[Merged]Viking Women Colonized New Lands, Too

[Still Waters]

Vikings may have been family men who traveled with their wives to new lands, according to a new study of ancient Viking DNA.

Maternal DNA from ancient Norsemen closely matches that of modern-day people in the North Atlantic isles, particularly from the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

The findings suggest that both Viking men and women sailed on the ships to colonize new lands. The new study also challenges the popular conception of Vikings as glorified hoodlums with impressive seafaring skills.

http://news.discover...-too-141208.htm

[Leonardo]

The women weren't the only ones to join the crew!

Edited December 9, 2014 by Leonardo

[questionmark]

OSLO, Norway, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Newly published research undermines the simplistic narrative of Vikings as a violent plunderers with a knack for sea travel. According to researchers at both the University of Oslo, in Norway, and Stockholm University, in Sweden, Vikings were family oriented and brought women along on trips to settle new lands.

Previous studies -- and popular myth -- have suggested Viking men traveled alone and then began new colonies with the assistance and cooperation of local women -- usurped, acquired or otherwise. But new analysis of mitochondrial DNA collected from 45 Norse skeletons, dated between 796 and 1066, suggest men traveled with women and children (as well as other local families) when colonizing land near Scandinavia -- like Orkney and Shetland Islands, as well as the Scottish isles.

Mitochondrial DNA offers the most detailed information on a person or people's maternal lineage. When the researchers compared the ancient Norse DNA to modern lineages they found it was more similar to DNA of the people of more remote islands, like the Shetlands, than to the DNA of Northern Europeans.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2014/12/09/Study-Vikings-were-family-men/9211418143308/#ixzz3LVUBCmSl

Well, I guess the Hagar the Terrible cartoon has to be rewritten...

[Taun]

Viking was a profession... Not a people... The vast majority of Scandinavian (and Danish) interactions with others, was peaceful trade...