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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2002-10 > 1033569248


From: "Orin R. Wells" <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] Red Hair Rare in Swedes? No
Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2002 07:42:46 -0800
References: <F88jYn6hxK9UKwRMZD000003090@hotmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.0.20021001204203.00a9e970@mars.ark.com>


At 09:01 PM 10/1/02 -0700, Cheryl Morris wrote:

>When I was in Sweden, I noted a lot of very dark Swedes

Don't overlook the immigration effect. You will find people from around
the world have immigrated to Sweden over the past decades at the very
least. When I was in Sweden many years ago I was young and inattentive
enough that noticing the complexions and hair colors was not of interest to
me. It would be different now. As for Red Hair, I have seen this in just
about every country in Europe from Spain to Norway. Those Vikings REALLY
got around.

I have never seen anything about it, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if
the Vikings brought interesting individuals back with them from their
trips. Slaves or concubines, either way they would have contributed to
what appears to be the current Scandinavian DNA. Let's also not forget the
Mongolian "hordes" who swept through Europe in the 1200s, who no doubt
dropped their genes wherever they went if they didn't simply destroy the
local population. It is believed that the Huns (who swept out of Hungary)
were actually of Mongolian origin.

Added to that are the Tartars who were Turkic speaking peoples. The
original Tatars probably came from East Central Asia or Central Siberia;
unlike the Mongols, they spoke a Turkic language and were possibly akin to
the Cumans or Kipchaks and the Pechenegs. They were nomads, moving across
the vast Asian and Russian steppes with their families and their herds of
cattle and sheep. After the conquests of the Mongol Chingiz (Genghis) Khan,
the Mongol and Turkic elements merged, and the invaders became known in
Europe as Tatars. The Mongol invasion led by Batu Khan into Hungary and
Germany in 1241 is also known as the Tatar invasion.

We have been remixing DNA across all of Asia and Europe for centuries. It
should not be surprising to find these elements in places that one would
think would be all of something else.


Orin R. Wells
Wells Family Research Association
P. O. Box 5427
Kent, Washington 98064-5427
<>
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wellsfam/wfrahome.html
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