Even though Denmark, Norway, and Sweden possess the most Viking remains and artifacts due to their historical status as Viking homelands, other countries influenced by Viking exploration and settlement also have significant collections.
Viking Countries
The original Vikings were Nordic (Scandinavian): Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland, The Faroe Islands and The Aland Islands. However, many of the earliest Viking settlements conquered by Vikings were Celtic (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornall and Brittany) and Slavic (Eastern Europe / Russia).
There's no clear answer as to which country has the most Viking heritage, but most people keep their arguments to the big three: Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Iceland's language most closely resembles the language of the Vikings, and Denmark and Norway retain plenty of Viking beliefs and heritage.
1. Norway. As one of the countries where Vikings originated, there's tons of Viking heritage in Norway.
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.
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. Professor Willeslev concluded: "The results change the perception of who a Viking actually was. The history books will need to be updated."
If we are speaking ethnically, the closest people to a Viking in modern-day terms would be the Danish, Norwegians, Swedish, and Icelandic people.
According to genetic studies, the most significant Viking DNA traces outside Scandinavia are found in the British Isles, particularly in Scotland and North England. These regions experienced heavy Viking settlement, a legacy that is still apparent in place names, language, and culture.
“It's pretty clear from the genetic analysis that Vikings are not a homogenous group of people,” says Willerslev. “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.
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.
Proving your Scandinavian DNA
If you're an American with an interest in Viking culture and potential Scandinavian heritage, a DNA test might be just the thing to satisfy your curiosity and learn more about your ancestry.
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.
While there is evidence to suggest that Vikings may have been more diverse than previously believed, including the possibility of Viking presence in Africa, the evidence for the existence of black Vikings is still extremely limited. We can therefore say that no, it is not likely that there were black 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.
Experts believe that a majority of Irish people have Celtic roots; however, a study published on Thursday found they may also have a great deal of influence from the Vikings, Anglo-Normans, and British.
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.
No, Vikings aren't a Germanic tribe. The fact of the matter is that Germanic tribes consisted of an umbrella of various tribes that speak different languages commonly grouped together. Moreover, Vikings were only a subgroup of different peoples that included the Germans.
“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.”
So did the Vikings share a common blood type? Research suggests that most ancient populations had a similar composition to the current population in Northern Europe, with Type A being the most common, followed by Type O and then B. This indicates that Viking blood may have shared these same three types.
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.
The rarest natural hair colour is red, which makes up only one to two percent of the global population. You commonly see these hair colours in western and northern areas of Europe, especially Scotland and Ireland. However, natural redheads may not exist for much longer.
Contrary to what many people assume, redheads did not originate in Scandinavia, Scotland or Ireland, but in central Asia. Their coloring is due to a mutation in the MC1R gene that fails to produce sun-protective, skin-darkening eumelanin and instead causes pale skin, freckles and red hair.