The Orkney Islands are an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland. If you look at a map, they are pretty much due north of what most people think of as England, roughly on the same latitude as Oslo Norway. Archaeologists think the first people to find their way to the islands were Mesolithic nomads about 8000-9000 years ago. The first people to set up camp, most likely, were Neolithic people about 5,000 years ago. Archaeologist have found and dated stone structures from that period so that’s the prevailing theory.
During the Roman invasion of Britain the “King of Orkney” was one of 11 British leaders who is said to have submitted to the Emperor Claudius in AD 43 at Colchester. Whether or not that’s true is hard to say, but it is a cool story. Somewhere in the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, the islands were either incorporated into the Pictish kingdom or overrun by the Picts. It could simply be that the people thought of themselves as Picts all along and no movement of peoples occurred.
As the Picts faded from the scene, the Norse began to arrive. First as traders and then as raiders, the Norse made the Orkneys a base for their pirate activity, as it was a perfect place from which to launch raids on English coastal towns. Eventually, the Norse began to settle in large numbers. In the 9th century, towns and villages began to change from Orcadian names to Norse names. The assumption has always been that the Norse, given their reputation, either killed off the locals or killed the men and took their women.
Recent genetic data tells a different story. The current population is still about 65% Orcadian, with the rest being Norse. This is not just on the female line. It is on the male line as well, suggesting that the Norse just blended into the local population. The thing is, even though a relatively small number of Norse settled into the Orkneys, they did not assimilate into the local culture. Instead, it was the Norse who dominated. Their language, their customs and even their religious practices displaced the native Orcadian culture.
It is one example of how a small population can conqueror a larger population by imposing their culture on the vanquished people. By the times the Norse arrived, Pictish culture was dying out. Celtic missionaries had started to arrive, beginning the process of Christianization. On the other hand, the Norse were bursting at the seems with cultural confidence. They were sailing forth to raid coastal cities in England and Europe and they were taking lands from old Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The Vikings were on the rise.
The reason this is of any importance is the combination of a fading culture and the arrival of an ascendant one can result in the former being replaced quickly by the latter. People go with a winner, especially the women. When the Nazis occupied the Low Countries, they found plenty of local women willing to take German lovers. The same was true in France, despite the centuries long hostility between the French and German people. Women naturally look for security and that means picking men from the winning team.
This may seem obvious, but the flat-earth types who rule over us have been insisting for decades that culture is transportable. People are the same everywhere and when one group comes up with some new idea, it can easily be transported to other societies. The big example was Beaker culture. The archaeological record has their unique form of pottery all over Europe, but the further east you go, the older the examples. Put another way, the oldest stuff is found in central Europe, suggesting it as the origin.
This would suggest these people migrated West, but that would bring up things about the human condition our betters would prefer were not true so the official theory was that they lent their cultural habits to people across Europe. It is known as the “pots, not people” theory. For some mysterious reason, their unique pot making became the rage of Europe, like a pop song, and spread West. It’s funny, but a big part of official knowledge depends upon mysterious, unexplained forces driving natural processes.
Anyway, the cultural diffusion theory took a big hit when a new genetic study was recently published showing that the people in the West were related to the steppe people associated with the Beaker culture. It means that humans migrated West from the steppe and either conquered the people already in Europe or dominated them in the same way the Norse came to dominate the Orcadians. They moved in and imposed their ways on the local people or they wiped out the local people, if that was required.
The history of humanity is that humans have migrated from place to place since the first humans left Africa. When a group of humans encountered another group, they would at first be on good terms with the people they encountered, maybe conduct trade and adapt to local customs. But, when the numbers of the new arrivals reached a certain level, they went from migrants to invaders and then to conquerors. The progression has always been traders, raiders and then conquerors.
That’s why when our ruling lunatics howl about being nations of immigrants, what they are really saying, even though they are too fevered to know it, is that we are nations of conquerors. The tribes in place today, at some point pushed out or wiped out the tribes that were there yesterday. It’s not always the case. Some times the natives muster the will to thwart the raiders and discourage further incursion. Sometimes, like the Late Bronze Age Egyptians, they just had the will to resist the conquerors and maintain their culture.
But first you have to want it.
My vague but compelling sense is that Trump was one final expression of the merit based white male putting him in power to stem the tide of his tribes decline. The tribe consists of smart, realistic, honest and when necessary ruthless people. They prize freedom of the individual and realize you must come together in numbers sufficient to destroy or beat back those who would enslave. I have not felt this good for forty years but I also know it’s time to prepare my children for a different America. IQ has slipped and we have a seething underbelly of human… Read more »
My money is on “ruthless” making a big comeback. Old enough now to have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Hell, my g-g-g-g–grandfather was 57 years old when he led his militia company in the Revolution.
I’m a bit surprised that no one mentioned Spain and Portugal after the Muslim conquest of much of the Iberian Peninsula. The Moorish cultural influence persists to this day in the language, in architecture, in decoration, food and so on. As to genetics there, I have no idea how much mixing there was over the course of centuries, but when I first went there (Andalucía) 45 years ago, I was immediately reminded of the old saying “Africa begins south of the Pyrenees”. My first trip to Morocco disabused me of that notion, however. The Spanish and French occupied Morocco for… Read more »
Having the will to resist with a will to overcome and succeed involves having something worth losing life and treasure to defend and having a vision of what is to come after that defense. Another aspect is how one defines winning. For the Orks, if genetic dominance was the definition, they won. If it was culture, the Norse did. There may be genetic descendants of the Pharaohs in Egypt from a chromosomal point of view, but culturally Egyptians are extinct. Athens was able to team up with Sparta to keep from being taken over by the Great King of the… Read more »
The Latin immigrants coming up from Mexico and other SA countries further south aren’t bringing much of interest (Hell, we had to show them Cinco De Mayo). By and large they are following the money. The Muslims however are bringing absolutely nothing of value and by and large are simply a burden. But they have a strong unifying faith and totally alien culture that they are firmly determined to impose on this country and (in Fact) the rest of the world. All our wealth and technology isn’t going to help resist them because the one thing we had for centuries… Read more »
The Hispanic tide appears to be waning. Plus, Hispanics are happy to rule the streets and let the honky run everything else. Muslims have bigger plans.
so if leftists are drawn to islam, like a moth to a flame, why not give the left what it wants — now? the rest of us could enslave them and mistreat them horribly. make them a group who is outside of the law, and who can be dealt with in any fashion society chooses.
I think about this in my darker hours, Karl. Why not just pick 20 of the most corrupt cities in the US, wall them off, and stick the leftists in there with the criminal class and non-assimilating immigrants. Something like “Escape from NY” times twenty. In my lighter moments, I figure that there are probably only about 1,000 real leaders and financiers of the progressive left. We could probably sterilize them, put them in a camp with no right to any communication with the outside world and leave them there until they pass away. They could each have their own… Read more »
Re Cortez: Once big reason he prevailed over the Aztecs was by mobilizing their many, many local enemies upon whom the Aztecs had prayed, not lest for young men to cut their hearts out to appease their demonic idols. Cortez promised them revenge and an end to their oppression. He delivered the former and, as is usually in the course of history, not the latter. He *did* end them sending their sons and daughters for sacrifice, however.
i think there are more like 10 – 20 thousand key people. still manageable. but why provide them with a virtual Elba, why not line em up and mow em down?
Agreed. Probably 100K with some level of sanction. 10K with severe sanction and 1K with lifetime banishment. I spent a lot of time studying the killing fields of the last century. I’ve spent less time studying the excesses of late antiquity but still have a pretty good idea of the toxic effects of that political violence. And I’ve spent far too much time hanging out in Dar al Islam. I don’t believe that anything good comes from that level of killing, especially if it is not tied directly to capital crimes. What comes next is too hard to put back… Read more »
“I figure that there are probably only about 1,000 real leaders and financiers of the progressive left. We could probably sterilize them, put them in a camp with no right to any communication with the outside world and leave them there until they pass away.”
Pinochet had a smarter idea: drop them out of helicopters over the Atlantic Ocean.
Nah, what Trump needs to do is pick a bunch of places like Santa Monica and Chappaquiddick, compulsory purchase a bunch of land close to pre-eminent ass holery, build some section eight housing and ship in the Somali’s.
Liberalism never survives contact with reality.
“The progression has always been traders, raiders and then conquerors.”
For some reason that line made this quote pop into my head:
“Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.”
Alexander Pope
Makes one wonder about the long term purpose of the new “Silk Road” to facilitate trade from Asia to Europe.
My only remark is how consistently fine most of the comments are on this website. This is nearly always my first stop online in the morning.
About my 3rd stop. I don’t always agree with the Z man but he, & majority of the comments, are interesting, rational, logical and thought provoking. Hence I want a cup of coffee under my belt before reading to assure I’m awake & alert enough to appreciate the many nuances.
To the point of your last line: The norsemen of today are committing suicide by Islamic Immigration. As evidence that it’s cultural, I give you Little Mogadishu in what used to be Minnesota brought here courtesy of norse immigrants to this country.
I get the feeling that’s not true about Norway, but don’t have the figures to back it up. Pretty sure Finland isn’t being invaded yet either. The Swedes are done though. I remember reading a post on the Thinking Housewife by a Swedish guy. He was talking about how the girls were all interested in the Muslims.
And the European & Japanese girls were all interested in the American soldiers at the end of WW2. Women love their conquering heroes. It appears that in the absence of any conquering white men, the Swedish girls are going to take what they can get.
straight up the monkey chute, too!
Yes, but the culture is the democratic culture, specifically the female democratic culture. No democracy, no invitation invasion.
How could you start an essay about immigration to the Orkney Islands without throwing in a reference to the sensational story of the moment: the first-ever appearance of a North American red-winged blackbird on North Ronaldsey? It’s not only the first time this bird has been seen in the UK, it’s the first sighting ever in Europe! Birdwatchers are chartering planes to fly to the Orkney Islands, and others are just hopping in their cars and driving all the way to Scotland to see it. Alas, it’s just one bird, so unless it lays some eggs, this wave of immigration… Read more »
Yeah, it has been all over the news here.
@redwinged black bird. Speaking of them, I mentioned last year I run freight trains for a living from WI to IL. So the summer of last I heard about and then got to experience a RWBb taking food and seeds out of my hand on the locomotives while we are making moves. This happens at our rail yard in Gary IN. Just stick your hand out before or after they land on the short hood. Last year it turned to be 2 of the little guys (gals?), one kind of ruffled and the other smooth on my hand at the… Read more »
Funny, but we’ve had a set of nesting cardinals in the back corner of our property for twenty years. Assume these are not the g-g-grandchildren of the original pair. BTW used to spend summers at my grandparents in IL, my grandfather’s machine shop was at the interesection of the CNI and Nickel Plate Road tracks. Used to sit on the loading docks and see how many different railroads could spot in the freights that moved through their.
I love them too! They like to hang around water, so they never come round my house, but they’re in the park down the street that has an inlet with reeds. We’ve had a lot of very pretty birds this year; some little yellow ones I think are some sort of warbler, and a similar-sized blue one, which online guides suggest may be a Blue Grosbeak. More birds this year than in past years; I’m going to take my camera out when I sit on the deck to read, so I can get some photos.
The “kill all the males, impregnate all the females” model predominates in stone age tribal cultures. The “turn the natives into serfs and rule as a high caste elite” seems to be pretty common in the Indo-European migrations. The exception is the Spanish conquest of the New World. There you see a predominance of European Y-chromosomes and native mitochondria. This is purely the result of natural selection. Offspring of native women who mated with Europeans had such a huge survival advantage over children born of native-native couples that the native Y-chromosomes rapidly disappeared from the local gene pool. Without the… Read more »
Interesting point that immunity from many European endemic diseases worked in that way to advantage European Y chromosomes. There was also transmission of endemic disease from the Americas to Europe at the time of contact. It is not very often mentioned now as it counters the narrative of white Europeans being the source of all evil, including epidemic disease. IIRC, they included syphilis and rheumatic arthritis. Syphilis used to be called ‘the pox’ for the facial lesions it first produced in the European population, which it initially devastated. In essence there was a trade of the great pox for the… Read more »
I’ve argued here and elsewhere that the post-1492 syphillis epidemic may have been what pushed Europe over the tipping point intelligence wise. If intelligence and impulse control are highly correlated, then those with poor implulse control — who couldn’t keep their peckers in their trousers or their knees together — would tend to get syphillis more often and to reproduce less, while those with better impulse control and higher intelligence would tend to produce an ever higher percentage of progeny. Just a crazy ass theory, but maybe once the current madness has passed, someone can research it.
It’s a shame that GRIDS isn’t being allowed to do the same kind of excellent work in the present day.
The first and only proposition nation has over time become the preposterous nation. It once served a purpose, a remarkable purpose. But without confidence there can be no purpose, and vica-versa. Self-extinction is the purpose left to the over-miseducated. Tocqueville–“Only a very small number of men will ever be blessed with the attainment of deliberate and self-confident conviction born of knowledge and arising from the very heart of agitation and doubt.” On a happy note, my very excellent 35 y.o. son, who had for some years been lost to the Narrative, found himself yesterday. Nothing that I had thrown against… Read more »
Peterson is the real deal, which unfortunately means the Canadian Haters will soon think of a way to put him in jail or exile him.
I really hope not. He’s my new favorite guy, can’t get enough of him. I was listening to his youtubes on autoplay through the weekend while working in my shop. Absolutely brilliant. Reminds me why on earth I majored in psychology.
I highly recommend Jordan Peterson’s “The Evil of Postmodernism” (19 minutes) to anyone here who is not yet familiar with Prof. Peterson’s insights into the sickness that passes as erudition. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTxmKc80wUw
It is one example of how a small population can conqueror a larger population by imposing their culture on the vanquished people.
The Normans would have served equally well as an example.
The Normans were invited though, so it is not quite the same. They did impose continental feudalism so that is an good example of how people bring their culture.
Battle of Hastings?
The Normans were invited though, so it is not quite the same.
Invited? Harold lost an eye trying to stop them at Hastings. Some invitation.
The accidents of a culture are transportable but its essence is not.
As my travels continue through the heartland of America, I made a point of passing through Wounded Knee, SD. Oddly, this place is very different from other American historical points of interest. Most historical locations are marked and described by bronze historical plaque. At Wounded Knee, there’s just a big painted sign, like a bill board, painted red with white letters, that describes the incident. When I got out of my car to take a photograph of the sign, I was immediately “greeted” by a 6′-2″ native American, reeking of alcohol, who offered to tell me all about the history… Read more »
Mr Horst: There is historical signage at Wounded Knee. You were not at the right spots. The location is a bummer, in general. Not conducive for most tourists to wander around comfortably. Mr Colt is always a best friend and comforting tour guide no matter where you might roam.
Confidence, sir. Soapweed
When John Smith went exploring continental America there were less than two million red Injuns around to defend their way of life, such as it was, from the teeming hoards yearning to be rich. Possibly quite a bit less. 3,8 million square miles. SJW are horrified to learn that forty million natives were not robbed of their inheritance–which is to say warring with other tribes for sport. But at least they occasionally fought for it when they weren’t fighting each other. Our turn, I guess.
This made me think of How Whites Took Over America
Zman, would you mind fixing that last line about the late-Bronze-Age Egyptians? I can’t tell whether you you want to say that they “just had” or “lost” the will to resist (not “resit”, presumably). The Hyksos did conquer them …
late bronze age “collapse” — of which the egyptians were the sole surviving civilation — is probably what was intended. we’ll see…
Correct. I was running a little late and garbled that last line.
Thanks. Little tired this morning.
Actually, the Egyptians managed to ward off the Sea People of the Late Bronze Age collapse. They were badly weakened by it though.
The winning team is not the stoning, beating, murdering one likely to be encountered by marrying a cousin. The greatest genetic attrition will be suffered by the Bronze Age proxies of cultural marxism.
“The progression has always been traders, raiders and then conquerors.”
That’s a remarkable history of the English “immigrants” to North America starting in the 1600’s.
Zmna, or any other luminary, could you please eductae me a bit more on thi: “The big example was Beaker culture. The archaeological record has their unique form of pottery all over Europe, but the further east you go, the older the examples. Put another way, the oldest stuff is found in central Europe, suggesting it as the origin. This would suggest these people migrated West, but that would bring up things about the human condition our betters would prefer were not true so the official theory was that they lent their cultural habits to people across Europe. It is… Read more »
Westhunter’s really into that stuff — he has an archive with a search-box, too.
His name’s Greg Cochran, I think. It’s westhunt.wordpress.com.
One part of the back story is that Cultural Anthropology was partially taken over by Marxists almost as soon as it began*. In fact Engels used it to prop up his theories. In essence, the Marxist narrative, all versions of which feature a pre-modern, pre-capitalistic golden age of socio-economic equality, would be inconvenienced if it were to be accepted that there was endemic conflict, not to mention frequent conquest, in preliterate cultures. So anything supporting this idea had to be counter-attacked for ideological reasons, which was not too difficult early on considering the paucity of hard archeological** evidence before the… Read more »
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