The Iranic Origins of the Vikings: A Forgotten Connection

By Bobby Darvish

The popular image of Vikings is deeply tied to Scandinavia — towering seafarers, warriors, and traders who terrorized and connected medieval Europe. Yet, as Dr. Roy Casagranda and many historical traditions point out, the roots of the Viking peoples may reach much farther back — into the ancient highlands of Iran and Central Asia. Far from being purely "Nordic," the earliest ancestors of the Vikings appear to be connected to the Iranic (Indo-Iranian) peoples who migrated westward thousands of years before the Viking Age.

Iranic and Indo-European Migrations

Ancient Persian (Iranic) history records massive movements of Indo-European tribes from the Eurasian steppes, including the Caspian and Iranian plateaus, into Europe. The Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans, and other Iranic-speaking peoples were renowned for their horse-riding, warrior traditions, and aristocratic codes — traits mirrored in later Germanic and Viking societies. The Proto-Indo-Europeans (PIE), whose language forms the ancestor of both Persian and Germanic tongues, are believed to have spread from the Pontic-Caspian steppe, a region encompassing parts of ancient Iran.

The ancient Persians themselves preserved legends of their distant cousins migrating into the colder northern lands. Meanwhile, Germanic mythology — as seen in the Ynglinga Saga and Prose Edda — describes gods and kings like Odin as originating from Asaland or Ásaland — interpreted by some scholars as a memory of migrations from the east, possibly the Iranian steppes.

Cultural and Linguistic Echoes

There are striking parallels between early Germanic and Iranic cultures. Both revered similar concepts of honor, clan loyalty, divine kingship, and fatalistic heroism. Old Norse and Old Persian languages share grammatical structures and roots that can be traced back to Proto-Indo-European origins. Even the Viking emphasis on ship burials and elaborate funerary rites echoes ancient Iranic and Scythian practices of honor and afterlife journey symbolism.

Moreover, Iranian, Viking, and Germanic histories all speak of "sea peoples" or "migration peoples" who moved across vast distances, conquering and settling lands. The Germanic tribes, including ancestors of the Vikings, were part of these ancient flows, carrying with them memory, blood, and traditions shaped by Iranic heritage.

Archaeological and Genetic Clues

Modern DNA studies add another dimension. Genetic research reveals that Scandinavian populations have detectable traces of Iranic-related steppe ancestry, specifically tied to migrations during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Studies published in Nature and Science confirm that a significant portion of European (including Scandinavian) genetic material derives from ancient steppe populations — ancestors of both Indo-Iranians and early Europeans.

Archaeological finds, such as kurgan burial mounds stretching from Central Asia to Europe, demonstrate cultural diffusion that predated the Viking Age by millennia. The warrior aristocracy, horsemanship, and metalwork traditions seen among the Scythians and Sarmatians closely parallel those later perfected by Germanic and Viking societies.

Conclusion

Dr. Roy Casagranda is correct to point out that Viking origins cannot be solely understood within the narrow confines of Northern Europe. The blood, traditions, and spirit of the Vikings are, in many ways, a continuation of ancient Iranic peoples who migrated westward, carrying with them a fierce warrior ethos, a reverence for honor, and a profound connection to the divine. Persian, Viking, and Germanic histories, when compared honestly, tell a remarkably consistent story: a story of brothers divided by time and geography, but united by heritage.

The Vikings, far from being isolated Nordic tribes, are part of the grand saga of Indo-European — and especially Iranic — migration, conquest, and cultural evolution.

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Citations

1. Casagranda, Roy. The Iranic Roots of the Viking Peoples. (Public Lectures, various platforms).

2. Mallory, J.P. In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology and Myth. Thames & Hudson, 1989.

3. Anthony, David W. The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World. Princeton University Press, 2007.

4. Kriwaczek, Paul. Babylon to Berlin: The Rise and Fall of the Indo-Europeans. Atlantic Books, 2010.

5. Kristiansen, Kristian & Larsson, Thomas B. The Rise of Bronze Age Society: Travels, Transmissions and Transformations. Cambridge University Press, 2005.

6. Lazaridis, I., et al. "Ancient human genomes suggest three ancestral populations for present-day Europeans." Nature, 2014. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13673

7. Price, Neil S. The Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings. Basic Books, 2020.