Red Hair, Weasleys and Evanses

[muscatel1988]

No: HPFGUIDX 95760


> Tip:
> Actually, the reason there seem to be a disproportionately large 
red 
> haired population in Ireland and western Britain is the Angles, 
> Jutes, Saxons, etc.  The vikings and related groups did a lot of 
> raiding (and as was the wont of such types in those days, raping) 
and 
> left a lot of red and blonde haired bairns in their wake.  That's 
> more common in Ireland and Hebrides, but certainly one sees it in 
> Wales.
> Check out my fan fiction:  http://www.schnoogle.com

This isn't entirely right - the Angles, Jutes and Saxons were not 
Vikings.  They spoke various West Germanic languages, and arrived in 
Britain in 450AD.  Linguistically, the closest language to Old 
English is Frisian, the modern version of which is still spoken 
today off the coast of The Netherlands.  They didn't invade - 
Vortigern invited them in to help fight against the Picts and the 
Scots, the deal being that they would be given land and encouraged 
to bring their families (Britain was in a state of chassis following 
the end of effective Roman control in 410AD).

The Vikings were North Germanic, and the Viking raids and settlement 
of the British Isles didn't start until the late 8th century (the 
first was at Lindisfarne in 793AD).  And although it's certain that 
the raids were violent, and artefacts taken from the British Isles 
have been found in Scandinavia, there's been a lot of reassessment 
in recent years of their raping and pillaging.  The problem is that 
in this case, the history was written by the victims, mainly the 
monks who were writing surviving sources like the Anglo-Saxon 
Chronicle.

Mus (who's redhaired!)