Scandinavian Komsa - from eternal glacier to modern tattoo culture
Upper Paleolithic - As the ice melted and receded, reindeer grazed the flat lands of Denmark and the southernmost part of Sweden. This was the land of the Ahrensburg culture, tribes that hunted vast areas and lived in lavvo in the tundra. Researchers named these late Paleolithic and early Mesolithic hunters and gatherers Komsa, because how they identified themselves is unknown.
From c. 9000 to 6000 b.p. (Middle to Late Mesolithic) Scandinavia was inhabited by mobile or semi-sedentary groups about whom little is known. They subsisted on hunting, fishing and gathering as forests had developed. The Maglemosian culture lived in Denmark and southern Sweden. To the north, in Norway and most of southern Sweden, was the Fosna–Hensbacka culture, which lived mainly along the forest edge. They followed herds and salmon runs, moving south in winter and north again in summer. These early tribes followed cultural traditions similar to those practiced in other regions far to the north.
In the 6th millennium BC, southern Scandinavia was covered by temperate broadleaved and mixed forests. The Kongemose culture dominated this period. They hunted seals and fished in the rich waters. To the north of the Kongemose people lived other hunter-gatherers in most of southern Norway and Sweden called the Nøstvet and Lihult cultures, descendants of the Fosna and Hensbacka cultures. Towards the end of the 6th millennium BC, the Kongemose culture was replaced by the Ertebølle culture in the south.
It is not known what language these early Scandinavians spoke, but at the end of the 3rd millennium BC they were overtaken by new tribes who, according to many researchers, spoke Proto-Indo-European, the battle-axe culture, perhaps they provided a language that was the forerunner of the modern Scandinavian languages.
Petroglyphs - Well represents the arrival of this culture and the beginning of a new era. In this period Scandinavia developed the first known advanced civilization in the area after the Norse Stone Age. The Scandinavians took over many symbols of Central Europe and the Mediterranean region, while creating new styles and objects. There was no written language in the Nordic countries during the Bronze Age.
Favorable living conditions that led to overpopulation and warmer climatic conditions directed many tribes inhabiting the area south to continental Europe. During this time, in Eastern Europe there was a Scandinavian influence. A thousand years later, the innumerable East Germanic tribes who claimed to be of Scandinavian origin (Burgundians, Cirbi, Tats, Goths and Herules), as well as the lombards, Jordanes, in Getica called Scandinavia (Scandza) the "uterus of nations". Among the Normans were - well represents the arrival of this culture and the beginning of a new era. During this period, it is accepted to live according to familiar customs and to give everyone a chance to prove themselves, so if a boy has never seen blood in his life, he cannot be defined as a man, so when they were still young, they were taught to kill animals, to arouse in their minds the desire for battles and cruelty, which later began to appear in children's games. Thanks to their savagery, Rome would be devastated, and part of the obtained booty would return to Scandinavia with the Barbarians. Thus, the first cornerstones of Viking culture would be laid.
"Viking" is an Old Norse word which translation describes a profession. A person who takes part in a journey by the sea or through the sea. The most correct word used by Europeans to describe the Vikings was Normans, or people of the north, among the Normans were included the modern ethnic groups Norwegians, Danes and Swedes. Representatives of these cultures began to unite in larger groups whose main tasks were the conquest of new lands, the discovery of fertile territories, and trade. The most famous of them is Ragnar Lodbrok (Ragnar Leather Pants), the nickname Leather Pants is said to have come from the fact that Ragnar wore leather pants sewn for him by his wife Lagertha, he considered these pants successful.
He took part in many journeys, proved his bellicosity and ruthlessness, gaining awe from Europeans and gathering around him reliable people ready to follow him.
The warriors who went west were called Vikings. They left a great cultural footprint and carried just as much culture with them. In regions such as French Normandy, England and Ireland. By the way, the city of Dublin was founded by Viking invaders.
The Scandinavian robbers who went east were called Varangians (væringjar), meaning ("sworn men"), and according to the oldest Slavic sources, these Varangians founded Kievan Rus, the largest state in Eastern Europe before the Mongol invasion.
In their greatness Norman influence in terms of territory did not lag from the Holy Roman Empire. Unlike the Romans, the Scandinavians were good sailors, which allowed them to conquer more and more new territories.
When Leif Ericson, called the lucky one, 1002, set sail from the west coast of Greenland and in 1003, he with his ship reached Vinland, or Newfoundland, as it is known today. This made him the first European to reach the shores of America, even before Christopher Columbus.
The adoption of Christianity is believed to have helped Viking communities to integrate into the wider religious and cultural system of the European continent, thus bringing an end to this chapter of history.
Like the misunderstanding of the word :) the truth about Vikings and their visual appearance. Today it is presented with a certain exaggeration. We wear helmets decorated with horns - seriously :) This notion was given to us by romanticized saga writer Esaias Tegnér in the 19th century.
It’s similar to Scandinavian tattoos. During all the conquests, the Scandinavians learned and supplemented their culture with the traditions and signs of other cultures. There is no evidence of patterns on the skin of ancient Scandinavians. Rather, the traditions of skin painting were taken over by the Vikings during their robberies through England, Ireland and Scotland.
Today there is a term that perfectly describes this style - "Neo-Nordic". It was introduced by Colin Dale. Faust says: “Colin coined the term and it's a perfect fit because although the style is reminiscent of the ancients, the designs don't copy actual artefacts. "Neo-Nordic" is a fusion of artistic elements from Sweden, Ireland and other Northern European countries, which even scientists would find difficult to describe. This term usually refers to a bold black and gray tattoo.
Remove all excess and go back to basics. One can clearly see the influence of style and understanding of modern art expression and the interaction of European culture with Scandinavian origins.
Today, the range of different stylized signs and skin designs is unlimited. Scandinavian-style tattoos can and should be talked about as well - of course, in the modern performance without looking for an ethnic roots.
Let's take a look at today the most well-known Scandinavian tattoo symbols, drawings of animal elements and creations interwoven with line knots.
Jelling is named after the many archaeological excavations camed across in Konung House in Jelling. Characteristic of the style are long curved ribbons in which the mutual fight of two large beasts is hidden, the empty spaces are filled with circles, unlike the borre, it is much more complex in composition with animal heads facing in profile.
Borre an old Scandinavian style in which enlarged animal heads facing the viewer (face to face) are twisted through ribbons.
Ringiriki takes its name from the Viking runic stone, which was found in the territory of the Norwegian village Ringiriki. The whole depiction tells of one very large animal, with the lines next to it being its limbs.
Mammen on a silver ax carved patterns from Danish tombs Maaamenenen. The style represents Jelling, but with much more intricate interweaving and more pronounced detailing.
Urnes is based on a Norwegian wood carving which decorates the wooden church in the village of Urnes. The patterns are distinguished by their asymmetry and undulations, in which the main beast is a lion, or a dog surrounded by a very large number of snakes. Differs in the presence of continuous wavy patterns that fill in all voids.
The name Valknut comes from the two words val fallen fighters and knut knot, translated as the knot of the fallen. The symbol is often associated with the three Norns, sisters who, like the Moirai, decide the fate of each person. There are many beliefs, such as the union of the worlds, three intertwined in a triangle together represent the nine corners, which symbolize the number of worlds on the Yggdrasil (tree of life). Three and nine are the main numbers for the Scandinavian in mythology. According to another belief, the three triangles unite three times, past, present and future. Researchers believe it depicts Odin, the father of the gods.
Aegishjalmur or helmet of terror, an Icelandic symbol believed to bring victory in opposition. It is believed to be an ancient Scandinavian protective ornament, but this symbol is found in history only in one place on a page of the Hult Manuscript, a collection of magical powers and ornaments from around 1800, which is 600 years after the Viking period.
Vegvisir is also mentioned in these manuscripts with the description "Neither in storm, nor in fog, shall the bearer of this sign turn from the path." Often called a signpost.
Hulinhjalmur is a vector symbol of ancient Icelandic magical poles Hulinhjalmur. The symbol means and is used to make oneself invisible.
P.S. Perhaps the ancestors of today's Finns, Danes, Norwegians, Swedes and Icelanders took the secrets of tattooing with them, we will never know. One thing is certain, together with the Vikings we can trace the spread of skin designs in the Scandinavian lands. Today we are all searching for our ancestral roots to link ourselves to a historical period, like an engraving in stone, leaving a narrative about ourselves.
