JAY SMITH“The Vikings epitomized the freedom and
strength we like in our heroes,” says Judith Jesch,
professor of Viking studies at the University of
Nottingham. “They were enterprising and bold;
they were certainly violent, but so was everyone
else at the time — and still are.”
But despite their well-documented spirit
of adventure, warrior culture and innovative
shipbuilding, the Vikings still have their secrets.
Questions remain about how they lived, where
they traveled and who they really were.
Now, like ship captains setting sail to untouched
shores, scientists are exploring a new age of Viking
research. On this adventure, DNA is their map.
Genetic studies have made stunning claims
recently, ranging from who’s buried in a famous
Viking grave to just how far across the Atlantic
Ocean the Vikings may have traveled. Even
more research is underway, though results may
disappoint anyone expecting tidy answers.
“Viking is not a genetic term,” says University
of Bergen geneticist Ellen Røyrvik, who was part
of a landmark 2015 genetic study of populations
in the British Isles. “It’s a cultural and historical
label we’ve given them.”
There was also no single Viking identity. Viking
Age populations from Denmark, Norway and
Sweden each had different genetic signatures. As
Vikings settled Iceland, or mixed with populations
in Ireland, the British Isles and beyond, those
genetic patterns evolved. Untangling the different
threads can be difficult and open to numerous
interpretations.
DNA can, however, give us details we would
otherwise never learn. For example, in contrast
to well-known boat burials, in which high-status
individuals were laid to rest in a hull with lavish
grave goods, animals and even slaves, “DNA can
give you a picture of more average people, who
wouldn’t have been able to afford the richest
burials,” says Røyrvik. “It can provide a real cross
section of a population.
“But you won’t get as much as people want
from DNA,” she cautions. “All it does is give you
“DNA can give you a
picture of more average
people.... it can provide
a real cross section
of a population,” says
A geneticist. “but you
won’t get as much as
people want from DNA.”