A new study of comparing yDNA (paternal line) and mtDNA (maternal line) for Scandinavian settlement in Orkney, Shetland, North and West Scotland, the Scottish Islands and Iceland has been published by Goodacre et al in the journal Hereditry.

It shows that equal proportions of males and females settled in Shetland, Orkney and the North and West Scottish mainland, Shetland showing the highest amount of settlement and the mainland areas, the lowest. Family groups settling in this manner are often interpreted as colonisation.

The Scottish Islands however show a clear difference between the level of male and female settlement. The higher proportion of males may indicate more of a 'frontiersman' spirit, males striking it out on their own and taking local wives.

Iceland show obviously very high levels of male input and, although a there is a high level of female input, it is only about a third of the number of males, ie, only about one in three took a wife with him. The majority of the female input into iceland is from the british mainland.

The full study is at:

http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/hdy/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/6800661a.html&filetype=PDF

and contains some useful pie charts for those who don't like readng too much text.

Harry,

I had seen a summary of the results from this study, but not the paper itself until now. Although Goodacre et al claim different results from those reported by Capelli et al, I am not sure where they obtain their admixture percentage results from the Capelli paper, as no such percentages were presented in the Capelli paper. Goldstein presented some percentages in media articles, but none in the paper itself.

My own simple analysis of the haplogroup frequencies reported in the Capelli paper, using the method of genetic distances to derive admixture percentages, correlate well with Goldstein’s quoted figures, apart from his figure of 60% Norwegian Viking for Shetland (not sustained by the Principal Component Plot in the Capelli paper – Fig. 3), whereas my figure of 45% accords well with Goodacre’s figure of 44% for the male population. Also the mean native British population percentage in Northwest Scotland, from the two Capelli sample sites in this region (Durness and Oban), computes as 85%, which is exactly what Goodacre concludes. On this basis, I would conjecture that the Goodacre and Capelli sets of data do in fact correlate remarkably well.

The discrepancies between the male and female admixture percentages do suggest sustained raids and/or exploration by male Vikings rather than family settlements in the Western Isles and Iceland. It would have been interesting to extend this survey into the Isle of Man, where Capelli also found some Y-Chromosome evidence of Norwegian Viking settlement.

quote:

Originally posted by Harry Amphlett:
A new study of comparing yDNA (paternal line) and mtDNA (maternal line) for Scandinavian settlement in Orkney, Shetland, North and West Scotland, the Scottish Islands and Iceland has been published by Goodacre et al in the journal Hereditry.

It shows that equal proportions of males and females settled in Shetland, Orkney and the North and West Scottish mainland, Shetland showing the highest amount of settlement and the mainland areas, the lowest. Family groups settling in this manner are often interpreted as colonisation.

The Scottish Islands however show a clear difference between the level of male and female settlement. The higher proportion of males may indicate more of a 'frontiersman' spirit, males striking it out on their own and taking local wives.

Iceland show obviously very high levels of male input and, although a there is a high level of female input, it is only about a third of the number of males, ie, only about one in three took a wife with him. The majority of the female input into iceland is from the british mainland.

The full study is at:

http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/hdy/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/6800661a.html&filetype=PDF

and contains some useful pie charts for those who don't like readng too much text.

I came across a study of the Icelandic population that gave figures of 20% Gael(m), 85% Gael(f) - which I guess is close to your figures.
I suppose the "british" population you refer to would be mostly Gaels, seeing as how the main Viking centre was Dublin and the Gaels were in the Western part of Scotland - PLUS the fact that the Irish were in Iceland when the Vikings arrived!
Indeed, it is thought the Irish influence was mainly responsible for the writing of the Icelandic sagas and the blossoming of literature in Iceland, seeing as the Scandanavian countries hadlittle tradition in literature.

quote:

I suppose the "british" population you refer to would be mostly Gaels.

Jack Doe,

In all probability the “British” population referred to would have been predominantly Gaels, but as the Gaels and the Brythons were genetically indistinguishable from each other, it is possible that the Britons of Strathclyde and/or the Picts (who were thought to have been Brythonic) were also included to a lesser extent.

I read some slightly mad book recently which my Dad brought back from Canada when he was there on business. The writer made the suggestion that the gaels/britons had arrived at Iceland first, before the Vikings. This was completely groundless and totally without evidence, but at the same time, not impossible. The writer suggested that british/gaelic sailors could have reached Icleand via the Faroes by following migrating bird patterns.

Otherwise it was a bit of a mad bag of cats of a book.

quote:

Originally posted by donandjod:
I read some slightly mad book recently which my Dad brought back from Canada when he was there on business. The writer made the suggestion that the gaels/britons had arrived at Iceland first, before the Vikings. This was completely groundless and totally without evidence, but at the same time, not impossible. The writer suggested that british/gaelic sailors could have reached Icleand via the Faroes by following migrating bird patterns.

Otherwise it was a bit of a mad bag of cats of a book.

But its true! The Irish were in Iceland BEFORE the Vikings. And they had colonised the Faroes.