How Much Are the British (Especially English) Related to Other Germanics?

[BritishLad]

This is a question I've been wondering about for a while, so I'll get it off my chest and see what people who know more about the subject than me say.

[Waldgänger]

This is a question I've been wondering about for a while, so I'll get it off my chest and see what people who know more about the subject than me say.

Well, in many ways I think. First because the Saxons invaded Britain after the Romans left, then Britain was many times invaded by Vikings from Scandinavia, and finally the Normans conquered Britain from France after 1066 (battle of Hastings). The Normans were not French, they were Vikings from Scandinavia who had conquered Normandy first.

I am not sure if the English are more related to the Saxons or to the Normans. The Scots are probably more related to the Scandinavians.

I have the impression that the British think more like the Scandinavians than the Germans. They prefer to be very independent people, and do not like to bow to authority like many Germans. A British (or Dutch) "Führer" is not very likely, fortunately. I love our Germanic heritage and folk, but I distrust the state.

[Méldmir]

There is difference between all Germanics, so it depends on what group you mean. British people are closer to some Germanic people than other, as well as some Gaels. Other Germanics are most likely also closer related to some Gaelic groups than to other Germanics.

[Æmeric]

I am not sure if the English are more related to the Saxons or to the Normans. The Scots are probably more related to the Scandinavians.

I think the English are more closely related to the Dutch & Low Saxons. The Normans were primarily an aristocratic group, most of the common people remained pre-conquest English. But the question remains has to just how much Cymru did the English absorbed in their conquest of England?

[VikingManx]

I think the English are more closely related to the Dutch & Low Saxons. The Normans were primarily an aristocratic group, most of the common people remained pre-conquest English. But the question remains has to just how much Cymru did the English absorbed in their conquest of England?

The question which will inevitably send this thread down the toilet.

I think the most reasonable description is in Peter Heather's book, "Empires and Barbarians", which reconciles the "elite transfer theorists" (idiots) with the "wipeout theorists".

The influx of a very large group of Anglo-Saxons is likely, not to mention varying amounts of Danish Viking blood during the Danelaw, and of course the Norse input in Lancastershire during the same period.

[Caledonian]

What is the distinction between that which is Celtic versus Germanic?

That's a interesting question considering many British and Scots perceive themselves to be Celtic.

[Matamoros]

I think the English are more closely related to the Dutch & Low Saxons. The Normans were primarily an aristocratic group, most of the common people remained pre-conquest English. But the question remains has to just how much Cymru did the English absorbed in their conquest of England?

Genetic tests have shown that the native Britons (Celtic peoples) were mostly pushed out of England by the invading Saxons. Another thing to consider is language - there are few, if any, Celtic words in English. Typically when a small number of invaders take over a country, the language of the bulk of the population remains. For example, when the Normans invaded, their numbers were small, so the country remained primarily Anglo-Saxon, and still spoke English. Or when the Vandals conquered the Roman province of Hispania (Spain), their numbers were small enough that their language left little impact on the language of the general population.

[Þoreiðar]

The Normans were not French, they were Vikings from Scandinavia who had conquered Normandy first.

How "Scandinavian" were the Normans really, in terms of genetics?

[Witta]

First make a distinction between British and English. The British comprise the English germanic settlers and the Britons - Welsh, Irish, Scots Celtic Southern European settlers. It was these Celtic Britons who were the first section of society to convert to Christianity in Britain, probably because of Christianity's medetteranian connections and the priests were of the same ethnicity.

You will find different people give you different answers to this question and will refer to the particular study which supports their arguement. The English will say England is Germanic. The Welsh/Scots/Irish will say Britain is mostly Celtic. Multiculturalists will say the British are so mixed up as makes no difference.

Of course as an English nationalist I take the England is Germanic position. Scientists have found the patriachal DNA of English and Dutch men are almost identical, while the patriachal DNA of the English and Welsh, both British, are very different and they live on the same island. Testing is not yet accurate enough to differentiate between Viking, Angle and Saxon DNA in England.

[Fyrgenholt]

England is very Germanic. The Celts whom surround the English are very German-like, too - of course, they are Celts, and not Germans, but the cultural similarities are in abundance.

I think both the English and the Scots think more like the 'Scandinavians' than they do the 'Germans', and funnily enough, the Scots today, a people who are not traditionally Germanic, show a more visibly Germanic likening than do the English - this being largely the product of England's greater urbanisation, multiculturalism, consumerist habits and so forth.

Make your way into the English countryside, indulge in some folk tradition and lore, and a whole world of Germanic culture comes alive, though.