available to analyze this type of scientific data. Many of the names of rivers and lakes have no linguistic roots. Some regions have more than 10% redheads, while others only have around 1-3%. (Carpelan), [4] Malm Throughout Scandinavian history the people in the region have had a diet very high in Vitamin D due to a high amount of fish present in the diet. In fact, Vikings were likely more dark-haired than Scandinavians are today. It was also due to the Finns and Smis tendency to have a phenotypic resemblance to the Mongoloids. Beards and mustaches were very common in Vikings according to archeological findings and written records. [5]. Shopping However, if someone has never been there before or doesnt know much about it, they might wonder what Swedish people look like. This is also illustrated in reality when we look at the eye color of Swedish governors after the 2022 election, with 18 out of 21 (~86%) having brightly colored eyes; 16 pairs of blue eyes (~76% of total), and 2 pairs of green (~10% of total). Thank you for visiting Scandinavia Facts. Read Article Now. Though they speak a Finno-Ugric language, they are genetically distinct from other Finno-Ugric and Indo-European people. This data may not be representative of the Nordic region as a whole, but at least it gives you an insight into what actual Scandinavian people look like in 2023. They had a diet full of carbs (bread), protein and fat (fish, pork), which combined with constant physical activity from a young age likely produced stronger-than-average men and women. How Did Vikings Actually Look? 6 Key Differences You Didnt Know Between Kratom Liquid And Capsules, Can Safety Bollards Protect Your Assets From Accident, Understanding Auto Transport Regulations and Laws, 4 Reasons Why People Are Shifting To Renewable Energy Sources. Outside extreme muscle competitions, the fact that Scandinavians are among the tallest people in the world suggests some additional muscle mass along with the extra height. Of course, thats not to say there arent many Swedes with brown eyes. height of adult males during the Viking Age (in cm). Read more about that in my article about Viking Looks! That particular haircut has just never been described or documented in any way as far as we know. Ovmar has even been accused of having undergone plastic surgery due to her high cheekbones, a claim she rebuffs by simply pointing to her Sami background (which seems plausible judging by the picture below to the left).