Monday, December 9, 2019

Notes From All Over, Part 2 -- December 9, 2019

Christmas gifts. Fortunately her teacher clarified that we're just talking about a toy and not the real thing. Real unicorns are in such short supply around the holidays.


Orcadian Picts? Quick! Everyone knows what a Pict is but does anyone know what "Orcadian" means?  From The Vikings: A History, Robert Ferguson, c. 2009, page 66. There are two interesting things about this story:
  • there were Northern Picts, and there were Southern Picts; who knew? and,
  • it appears that somewhere between the 8th century and the 9th century, practically all native Picts were wiped out.
By the Vikings.

On another note, the only two "tribes" the Romans were unable to subdue/subjugate: the Germanic tribes (think Goths and Vandals) and the Vikings.

My paternal heritage: Norwegian Vikings.

My maternal heritage: Germanic tribes, just not sure which one(s).

Scary. And then the children/grandchildren have a Japanese samurai warrior in their background.

I can't wait until Sophia is asked to write a family history essay in third grade: I'll provide her a great theme.
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4 comments:

  1. Roland LienDecember 9, 2019 at 1:45 PM

    My brother got a DNA test done. It came back 73% Norwegian. Fathers side were all from Norway and mothers side were all from England. Go figure.

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    Replies
    1. Bruce OksolDecember 9, 2019 at 2:21 PM

      In fact, much of England (as well as Scotland, and Ireland) was under Norwegian control between 300 and 1,000 AD. See Robert Ferguson's "The Vikings: A History." But a google search will be faster, including this note:

      In fact, across Great Britain there is a clear pattern: the highest Scandinavian genetic ethnicity is found in northeast England, decreasing as you get further from that region. And in Ireland, the average Scandinavian ethnicity varies rather widely, with a high of 5.3% in Ulster and a low of 2.0% in Munster.

      A good genetic link:

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5312697/DNA-map-Britain-Ireland-reveals-Viking-genes.html.

      Delete
  2. MikeDecember 9, 2019 at 8:44 PM

    Ancestory gave me a new look at my roots couple of years ago. 83% Scandinavian Split evenly between Norge/Sweden.
    Ancient homestead was on the current Norwegian- Swedish Southern Border. Danes, Irish and English fill in the rest.

    And yes, those Vikings were pesky bunch.

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    Replies
    1. Bruce OksolDecember 9, 2019 at 9:02 PM

      I would be really curious what "English, Danes, and Irish" are -- Celts, Picts? Very, very interesting.

      Delete

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