So, this is kind of silly, but over the past few months, I’m been really into Vikings. And the reason why is because of the series Vikings.
I watched it daily via Netflix and got really into it. I started researching about them and studied maps of where they were from and where they raided (I absolutely nerded out).
When I visited my niece and nephews, I even pretended to be a Viking and chased them around their house. It was super childish, I know.
But what I’m trying to get at is that I was infatuated with Vikings.
However, I came across this article earlier this week that dismantled almost every fact that I thought I knew about Vikings.
The article, which was from CTV News, highlighted a study conducted by academics from the University of Cambridge and the University of Copenhagen, and was published in the journal Nature.
The Study
The study found that Viking DNA didn’t just come from Scandinavia (which I previously thought). It also had traces of genes from Asia and Southern Europe. Also, they weren’t all (or the majority of them) blond.
They were actually mostly brunettes.
I know -your mind is blown.
Another thing that I learned from this article is that the word Viking actually means pirate is Scandinavian.
“The word ‘Viking’ comes from the Scandinavian term ‘vikingr,’ meaning ‘pirate,’ and the Viking Age refers to the period of the Middle Ages between 800 and the 1050s, the researchers explained.”
Okay, so this most likely isn’t that surprising. I should’ve probably already known that, considering how I “claim” to be a super fan.
But I’m not an academic studying Vikings, okay?
Anywhoo, this study was conducted over a span of six years. The archeologists and academics analyzed over 400 Viking skeletons, using DNA technology.
The skeletons were from sites in Scandinavia, Greenland, and the U.K.
Oh, one more thing that was interesting to me is that the raids comprised of mostly men. I didn’t know this.
I thought that there were also women who joined them. Or at least that’s how they depicted it in the series.
But maybe the show’s writers skewed the facts a bit to make it more progressive and to make the story more compelling.
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Which is fine. It’s supposed to be fiction anyway.
But this just goes to show that you can’t believe everything you see, hear or read.
Just because something claims to be something doesn’t mean that it will be. Get me?
So when you are doing research, even for fun, always find more than one source. I had a history professor who said you should always find 3 sources that point to the same (or similar) answer, and this is what I’ve stuck with.
You should take this advice too.
If you want to read more about this Nature study, you can find it here.
If not, stop procrastinating and go conduct some of your own research. And remember to find 3 or more sources before believing anything.