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?. Id say typical scandinavian face is an upturned nose, pale skin, A small percentage of Swedish adults may be below the national average. As weve established, most Nordic people today have brightly colored eyes, with some areas reaching up to 80% of the population (P. Frost 2006). From the tips of his toes to his neck, each man is tattooed in dark green with designs, and so forth. DNA analysis of specimens from this period shows that people with this cultures distinctive facial features have dark hair, a mix of light and dark skin, and blue eyes. 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 Swedish have a blue eye and are taller (Based on DNA & Archeology), Viking Music: What Instruments Did the Vikings Play? (Julku 191), [13] 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). What Do Modern-day Scandinavians Actually Look Like? Shoes This means Scandinavian hair mostly fall into these categories: So Scandinavian hair color is mostly light in character, but what types of characteristics does Scandi hair have? 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. Music Who is this group of people? Their eyes are light in many cases, including blue and green. Other Nordic countries like Iceland have high cheekbones. Two eyes, one nose, a mouth. Probably a chin and ears. I think. 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. Names 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. As recently as 1999, the Smi had not yet been placed on the language and gene map of Europe. They originated from Europe but spoke a Uralic language among themselves. It would really help me in my studies, thank you for reading! Julku, Kysti. There are no scientific studies suggesting Scandinavians, or any other people for that matter, are considered more attractive than others. Its worth keeping in mind that being a Viking was more of a profession than ethnicity, and seeing as that profession included raiding, pillaging and striking fear into the minds of their enemies, it makes sense that these folks were a bit larger and stronger on average. Required fields are marked *. Shoes The prevalence of this gene on the Norwegian west coast is thought to be linked to slaves from Ireland and Scotland being brought to Scandinavia. Archeological evidence on display on the Viking Museum of Oslo shows some very large Norsemen that are believed to have weighed around 130-140 kilograms, which amounts to 287-309 pounds. While it doesnt necessarily have to be blonde, it can also be different shades of light brown. As a Scandinavian, you may be more prone to have high cheekbones. 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. Research surrounding the EDAR gene indicates that Scandinavians (along with most Europeans) generally have thinner hair, than for example East Asians and Native Americans. 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. Keep reading to learn more! Between 1-10% of the population of Scandinavia have red hair according to studies that have mapped out the so-called red hair genes. The Nordic countries share a history that goes back hundreds of years. Oslo What is interesting here is that this particular hairstyle was so associated with the Vikings/Normans that this English man felt shame that his brothers would wear his hair like that. Those with these facial features have high cheekbones, but they are not considered attractive. Is there a link between Scandinavians, Vikings, and the Germanic people who migrated across Europe during the fall of the Roman Empire? Quiz The nasal shortness is shown in the vertical heat map (Figure 1b: blue nasal tip). 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. They have high cheekbones as a result of their heavy brows. Oslo Again: love the site and the work behind with lots of information and I dont mean to complain. Stereotypical Scandinavian traits and facial features have since the early 20th century included straight, blonde hair; blue eyes; tall figure; a straight nose; thin lips; and non-prominent cheekbones, according to Werner & Bjrks 2014 book Blond and Blue-eyed. This was used in their beards as well, and had the benefit of killing hair lice (a very common problem at the time). The Scandinavians are a distinct group. Finland Viking, Norse, or Scandinavians from the Viking Agewhats the correct term? This still leaves the crucial question that asks how and when did the Finns and the Smi begin speaking related languages in the first place? This is one of the bigger controversies in Scandinavian history. Life Gene Expression. Norse Hi Love, you can see it to some extent in the various facial reconstructions done by different institutions around the world (based on analysis of DNA and skeletal remains): https://nordicperspective.com/history/vikings/how-vikings-actually-looked-complete-guide#index2, It is also mentioned by the National Museum of Denmark right here: The Scandinavians have high cheekbones, which makes them more likely to be a desirable type of person. Being of Swedish Decent myself, cool toned blonde hair, fair skin and usually were quite tall, of slim build and have blue or grey eyes Yes the origins and visual characteristics of the first Scandinavians were discussed in the SVT article (https://www.svt.se/nyheter/vetenskap/de-var-de-forsta-svenskarna), but more specifically this theory comes from research by Mattias Johansson, professor of genetics at Uppsala University. According to a Popular Science Monthly study, most Scandinavians have wavy hair, with some parts of northern Scandinavia having more coarse/straight hair. And since many Swedes lack this melanin, their eyes take on different light colors. Vikings were likely quite tall even by modern standards, with adult Norse males in Sweden, Norway, and England found to average around 176 cm (5 ft 9 in) in height, compared to 175.3 cm (5 ft 8 in) in modern-day USA and England. As a result, much of the Swedish population has similar light features. http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/where_do.html (accessed February 26, 2005). 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. Fashion Nordic spring/summer): First off, there are plenty of people with darker skin in todays Scandinavia, but they generally have more than just Scandinavian heritage in their family. 1999. English We can see this more clearly in modern facial reconstructions produced by academics around the world based on skeletal and DNA analysis. While the Finns speak Finnish and the Smi speak many different languages among themselves, all of these variants of human speech belong to the Finno-Ugric or Uralic language group. In actuality, these Mongoloid-like traits do not occur at a higher average rate than they would in other Northern European groups. The average height of a female Swede is 165.6 cm (5 feet 5.23 inches), while the average height of a male Swede is 179.73 cm (5 feet 10.76 inches) [8]. 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. 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. (Niskanen 126), [12] 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. The Scandinavians are known for their high cheekbones. (Carpelan), [9] height of adult males during the Viking Age (in cm). While most Swedes have pale skin and other light features, some may have darker features, like Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, who has brown hair and eyes. 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. Do Scandinavians have natural white or platinum blonde hair? 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. Streaming Tips 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. With the help of modern DNA analysis of ancient Viking remains, we can also establish factors such as what hair color was most common among the Norse people, if they had a lot of body hair, and how likely it was that they had a beard (or at least could grow one). Recommendations There has been a discovery of a Smi motif, which is a group of three specific mutations found in 1/3 of the Smi people. Enjoy your visit! He ultimately returned to his native Malm with his love, where they now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore the world. 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. For more information on what we actually know about Viking hairstyles, Id recommend listening to Dr. Jackson Crawford who specializes in Old Norse (he teaches Scandinavian Studies at my Alma Mater UC Berkeley, on top of talking about Norse mythology on YouTube): We do not have as many archeological findings of different female hairstyles as we have for male cuts, but nonetheless here are some that are fairly historically accurate: The hairstyles come from artifacts, sculptures, engravings and similar left behind in Viking graves, so they are likely to have been at least somewhat popular during the Viking Age. Top 5 Most Innovative and Futuristic Cars of 2023, Ways To Store Marijuana Correctly to Maintain Freshness, How Chemistry And Business Are Interrelated, A Beginners Guide To Coin Grades: How They Are Calculated, Six Marketing Methods Every Pest Control Company Should Try, 10 Best And Cheapest Sites To Buy Instagram Followers in 2023, Reasons Why a Real Estate Company Buys Houses for Cash. 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). Other Scandinavians with high cheekbones include Fredrik Ljungberg, Mads Mikkelsen, and Tim Avicii Berg. WebThey have a pronounced nose, high cheekbones, and slim lips. Popular Post This procreation keeps these genetics alive. So there is at least something to the myth from a North American perspective (beauty standards differ around the world, after all). The ability to have an internal loci of control and to act on it makes the Scandinavian Personality Trait a key trait for personal success. Also, many Swedes have light hair, but its not always 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. 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%). 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. Sajantila, Lahermo, Anttinen, Luuka, Sistonen, Savontaus, Aula, Beckman, Tranebjaer. As far as I know, the advanced DNA analysis of skeletal remains scientists can do today has proven to be very reliable (the same scientific method has been used to establish the physical traits of Vikings also, and they seem to agree with written records), and its not so hard to imagine Scandinavians skin adapting from dark to light over a long period of time due to changing sunlight exposure, as we are all descendants of dark-skinned Africans (if we go even further back in time) no matter how light our skin color is today. Occur at a higher average rate than they would in other swedish people facial characteristics European groups considered more than..., these Mongoloid-like traits do not occur at a higher average rate than they would in northern. Blonde hair the Swedish population has similar light features males during the fall the. For reading the language and gene map of Europe matter, are considered more attractive than others reading... 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