My Viking Ancestery - or why I enjoy rowing a kayak (From Western Telegraph)

My Viking Ancestery - or why I enjoy rowing a kayak

8:45pm Sunday 21st June 2009

• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

My Viking Ancestery. Across the palm of both my hands is a ridge of sinew which is raised enough to be easily seen and felt. The same ridge runs across my mum’s hands; her father's, across my brother's and will probably eventually appear on our son and daughter’s.

This is Dupuytren’s Contracture: said to appear in populations only where the Vikings – I mean the marauding sea conquerors of 1,000 years ago – invaded and often settled. They have had a bad press but then, as is usual, the reports were written by those who suffered at their hands and spin or propaganda has always been around.

“God preserve us from the Vikings” was a monkish prayer. He didn’t have much success. The monks were scarcely likely to add that, “But they built graceful ships at the cutting edge of technology and even reaching the English coast required hardiness, courage and endurance.”

They also wrote great stories in a simple, straightforward narrative style that preceded Ernest Hemingway’s attempts by a thousand years. The pinnacle of the literature is Njal’s Saga in a superb translation by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Palsson.

These opening couple of sentences: “There was a man called Mord Fiddle, who was the son of Sighvat the Red. Mord was a powerful chieftain, and lived at Voll in the Rangriver Plains” put you right into the group of people who begin the story, and their fate involves many others, in many strands of the story.

This is great writing from an unknown author from the end of the 13th century: maybe 1280. Blood feuds, a peaceful family burned alive, bethtrothals, squandered inheritances, failed marriages and the action continues at the speed of a Viking Longship. All in a simple, active prose that drives the story.

Dupuytren’s Contracture, in its more severe form, requires an operation and many have suffered from it. As does my friend George Potts who awaits an operation on his hand. I was reminded of the Viking history, and hence these comments, following a chat yesterday with Sue, George’s wife. My version of Dupuytren’s is mild and the hand is not constricted.

For most people their knowledge of the Vikings extends little beyond the film The Vikings with Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine and Janet Leigh. Kirk Douglas changed the title from that of the novel – The Viking - on which the film is based as a mark of respect for the other actors.

This is one of those films I enjoy with a “willing suspension of disbelief.” Tony Curtis seemed too pretty and his body lacked the muscular bulk and the aura of macho savagery of a Viking warrior. Janet Leigh was just too sweet to convince. The romanticised Viking of the film was never going to reflect the reality those determined marauders across the North Sea.

But so what? Enjoy the spectacle: the dog pit; King Ethelbert lopping off Curtis’ hand; the hawk ripping out Kirk Douglas’ eye. And the drunken Kirk Douglas throwing his axes to shear the golden locks of his mistress and thus safe her life, if not her virginity. The axes being thrown against the raised drawbridge so that Kirk Douglas could do his stuff using them to clamber up was as improbable as it was spectacular

But does Duyputren’s signify ancient Viking blood? Of course, it does. Or, whether it does or not, I choose to believe that and there is some evidence for the theory in both general and personal terms. My Scots grandfather, and his McAulay clan, lived on the Isle of Lewis for generations and Lewis was invaded by the Vikings.

My view is that they raped my female ancestor and then probably settled on that island and all down the West Coast of Scotland and beyond. And today I have been rowing off Pwllgwaelod, with Daphne my wife, and I want to be a Viking: at least for today.