About three minutes ago I was watching a documentary about The Little Ice Age. They said the Vikings in Greenland should have noticed that the Eskimos had a type of spear that could catch fish in the winter, which, if the Norsemen had adopted it, would have helped them enormously. Then the documentary went straight into the line no one here remembers: “If they had mixed blood with the Eskimos they would have survived.”
Why it requires blood mixing to adapt a type of spear was not specified. It didn’t have to be. No one here except me would even remember they said that, it is so standard. When I discuss it here, I face the “DUH, MEN!” chorus, “I never did heerd nuthin’ lak THAT!”
It was less than ten minutes ago. But I will remember it for hours, even YEARS.
Having a memory is a LONELY business.
#1 by shari on 06/17/2007 - 8:37 pm
Which means that they DIDN’t mix with eskimos. A few years ago my son was in Iceland. Some Icelandic children had dark hair. Not all Scandinavians are blond, some actually do have dark hair. Anyway he was told, I don’t know by who, that this was due to Eskimo mixture. He didn’t know and I didn’t really either, but I did tell him that some Scandinavians have dark hair.
#2 by Tim on 06/18/2007 - 11:34 am
Shari,
The Vikings southern most settlement was in a lil place called Dublin… Eire! They fell in love with Irish girls and took’em everywhere. Who could blame them? The genetic tests in places like Iceland have proved it beyond doubt. Nevertheless, Nordics can have dark and red hair just like Italians or any other European. Next time to see a dark hair Nordic (especially from Denmark or Iceland) tell them they act Irish.
#3 by shari on 06/18/2007 - 1:27 pm
Tim,
Ha! I’ll do that. I wonder if the Eskimo story isn’t an inside joke among Icelanders? The phd contributors to tv documentaries are way too often horses rears or worse, though.
#4 by Alan on 06/23/2007 - 4:34 am
I don’t know but i’ve been told that eskimo “Pus%y” is mighty cold.