When Norse settlers arrived in Iceland around 874 CE, they were not alone. While sagas emphasize brave chieftains and warriors from Scandinavia, genetics reveals a deeper truth: the early Icelanders were forged from two ancestral streams—one Norse, the other Gaelic.
A landmark study published in Science (Margaryan et al., 2018) sequenced genomes from early Icelandic burials, identifying not only Scandinavian but also British Isles ancestry among the first settlers. Here, we explore this legacy using specific individuals whose remains tell this complex story.
Ancient Icelandic Samples and Their Genetic Makeup
Let’s examine some of these early individuals by their reference IDs:
DAV-A8 – Dalvík, North Iceland
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Sex: Male
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Ancestry: Predominantly Scandinavian
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Y-DNA: Likely I1 or R1a (common Norse male haplogroups)
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mtDNA: Minor Gaelic influence
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Interpretation: Likely the son of two Norse parents, typical of elite male burials.
DKS-A1 – Dýrafjörður, Westfjords
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Sex: Female
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Ancestry: Gaelic-biased (maternal)
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mtDNA: U5 or J1 (often linked to British Isles)
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Interpretation: A woman with clear Celtic roots, possibly brought during early Norse raids or exchanges.
FOV-A1 – Fossvogur, near Reykjavik
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Sex: Male
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Ancestry: Admixed (~50% Norse, ~50% Gaelic)
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Interpretation: A true first-generation Icelander, descendant of both Gaelic and Norse parents.
GRS-A1 – Grensás, SW Iceland
HSJ-A1 – Húsafell
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Sex: Male
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Ancestry: Norse paternal, Gaelic maternal
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Interpretation: Embodies the typical pattern of a Scandinavian father and a Gaelic mother.
KNS-A1 – Kornsá
KOV-A2 – Kópavogur
NNM-A1 – Nes, North Iceland
NTR-A2 – Núpur, Northwest Iceland
ORE-A1 – Öræfi region
SBT-A1 – Skagafjörður
SSG-A2 & SSG-A4 – Skriðuklaustur site
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Sex: Male and Female
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Ancestry: One predominantly Norse, one predominantly Gaelic
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Interpretation: These two may represent two ends of the ancestral spectrum within the same community.
STT-A2 – Stöðvarfjörður
SVK-A1 – Svalbarð
TGS-A1 – Þingeyrar
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Sex: Male
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Y-DNA: Likely I1 (Scandinavian)
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Interpretation: Purely Norse paternal line, with potential Gaelic maternal admixture.
TSK-A26 – Þorskafjörður
VDP-A5, A6, A7 – Viðidalstunga
YGS-B2 – Ytra-Garðshorn
A Gendered Genetic Legacy
The study shows a gender-biased migration:
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Men: Predominantly Norse (Y-DNA like I1, R1a)
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Women: Largely Gaelic (mtDNA like H1, J1, U5)
Icelanders Today
Modern Icelanders still carry these ancient signals:
Copy
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:DAV-A-8_38_noUDG.SG,0.124067,0.122879,0.073916,0.073644,0.0437,0.023148,0.00423,0.013846,0,-0.006196,-0.008119,0.000749,0.000892,-0.009358,0.016015,0.021612,0.007041,-0.000887,0.006536,0.009004,0.013351,-0.003586,0.000739,0.004579,0.001916
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:DKS-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.126344,0.142174,0.092395,0.056848,0.031083,0.016733,-0.009165,0.004384,0.010022,-0.005103,-0.002923,-0.001199,0.002379,-0.000413,0.024701,-0.015513,-0.018906,0.007348,0.002137,-0.004127,-0.004367,0.004204,-0.008134,0.009519,0.010658
Iceland_Early_Christian.SG:FOV-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.117238,0.126941,0.073916,0.0646,0.028005,0.021475,-0.00188,0.003692,0.006545,-0.007472,-0.002761,0.003897,-0.010258,-0.024359,0.014251,0.001989,-0.00352,0.003674,0.01081,0.008754,-0.001248,0.015086,0.008751,0.016147,-0.008143
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:FSS-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.126344,0.129988,0.057699,0.045543,0.039392,0.007251,0.003525,0.00923,0.009817,0.00656,-0.005034,0.007493,-0.021556,-0.011836,0.021715,0.004375,-0.003781,-0.002787,0.001131,0.006628,-0.001123,0.003586,0.005423,0.013616,-0.0097
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:GRS-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.125205,0.132019,0.066373,0.050065,0.036314,0.008088,0.00705,0.000231,0.013499,0,0.002111,0.005695,0.000743,0.001101,0.002036,-0.002917,-0.00352,0.006588,0.003897,-0.001876,-0.000749,-0.000989,-0.006286,0.001325,-0.015208
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:HSJ-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.134311,0.127957,0.070522,0.06137,0.040007,0.022032,0.00752,0.004384,-0.002045,-0.007472,0.005359,0.001499,-0.012487,-0.020231,0.025515,0.020154,0.005737,0.005194,0.005279,0.01038,0.010606,0.00915,-0.003821,0.007591,0
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:KNS-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.126344,0.126941,0.058077,0.060078,0.041238,0.008367,-0.00376,0.002769,-0.001023,0.012574,-0.012179,-0.002548,-0.021704,-0.019955,0.016965,0.011933,-0.005867,0.004181,-0.003017,0.013131,-0.006239,0.00779,0.003451,0.018918,0
Iceland_Early_Christian_o.SG:KOV-A-2_38_noUDG.SG,0.124067,0.133034,0.063356,0.04522,0.04647,0.01757,0.004465,0.017538,-0.000614,0.000547,0.003085,0.004196,-0.011447,-0.006468,0.018051,-0.001591,-0.011474,0.014062,0.012193,0.001876,0.006114,-0.011129,0.012325,0.015785,-0.010777
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:NNM-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.138864,0.118817,0.078818,0.075582,0.053241,0.010598,0.00235,0.011307,-0.001023,-0.011845,-0.004222,-0.008093,0.010406,-0.01101,0.022394,0.007955,-0.004824,-0.002027,0.010307,-0.000375,0.003119,0.009274,-0.000246,0.028558,0.011137
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:NTR-A-2_38_noUDG.SG,0.120652,0.128972,0.052797,0.048773,0.032314,0.023427,-0.000235,-0.004846,0.008999,0.027153,-0.000325,0.008093,-0.014569,-0.013212,0.026465,-0.012331,-0.015125,-0.000633,0.000251,-0.000625,-0.002496,-0.000618,-0.013311,0.012773,0.001437
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:ORE-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.135449,0.136081,0.055814,0.043282,0.036007,0.03012,0.008225,0.015692,0.015339,0.003098,-0.011854,-0.010041,-0.030921,-0.016652,0.025244,-0.005436,-0.036116,-0.00228,0.003645,0.002251,-0.002745,0.007048,0.007518,-0.006025,-0.000718
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:SBT-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.120652,0.127957,0.062602,0.044251,0.038776,0.016733,0.001175,0.005077,0.003068,0.006378,0.000812,0.013038,-0.008622,-0.013074,0.017101,0.009944,-0.002738,-0.00228,0.003017,0.002876,0.006364,0.015457,0.004683,0.00976,0.000599
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:SSG-A-2_38_noUDG.SG,0.122929,0.125926,0.053928,0.053295,0.0397,0.011992,0.006345,0.008538,0.002045,-0.006925,-0.000162,0.005995,-0.016947,-0.009358,0.018729,0.002121,-0.004042,0.006081,0,0.001,0.007736,0.001855,-0.00986,0.015665,-0.003832
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:SSG-A-4_38_noUDG.SG,0.121791,0.135065,0.068636,0.055556,0.036622,0.023427,-0.00094,0.009,0.008181,0.009659,-0.008607,0.010191,-0.015461,-0.027249,0.02443,0.001856,-0.000261,0.0019,0.009679,0.001376,0.007487,0.002102,0.002342,0.0194,0.007784
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:STT-A-2_38_noUDG.SG,0.12862,0.137096,0.063356,0.065892,0.036622,0.016733,0.00752,0.008077,-0.001432,0.001276,-0.004547,0.007493,-0.014271,-0.021056,0.035694,0.016971,0.006128,0.004941,0.001634,0.004877,0.001996,0,-0.006655,0.008555,0.000239
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:SVK-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.12862,0.136081,0.071653,0.062339,0.037238,0.023706,0.00752,0.011538,0.000818,-0.000911,-0.009581,0.019333,-0.012339,-0.008395,0.012622,0.013789,0.011343,-0.001394,-0.001131,0.006003,0.008235,-0.002844,-0.003451,0.026389,-0.008023
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:TGS-A-1_38_noUDG.SG,0.124067,0.127957,0.073539,0.066215,0.036007,0.017849,0.00564,0.011769,-0.000614,-0.003098,0.004384,-0.000749,-0.012487,-0.009358,0.014794,0.013922,-0.000391,0.004814,0.010056,-0.004627,0.015972,-0.004451,0.00037,0.003253,0.00934
Iceland_Early_Christian.SG:TSK-A-26_38_noUDG.SG,0.140002,0.127957,0.070522,0.055233,0.041854,0.020638,0.00141,0.005307,0.011044,0.003462,-0.008931,0.007793,-0.016947,-0.01734,0.011401,0.018297,0.017211,0.001014,-0.000251,0.00075,0.005116,0.005812,-0.001972,0.009519,-0.001197
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:VDP-A-5_38_noUDG.SG,0.125205,0.128972,0.078441,0.065246,0.028928,0.019243,0.0094,0.011307,0.006749,-0.011481,0.000162,0.007643,-0.005054,-0.017478,0.02443,0.020817,0.014733,0.004561,-0.003897,0.005878,0.009982,0.004328,0.004683,0.013014,-0.004431
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:VDP-A-6_38_noUDG.SG,0.122929,0.135065,0.064111,0.051357,0.033545,0.015339,0.008225,0.006923,0.002045,0.001458,-0.008931,0.01139,-0.017096,-0.011698,0.018458,0.004906,-0.007171,-0.002787,0.001383,0.009129,0.006988,-0.000742,0.001232,0.015183,0.004191
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:VDP-A-7_38_noUDG.SG,0.125205,0.120848,0.074293,0.062016,0.027082,0.029005,0.00188,0.003461,-0.009817,-0.006196,-0.012666,0.008393,-0.014866,-0.004404,0.029994,0.003447,-0.017602,0.005954,0.005154,0.006378,0.010232,-0.000866,0.004067,0.008555,-0.000838
Iceland_Pre_Christian.SG:YGS-B-2_38_noUDG.SG,0.120652,0.126941,0.07467,0.053295,0.037853,0.022032,0.00141,0.007846,0.009817,-0.005649,-0.003897,0.004196,-0.015609,-0.012111,0.028908,0.01127,-0.005867,-0.000253,0.004777,0.011506,0.00574,0.012489,0.001109,0.017352,0.002036
This dual heritage helped shape not only the genetic makeup of Iceland but also its culture, language, and identity.
Conclusion
Thanks to ancient DNA, we now know that Iceland’s founders were neither purely Viking nor Celtic—but both. The bones of DAV-A8, DKS-A1, and others whisper of a society born of longships and Gaelic voices, where Norse ambition met Celtic resilience to build a new world in the North Atlantic.
Reference
Margaryan, A., Lawson, D. J., Sikora, M., Rasmussen, S., Cassidy, L. M., Jessen, M., ... & Willerslev, E. (2018). Population genomics of the Viking world. Science, 369(6505), eaav2625. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar2625
