On Vikings

I sent in my DNA and received my "Ethnicity Estimate." Unsurprisingly, I am 39% Scandinavian (my maternal grandfather was Swedish), 27% Irish (or Scottish/Welsh, but I know I have Irish ancestors from a town called Horseleap), and 15% British. The rest is a broad mix of other European regions, including "European Jewish" and the "Iberian Peninsula," among others. Presumably, M 'n' m are comprised of half of this mixture, although I understand it can be more or less of a given lineage. Experts say we should think of DNA as marbles or beads that aren't evenly apportioned; Michael may get more Scandinavian 'beads' from me than Megan, for example. Their percentages won't match, despite having the same parents. That is very interesting, isn't it? Despite this variation, I know M 'n' m will get a hearty bit of Scandinavian from me, which I shall heretofore refer to as "Viking"; yes, M 'n' m have Viking in them!

From Men's Health magazine: "The Vikings were feared for many reasons: They were strong, skilled, and brave.... They were in astounding shape.... Most people don't know the Vikings were farmers despite the severe terrain and climate. But when population growth in Scandinavia made living off the land less favorable, they set sail to conquer new territory. The pillaging was just a bonus; what they really needed was elbow room. The western expansion was basically an agrarian homesteading kind of thing. The exploration was good for the tribe and for the soul.... The Vikings were truly bold. They got in boats and didn't know if they would go off the edge of the earth or hit land.... The Norse warriors spread their DNA rather liberally across Europe; yet they had a relatively enlightened view of gender equality. Vikings respected their women. Unlike the rest of Europe circa AD 800, Viking women were considered equal to men; they had rights to own property and have money. Plus, if you got out of line, they could ditch you – or worse: Some Viking women trained as warriors called Shieldmaidens. In Viking society, if a woman's husband treated her badly, she might stick a knife in his ribs. Or she could divorce him, in which case he had to give back all the property that came with the marriage. If any men in the ninth century were in touch with their feminine side, it was the Vikings. Research also reveals that Vikings took grooming seriously; they wore jewelry and colorful silk. They were savage warriors but they carried combs, razors, tweezers, and even ear spoons (early Q-tips). Anglo-Saxons at the time thought of the Viking invaders as clean freaks because they washed frequently. The Vikings were also style trendsetters, with tattoos, braids, and bleached blond hair (dark-haired Vikings used lye to get the look). Blame the Vikings' fearsome rep on bad PR. They had no written language, so it was Christian monks who wrote about the conquering pagans as devil-like. The monks had a vested interest in portraying them and their religion in the worst possible light, so it matters who tells your story. The Vikings' rich oral tradition of storytelling led to the writing of the Icelandic Sagas, which helped correct the record. Poetry was considered a high art, and the ability to give really amazing speeches and toasts for people was held in high esteem. Scandinavia circa AD 850 was a harsh, dog-eat-dog world, with everyone trying to impress the gods. The ultimate way to do that was by dying courageously in battle, which Vikings believed might gain them admittance to Valhalla, where men battled all day and feasted all night. You went down swinging."