Who are the descendants of the Vikings? Viking settlements exist in different parts of the world, including Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Normandy and Swedish parts of Finland, Estonia and Latvia.
If we are speaking ethnically, the closest people to a Viking in modern-day terms would be the Danish, Norwegians, Swedish, and Icelandic people.
As descendants of the Vikings, people from Scandinavian countries—Denmark, Norway, and Sweden—are the most likely to carry Viking DNA. However, their genetic footprint extends far beyond Scandinavia due to the Vikings' extensive exploration, raiding, and colonization during the Viking Age (around 793-1066 AD).
Where is the most Viking blood? According to the DNA tests, Scotland – heavily populated by Norsemen in the Viking age – has the highest proportion of descendants; the next biggest population is in the North; and the incidence of Viking blood decreases the further south you go.
We can also begin to infer the physical appearance of ancient Vikings and compare them to Scandinavians today.” The genetic legacy of the Viking Age lives on today with six percent of people of the UK population predicted to have Viking DNA in their genes compared to 10 percent in Sweden.
“A lot of the Vikings are mixed individuals” with ancestry from both Southern Europe and Scandinavia, for example, or even a mix of Sami (Indigenous Scandinavian) and European ancestry.
Many people share DNA with Vikings, but without a Vikings ancestry test, you'd have no way of knowing it. Viking genetic traits can look like traits from all over the world, so you wouldn't necessarily know you had them without a test.
But it is William the Conqueror that gives the modern Royal Family their Viking roots. William I, Duke of Normandy, was the great-great-grandson of the mighty Viking Hrolf Ganger, a.k.a. Rollo. Rollo (or Hrolf) was called “Ganger” (the Walker) because he was allegedly too tall to ride a horse.
The genetic legacy of the Viking Age lives on today with six per cent of people of the UK population predicted to have Viking DNA in their genes compared to 10 per cent in Sweden.
New research shows that the Irish definitely have their fair share of Viking heritage–in fact, the Irish are more genetically diverse than most people may assume. The Irish have Viking and Norman ancestry in similar proportions to the English.
“The Vikings had a lot more genes from southern and eastern Europe than we anticipated,” said Willerslev. “They frequently had children with people from other parts of the world. In fact, they also tended to be dark-haired rather than blond, which is otherwise considered an established Viking trait.”
This marker is barely present in England with an average of 1 per cent of men carrying the genetic code. Vikings are still running rampant through Scotland as, according to the researchers, 29.2 per cent of descendants in Shetland have the DNA, 25.2 per cent in Orkney and 17.5 per cent in Caithness.
Although the term 'Vikings' might be associated with the Scandinavian homelands from which these raiders and traders originated, after the first half of the ninth century it is likely that most of those who partook in Viking activity in the British Isles and Ireland were in fact permanent residents of those islands.
Yes, Vikings did have red beards. According to sources, red hair and beards are a genetic trait that is specific to Nordic tribes. It's even thought that some Norsemen would dye their red hair and beards to look blond using lye soap.
As Scotland is just across the North sea from the Scandinavian region, it marked one of the first entry points for the Vikings into the United Kingdom. There are even some Scottish people who can trace their ancestry back to the early Vikings.
We can also begin to infer the physical appearance of ancient Vikings and compare them to Scandinavians today.” The genetic legacy of the Viking Age lives on today with six per cent of people of the UK population predicted to have Viking DNA in their genes compared to 10 per cent in Sweden.
Not really. Or more accurately, the influence of Vikings was rather insignificant. The Rurik bloodline likely came from Scandinavian lands. However, there were good 5 centuries prior to that event that formed the genome of Slavic peoples to the point of ethnicity.
The ambitious research analyzed DNA taken from 442 skeletons discovered at more than 80 Viking sites across northern Europe and Greenland. The genomes were then compared with a genetic database of thousands of present-day individuals to try to ascertain who the Vikings really were and where they ventured.
(Note: Emma's nephew, Robert, was the father of William the Conqueror, making Emma his great-aunt. Fun fact: Queen Elizabeth II can trace her ancestry back to William the Conqueror and thus also Rollo!)
The population in Orkney emerged as the most genetically distinct, with 25% of DNA coming from Norwegian ancestors. This shows clearly that the Norse Viking invasion (9th century) did not simply replace the indigenous Orkney population.
Every English monarch who followed William, including Queen Elizabeth II, is considered a descendant of the Norman-born king. According to some genealogists, more than 25 percent of the English population is also distantly related to him, as are countless Americans with British ancestry.
The most notable Viking facial features include a robust jawline, high cheekbones, broad and prominent foreheads, and deep-set, almond-shaped eyes. These features often accompany a strong, straight nose and a distinctive, heavy brow ridge.
The Viking DNA patterns are rarely found outside Scandinavia
Around 930,000 descendents of warrior race exist today - despite the Norse warriors' British rule ending more than 900 years ago.
The average height of Vikings as found by researchers and scholars, varied depending on a number of factors, including their age and gender. Typically, the average male Viking would usually be between 5 foot 7 and 5 foot 9, while the average female would be between 5 foot 1 and 5 foot 3.