Anglo-Scandinavian is an academic term referring to the hybridisation between Norse and

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

cultures in Britain during the

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Middle Ages of Europ ...

period. It remains a term and concept often used by historians and archaeologists, and in linguistic spheres. Although evidence for interconnection between

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

and England is present throughout the entire early medieval period, two major concentrations of Scandinavian settlement are evident: the creation of the

Danelaw The Danelaw (, ; ; ) was the part of History of Anglo-Saxon England, England between the late ninth century and the Norman Conquest under Anglo-Saxon rule in which Danes (tribe), Danish laws applied. The Danelaw originated in the conquest and oc ...

during the mid-ninth century, and the conquest of

Sweyn Forkbeard Sweyn Forkbeard ( ; ; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 until his death, King of England for five weeks from December 1013 until his death, and King of Norway from 999/1000 until 1014. He was the father of King Ha ...

and

Cnut Cnut ( ; ; – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute and with the epithet the Great, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from 1028 until his death in 1035. The three kingdoms united under Cnut's rul ...

in the 1010s.

Archaeology

There are a number of artefact types that appear only within Scandinavian-occupied England, and thus appear to be exclusively 'Anglo-Scandinavian'. Norse bells, like the examples found at Cottam B, are found nowhere in Scandinavia and only within Norse colonies. The hogback form of stone grave markers is unattested in the rest of the Scandinavian world. An argument for hybridity has also been constructed from the varying range of burial practices evident within the Danelaw, rather than the more standardised diagnostic patterns of burial we see in Scandinavia: Richards has suggested that 'rather than searching for burial-types that can be matched in Scandinavia we should therefore be looking for the creation of new cultural identities'

Linguistics

Lewis-Simpson has advanced the argument that Danelaw personal names are a direct reflection of this process of hybridity.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Vikings and Post Colonialism
blog post Anglo-Norse England

Archaeology

Linguistics

See also

References

External links