A couple of years ago, I took the Ancestry DNA test. Like most people who take these tests, I was curious about my heritage. Growing up in the United States in a family that had stories of culture and heritage but no practices, I’ve never felt at home with my lineage. I’ve known since I was young that there’s a fair amount of Portuguese and German in my DNA, and aside from some (very false) assertions that my family had Native American DNA, that was all I was told.
I took the Ancestry DNA test to see how much of what I had been told was true and to see if I could fill in the gaps of what was missing. My grandmother told me I probably had some British ancestry, but she couldn’t be specific as to which country. I knew that my mother’s mother’s family was German (her grandparents were first generation German immigrants to the U.S.), and my mother’s father’s family were from Portugal (I think my grandfather’s father was also a first generation immigrant, but I’m not positive). Knowing from where you come is, I think, a natural inclination.
I remember what I wanted the results to be when I took the test. I have long been fascinated by both British and Viking history. There are many historical figures from both sections of history who have occupied a lot of attention. Viking culture is endlessly interesting to me, as is Celtic culture. I’ve read books on the Vikings, on the Celts, on Shieldmaidens, on the English monarchs, etc. And since English history and Viking history overlap a great deal, I’ve enjoyed this research. I wanted to find myself biologically attached to these two facets of my interest.
On the first DNA results I was sent, I was told I was mostly English, Scottish, and Welsh, with some Portuguese, French, and Irish, and very little Swedish. (The French and German DNA markers are very similar so sometimes they flag each other; that’s why French was listed in my DNA and not German.) I was happy, if a little saddened by these results. I was thrilled to have so much of my DNA rooted in Britain, but I was bummed that not much of my DNA seemed to come from Scandinavia.
My updated DNA results, which I received only yesterday, shows a somewhat different set of results. I am still mostly English and Eastern European (58%); I am also Scottish (12%) and Irish (8%), and I am still thrilled by this. I’ve never been to Britain, but I’ve wanted to go since I was fourteen. There are so many people in English history I feel emotionally and spiritually tethered to (Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, Anne Boleyn, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Georgiana Cavendish, etc) and so many places I’ve wanted to visit (London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Chatsworth, Highclere Castle, Hampshire, Bath, the Jane Austen house, the Bronte house, etc) that I really do feel linked to England in ways I can’t describe.
But there are changes in my DNA results, too: I am only 7% Portuguese and 7% French, as opposed to my first results which were higher percentages, and rather than being only 1% Swedish, I am actually 4% Swedish, 2% Norwegian, and 2% Spanish. I’m 6% Viking! (Yes, I know, not literally, but I’m still taking this.)
This is a comfort to me. I know more about where I come from, where my family has been, what our generational journey has been. I would love to travel to Europe and do an Ancestry focused tour, but that would take an enormous amount of time. I’ve been trying to form my family tree, too, but unfortunately too many of my family members have died for me to take an accurate history. I’m still going to try, though, because I would like to see how far back I can take my bloodlines. Investing in my heritage is something I’ve longed for for a while now. The first step is understanding where to begin. I have a clearer view of that now than I ever have and it’s exciting to see.
