[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. We exists to inform people about the people, culture, and history of Northern Europe. Soft features mean the face is less angular and has fewer harsh lines (like sharp jaw bones and chin definition). http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/where_do.html, http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/000245.html, http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/geeneng.html, http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq23.html. Eyes are typically lighter when there is a lack of melanin in the iris [1]. Since sunlight exposure is one of the best ways to absorb vitamin D, its normal to wonder if Swedes are often deficient in this vitamin. The Valkyrie knot is the most commonly depicted hairstyle, as the Valkyries are the most commonly depicted Viking females. Read Article Now. However, a survey done by the Swedish Institute in November 2020 do point towards the Swedish image being affected negatively during the 2020-2021 pandemic. December 28, 2003. Christian started Scandinavia Facts to explore his family heritage, raise awareness of one of his academic interests as a professor, and civilly promote the region. Data [9] [1] The taller Vikings reached around 190 cm and the shorter around 170 cm. Nordic Sweden In this article, Ill use the terms interchangeably, because although the term Viking stems from the Old Norse word for pirate, it gradually came to encompass all Norse people who embarked upon elaborate naval expeditions from Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Sweden Niskanen, Markku. 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? Chinese people tend to have wider faces, while Japanese people usually have narrower faces. The significance of this rests with the fact that this mutation has only been found in six other samples. 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. English Vikings were proud of their beards, and facial hair in archeological findings see a sudden increase during the Viking age (compared to the bronze age), suggesting there was a strong cultural preference for beards. Vikings were known to use strong soaps made of ashes and animal fats, which had a high lye content that bleached their hair. Yli-Kuha, Kari. As recently as 1999, the Smi had not yet been placed on the language and gene map of Europe. 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. The genetic origin of the Smi people is complex and difficult to trace. Having worked with graphic design for most of my life, Im a huge fan of typography and symbolism, and also a huge history nerd. 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. Symbolism A Swedish child is more likely to have dark hair if the other parent has dark hair. What Is a Survival Benefit in Life Insurance? Well the most obvious relationship between the Smi and the Finns is the bond of a language family. Read Article Now. This is a result of a founding effect or a bottleneck effect. They originated from Europe but spoke a Uralic language among themselves. 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. Being a little stoic and reserved can actually serve you well in many career fields. Go check it out if you havent made up your mind yet! A study comparing the facial profile of young adult Swedes and Danes found that the Scandinavians have slightly higher cheekbones than the Danish population. Beards and mustaches were very common in Vikings according to archeological findings and written records. Viking Age Hairstyles: Historical Examples & Modern Takes, You mightve seen some very cool Norse hairstyles in one of the many Viking-inspired TV shows or movies lately, and thought to yourself are those elaborate picture-perfect haircuts really historically accurate?. 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. The same DNA study also found a higher proportion of dark eye colors in Vikings, than in modern-day Scandinavians, hinting that the Vikings were comprised of a more diverse group of people than the Nordic countries have today. 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. WebFor example, dimensions can be mapped to the following facial characteristics: eye size, eye spacing, nose length, nose width, mouth curvature, mouth width, mouth openness, pupil size, eyebrow slant, eye eccentricity, and head eccentricity. Mediterranean Europeans The Mediterranean may be a region of Europe that features Spain, The other agents, The Nordic people as a whole really like the Swedes and Norwegians. The new Battle Axe culture that slowly spread and took over the Scandinavian region is thought to have been a bit more individualistic and was known for how their men were buried with their big battle axes. Recent genetic and linguistic research in the area has created new theories and has also put to death many old and biased theories of the past. The Scandinavian facial features are unique in terms of appearance. So with a large amount of growing evidence, it seems that the Smi came from somewhere much closer to their current home. Data Norway Those with these facial features have high cheekbones, but they are not considered attractive. The Nordic countries share a history that goes back hundreds of years. Nordic Coffee Culture Explained: From Fika to Kask. For example, in Smiland and throughout Scandinavia, there still exists an obvious residue of an even more ancient unknown language than Uralic in the region. Either way, we are dealing with theories in the end so all we can do is to look at the data we have available and make the best and most logical assumptions we can. 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. Identifying the races of Europe and applying specific personality traits to the different regions is certainly not a new idea. 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). (Yli-Kuha), [3] The study of these Y chromosomal polymorphisms shows two major founding male lineages in not only the Smi, but the Finns as well. So what do the rest of the Nordics look like? 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. However, the lack of sunlight shouldnt be a big issue in most cases because Swedes with pale skin can absorb vitamin D faster than those with darker skin. Its also important to note that while there is no evidence of the mohawk-style haircut we see so much in TV shows (i.e. Its a matter of perspective, in other words, but what we do know specifically is that Vikings washed themselves every morning, and even had one dedicated day (Laugardagur / Lrdag / Saturday) to get thoroughly clean. WebSome of the familiar Scandinavian personality traits include: reticence, a highly skeptical personality, general mistrust of strangers, cautious behavior, somewhat reserved Check it out if youre curious! (Circum Polar Perspective), [5] Denmark As a result of their high cheekbones, they have a high chance of being considered more attractive by foreign men. (Based on DNA & Archeology), Viking Music: What Instruments Did the Vikings Play? While there are some that feature darker Mongoloid-like characteristics, there are others who display very light colored pigments in their skin and hair. [12] Some Swedes have dark eyes (like brown), but its more common for people in the country to have blue and other lighter-colored eyes. Curious how modern-day Scandinavians look compared to their Viking ancestors? Natural platinum blonde or near-white hair occurs occasionally among the population in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland, primarily among children (as hair tends to darken with age). A few of these characteristics are common to all Europeans while others are mainly found in certain ethnic groups. Some Swedes have dark hair, but its more common for them to have lighter hair. Gods Ill also cover the key takeaways below if youd rather keep going. 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. Vikings largely had similar genetic markers linked to eye color as modern-day Scandinavians according to a massive Viking DNA study published in 2020, meaning the vast majority (50-80+% depending on region) would have blue, green, or hazel eyes following the findings in Peter Frosts European hair and eye color. Shopping Aside from their high cheekbones, many Scandinavians have high cheekbones. Between 1-10% of the population of Scandinavia have red hair according to studies that have mapped out the so-called red hair genes. [10] He ultimately returned to his native Malm with his love, where they now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore the world. Although the rest of the Nordics generally view Sweden in a positive light still, there has been a slight shift towards more people having a more negative image of Sweden and Swedes lately. A small percentage of Swedish adults may be below the national average. 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. Popular Post Scandinavian As mentioned earlier, there is often a lack of melanin in a Swedish persons iris, leading to light-colored eyes. Pale Life They also have a rather rounded face and very delicate facial features. Nordic vs. Scandinavian: Meaning & Usage Explained, Nordic vs. Germanic vs. Celtic: Differences & Links Explained (+ Maps), 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?) Food what we know of Viking hair and hairstyles, Read more about how The Last Kingdom, Vikings, and Game of Thrones compare, modern-day Scandinavia have a specific gene-makeup that is linked to more facial hair growth, the origin of Vikings before they came to Scandinavia, Viking Age Hairstyles & Beards: Historical & Modern Takes, How Tall & Strong Were Vikings? 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