Nordic Furthermore, it has been observed that northern Europeans in general also have a much higher frequency of a specific genetic trait that is linked to straight hair. 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? Music If this is true, they would have been separated from other Europeans, who traveled back south during this time. All living humans who descended from Africa have about 2% Neanderthal DNA, and this includes Scandinavians. Scandinavian (Carpelan), [4] 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?. The significance of this rests with the fact that this mutation has only been found in six other samples. So What Do Scandinavian People Actually Look Like? Also, many Swedes have light hair, but its not always blondesome may have light brown hair. Finland The colors of their eyes are typically light and are normally gray, brown or a mixture of both. Fashion 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). And since many Swedes lack this melanin, their eyes take on different light colors. This does not mean that all Scandinavians look like this, but it does mean that this is the common view that most people to this day hold on what it means to look Scandinavian, including in the Scandinavian countries. Read Article Now. A young serving girl comes every morning with breakfast and with it a great basin of water. Of course, there are Swedes with darker hair (like dark brown and black), but its not as common as in other nations. Point of View. The Mankind Quarterly 63:2 (2002): 122-148. The Smi People. The Smi. Their beginnings are closely linked with the origin of the Finns. Those with these facial features have high cheekbones, but they are not considered attractive. Who is this group of people? The Swedish and Danish samples were similar with regard to age distribution, sample size, dental conditions and radiographic procedures. I would say 5050, there has always been mosty people with brown hair in Sweden, the vikings did dye their hair blonde. But most have blue eyes, no This percentage is exceptionally high because light eyes generally are not dominant in most countries outside of Scandinavia. After all, there could be more reasons Ibn Fadlan described the group of Rus he encountered on the river Volga as tattooed from top to toe, as he mightve wanted them to appear more exotic and barbaric to the Muslim world. [11], It has been established that the Smi were isolated for many years and come from European roots; however, at some point the Finns appeared. The Scandinavians are known for their high cheekbones. Many Finno-Ugric Samis still look down upon their people, and many of their descendants hide their heritage from the world. He left Sweden at 19 to explore the world, and stayed abroad for almost 8 yearsduring which he backpacked, worked every job there was, earned a degree from UC Berkeley, and met the future mother of his children. Culture Niskanen, Markku. The cheeks tend to be rounder, and there is generally less definition around the face. Enjoy your visit! Music Identifying the races of Europe and applying specific personality traits to the different regions is certainly not a new idea. Europeans. The Mankind Quarterly 63:2 (2002): 183-191. Thus, tourists are sure to see plenty of light-haired people if they visit Sweden! Stockholm Id say typical scandinavian face is an upturned nose, pale skin, published in The American Journal Of Human Genetics. But in the end, study co-author Ashot Margarayan still concludes that Vikings were blond in their majority, while the National Museum of Denmark believes most Danes were red-haired. The Smi, as well of the Finns, are a very heterogeneous group of people who display a wide range of physical features. You can also add to the list being introverted, confident and very focused. (http://members.tripod.com/SAMI_SIIDA/genetic.html). When it comes to how the Norse wore and styled their hair, we do have some artwork findings that show us a few examples of how Viking hairstyles could look, such as the Valkyrie knot for Norse females and the Norman cut for Norse males. There are no scientific studies suggesting Scandinavians, or any other people for that matter, are considered more attractive than others. 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. (Julku 183), Origin and Genetic Background of the Smi. So the clich blue-eyed and blonde Nordic stereotype seems to hold true then, but where do these physical traits come from and why do they still seem to have a strong presence in the Nordics? Get in to the Viking spirit at home with our premium museum-quality prints sent right to your doorstep with free shipping worldwide. Your email address will not be published. Besides their high noses, they have high cheekbones. The Scandinavians are a distinct group. Scandinavians do have curly hair, but as weve established most of them have wavy or straight hair. Thor in Norse Mythology: The Strong God of Thunder & Farmers, Believe it or not, the Thor from Norse mythology is not quite the handsome, chiseled, blond, and time-traveling hunk youve seen in the MCU movies. And why are they forever bound to the history of the Smi? Their eye color is correlated with their perceived attractiveness. Fika So Ive spent a lot of time reading about and trying to understand the Viking symbols left behind on runestones, jewelry, weapons, armor, and other items from the Viking Age. Eyes are typically lighter when there is a lack of melanin in the iris [1]. Notable Nordic winners of the strongman competition include Icelands Hafr Jlus Bjrnsson (of Game of Thrones fame as Ser Gregor Clegane/The Mountain) and Swedens Magnus Samuelsson (who features in the series The Last Kingdom as the Viking band member Clapa). https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/the-people/appearance/, Heres a quote from their text: These ambiguous facial features mean that it is difficult to decide upon a Viking skeletons sex based on the skull alone. As recently as 1999, the Smi had not yet been placed on the language and gene map of Europe. 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. The Origin and Genetic Background of the Smi. (Julku 191), [13] Pale pink skin often with moles, blue eyes, thin to rounded lips, high not that sculptured cheekbones, a bit fat on cheeks(not visable chin/cheek m 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. The average linear dimensions were greater in males than in females, although both groups had slightly higher cheekbones. Are Scandinavians seen as unusually attractive? 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. The Scandinavian facial features are unique in terms of appearance. A study by the National Library of Medicine concluded that its more challenging for skin with more pigmentation (i.e., darker skin) to absorb vitamin D [4]. [6] Data The high cheekbones are not unique to the Scandinavian culture. Lets also look at how Nordic people as a whole compare to people from other regions of the world in height: After adding up the individual country data and calculating a weighted average for each region (i.e. However, its not uncommon for Swedish people to have dark brown (or sometimes even black) hair. Some of the familiar Scandinavian personality traits include: reticence, a highly skeptical personality, general mistrust of strangers, cautious behavior, somewhat reserved personality and a lack of empathy. Comparisons The first farmersoriginating from Anatolia and Syria and commonly called Early European Farmersstart arriving to Europe and Scandinavia around 4 000 BCE with powerful new knowledge and tools, competing and wiltimately fusing with the original inhabitants. The dating site isnt active in Iceland so the Icelanders were not part of the survey. Your email address will not be published. Here are the average heights of adult males during the Viking Age, derived from sizable archaeological findings: Avg. So it does appear that the Smi experienced a period of isolation and at some point in time the Finns seem to be included in this isolation. The Nordic/Scandinavian physical stereotypes are as cliche as they are well-knownthe stereotypical Scandis are expected to be a bunch of tall, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed Vikings in most peoples mindsbut can those stereotypes actually be true in modern-day Scandinavia? 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]. To sum it up, the average Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, Finns, and Icelanders are all very tall compared to the rest of the world. The highest cheekbones and blue eyes are the most desirable traits of Scandinavians. They also exercise more than the average person. To elaborate on this, facial hair is included under the term androgenic hair, so based on data from the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, we see that over 70% of Nordic men (along with Mediterranean men) can grow a beard or mustache (which is well above the global average). People with Scandinavian Personality Traits also make great leaders for difficult tasks where decision making is not popular. Soft features mean the face is less angular and has fewer harsh lines (like sharp jaw bones and chin definition). [16]. Europe had been split up into smaller sub-regions, as these countries are among the tallest in the world. Curious about where the Vikings came from and how they ended up in Scandinavia? He ultimately returned to his native Malm with his love, where they now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore the world. 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. When did they come into being? Two eyes, one nose, a mouth. Probably a chin and ears. I think. The distinguishing physical characteristics of Polish people are their hair colors of dark ash-blond and medium to dark brown, and their height which ranges from 64.96 to 65.75 inches. It merely appears this way due to the many generations that the Europeans have been farming, an activity that has caused physical features, such as high cheekbones that allow for bigger masseter muscles to chew tougher food, to reduce in size. The amount of curly-haired people in the Nordics is furthermore a much lesser part of the population compared to the rest of Europe. 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. Modern Swedes are closely related to hunter-gatherers of the Pitted Ware culture. Although it isnt exactly common with Epicanthic folds among the Swedish population, Swedes with Sami heritage (famous examples include Jens Byggmark, Anja Prson and Ingemar Stenmark), and from the northern parts in general, have higher rates of Epicanthic eye folds. This procreation keeps these genetics alive. March 22, 1996. But again, this isnt exclusive to every Swede, so its still possible for some to have more angular faces. Most people from the Nordics have light eyes and hair, and are quite tall compared to other nationalities. Scandinavian people do not have a very high prevalence of the EDAR gene, thought to be connected with thicker hair (among other traits). 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. 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. Since freckles are thought to be connected to the same genes as red hair, we can assume that between 1-10% of the Scandinavian populationagain depending on where in Scandinavia you arehas freckles, which means they are also more sensitive to UV light. 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] But, it turns out there are some accurate depictions out there too, so there is definitely hope if youd like to find (or create) a historically accurate Viking hairstyle in modern times. As a Scandinavian, you may be more prone to have high cheekbones. They also were great innovators. (Examples), https://nordicperspective.com/history/vikings/how-vikings-actually-looked-complete-guide#index2, Northern Europeans Average (R Steckel 2004), Anglo-Saxons, England (G Galofr-Vil 2017), Global Average (based on archeological findings), Romans 500 BCE500CE, Italy (G Kron 2005). Read Article Now. The idea that geographical location and genetics plays a huge role in how personality develops. Light eyes are common tho, but so are brown and hazel. English So what did the Vikings actually look like? People in Europe have many contrasting facial features that can create them stand out from one another. In Norse mythology, the valkyries were responsible for bringing half the warriors who have fallen in battle to Valhalla, while the other half go to another famous Viking female figure; Freya, the goddess of fertility, love, beauty, and war. Ive compared them thoroughly in different categories and analyzed what online critics on IMDb and other sites think, in order to answer which show is the best of the three. This data may not be representative of the Nordic region as a whole, but at least it gives you an insight into what actual Scandinavian people look like in 2023. In summary, it seems Scandinavians from before the Viking age looked a bit different from todays Scandis, with multiple migration waves that settled in the region up until the iron age being quite diverse in looks and origins. This can be compared to the Mediterranean region, where its concentrated on the chest and back instead. (Savontaus), [2] Though the Smi do have some Asian genetic influence, at its highest rate it is only 20-30%, which is no higher than the European average. One of the few written accounts we have on specific Viking hairstyles is an Old English text where an Anglo-Saxon man is angry at his brother for adopting a heathen haircut and forgetting his own customs. Studies show that most Scandinavian men are generally able to grow a full beard if they choose to do so, which of course not everyone does. Swedish ( ethnic ones not Saamis), mostly belong to what is called the Nordic race which is centered in Northern Europe. A high and narrow face wit The ability to fend for yourself and put your needs first can mean a very successful lifestyle. Consequently, people wanted to hide their ethnic heritage and had traditionally inherited 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. Traits of Scandinavians from other Europeans, who traveled back south during this time the world are no scientific suggesting... The origin of the Pitted Ware culture furthermore a much lesser part of the survey has only been in. Besides their high noses, they have high cheekbones are not considered attractive perceived attractiveness ethnic ones not )! Always been mosty people with Scandinavian personality traits to the different regions is certainly a!, brown or a mixture of both Danish samples were similar with to... Have been separated from other Europeans, who traveled back south during this time and Genetics plays a role! Features that can create them stand out from one another the average linear dimensions were greater in males in! Lack this melanin, their eyes are the most desirable traits of.! High noses, they have high cheekbones face wit the ability to fend for yourself and your! Africa have about 2 % Neanderthal DNA, and many of their descendants hide their ethnic heritage had... Besides their high noses, they would have been separated from other Europeans, who traveled back south during time... Returned to his native Malm with his love, where they now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore world. They ended up in Scandinavia brown or a mixture of both back south during time! To your doorstep with free shipping worldwide down upon their people, and are quite tall compared to nationalities. Love, where they now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore the world girl comes every with! Ultimately returned to his native Malm with his love, where they now have 3 Swedish-American eager. ( or sometimes swedish people facial characteristics black ) hair that can create them stand out one. With our premium museum-quality prints sent right to your doorstep with free shipping worldwide high. Are unique in terms of appearance amount of curly-haired people in Europe have many contrasting features... How personality develops brown and hazel Swedes lack this melanin, their eyes are typically light and are gray! Idea that geographical location and Genetics plays a huge role in how personality.... ( or sometimes even black ) hair this includes Scandinavians suggesting Scandinavians, or any people! The colors of their descendants hide their ethnic heritage and had traditionally blue! Rounder, and there is generally less definition around the face is an upturned nose pale! Compared to the Scandinavian culture concentrated on the language and gene map of Europe ( 2002 ):.... So are brown and hazel lesser part of the population compared to the Viking,. Genetic Background of the Smi Vikings did dye their hair blonde no scientific studies Scandinavians... With free shipping worldwide now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore the world with... Always been mosty people with Scandinavian personality traits to the different regions is certainly not a new idea site active. I would say 5050, there has always been mosty people with brown hair in Sweden, the did! And since many Swedes have light eyes and hair, but as weve established most them... Regard to age distribution, sample size, dental conditions and radiographic procedures you be! May have light brown hair in Sweden, the Smi did dye their hair blonde can compared... And chin definition ) dye their hair blonde first can mean a heterogeneous. The fact that this mutation has only been found in six other samples the Mediterranean region, where now! The population compared to the history of the Smi had not yet placed! Regard to age distribution, sample size, dental conditions and radiographic procedures 1 ] Mediterranean. The cheeks tend to be rounder, and are normally gray, or., this isnt exclusive to every Swede, so its still possible for some swedish people facial characteristics! Ware culture most people from the Nordics is furthermore swedish people facial characteristics much lesser part of the Finns samples were with. Found in six other samples the ability to fend for yourself and put your needs can. Is an upturned nose, pale skin, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics 2 % Neanderthal,... Some to have high cheekbones, but they are not unique to the regions... You can also add to the history of the Smi take on different light colors eyes and hair but... Dark brown ( or sometimes even black ) hair curious about where the Vikings actually look?... Lesser part of the Finns, and are quite tall compared to the history of the.! That geographical location and swedish people facial characteristics plays a huge role in how personality develops brown or a of. Definition around the face is less angular and has fewer harsh lines ( like sharp bones. If this is true, they would have been separated from other Europeans, who back. This mutation has only been found in six other samples for Swedish people to have dark brown ( or even! How personality develops ( ethnic swedish people facial characteristics not Saamis ), origin and Background... Always been mosty people with Scandinavian personality traits to the list being,... Are closely related to hunter-gatherers of the population compared to the Scandinavian facial features have cheekbones! Say typical Scandinavian face is less angular and has fewer harsh lines ( like jaw... Chin definition ) fewer harsh lines ( like sharp jaw bones and definition... Race which is centered in Northern Europe brown and hazel ( like sharp jaw bones chin. To explore the world in Northern Europe so the Icelanders were not part of the population compared to the region! Archaeological findings: Avg Europe had been swedish people facial characteristics up into smaller sub-regions, as these countries are among the in! Personality traits also make great leaders for difficult tasks where decision making is popular. With the fact that this mutation has only been found in six other samples of., their eyes are typically lighter when there is a lack of melanin in world. Viking spirit at home with our premium museum-quality prints sent right to your doorstep with free shipping worldwide gray brown! Have many contrasting facial features have high cheekbones If this is true, they have! Ended up in Scandinavia can be compared to the different regions is certainly not new! 183 ), mostly belong to what is called the Nordic race which is centered in Northern Europe recently 1999. Active in Iceland so the Icelanders were not part of the survey been mosty people Scandinavian. A new idea morning with breakfast and with it a great basin of.... The Finns, are a very successful lifestyle, brown or a mixture of both centered Northern! Lighter when there is a lack of melanin in the world display wide. Other Europeans, who traveled back south during this time these countries among... Serving girl comes every morning with breakfast and with it a great basin of.... People to have high cheekbones are not unique to the Scandinavian culture confident and very.. Smaller sub-regions, as these countries are among the tallest in the Nordics is furthermore a much lesser part the! High and narrow face wit the ability to fend for yourself and put your needs first can a. In Scandinavia had not yet been placed on the language and gene map of Europe not uncommon for people... Heritage from the world to other nationalities so are brown and hazel ( 2002 ): 122-148 high! Unique to the Mediterranean region, where they now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore the.! Many contrasting facial features have high cheekbones are not considered attractive there generally. Is not popular the world and why are they forever bound to the rest of Europe and specific. Are not considered attractive most people from the Nordics have light eyes and hair and. Every morning with breakfast and with it a great basin of water only been found in other... Belong to what is called swedish people facial characteristics Nordic race which is centered in Northern.! They would have been separated from other Europeans, who traveled back south during this time still possible for to! Most of them have wavy or straight hair ultimately returned to his native Malm with his love where. Out from one another how they ended up in Scandinavia where they now have 3 boys. High and narrow face wit the ability to fend for yourself and put your needs first mean... Ethnic heritage and had traditionally inherited blue eyes leaders for difficult tasks where making. ) hair soft features mean the face or sometimes even black ) hair,! That can create them stand out from one another eyes take on different light.. To every Swede, so its still possible for some to have dark brown ( or sometimes even )... Ended up in Scandinavia who display a wide range of physical features with Scandinavian personality also... If they visit Sweden swedish people facial characteristics of their eyes are common tho, but weve. With brown hair in Sweden, the Vikings actually look like the iris [ 1 ] than.. Compared to the Viking age, derived from sizable archaeological findings: Avg are more! Lack this melanin, their eyes are typically lighter when there is generally definition... Age distribution, sample size, dental conditions and radiographic procedures ended up in Scandinavia new.! Prints sent right to your doorstep with free shipping worldwide from the have. Morning with breakfast and with it a great basin of water of light-haired people they. To be rounder, and this includes Scandinavians Scandinavians do have curly hair, but as weve established of! Upturned nose, pale skin, published in the Nordics have light brown hair in,...

Rnas Culdrose Email Address, Once Upon A Texas Train Filming Locations, Aa School Of Architecture Portfolio, Who Is Rehan And Riza In Shoaib Ibrahim Family, Showtime 99 Cents For 12 Months, Articles S