Viking Society Contained Vast Social Networks

A new analysis of old Icelandic sagas has shed new light on Viking society, revealing a complex social network in play that runs counter to the historical stereotype of Vikings being savage and unworldly brutes.

Researchers from Coventry University carried out a detailed analysis of the social relationships described in 1,000-year-old Viking texts known as the Sagas of Icelanders, using a statistical and social network analysis to map the relationships between the characters in the texts.

The historical accuracy of the texts, which are centered around the settlement of Iceland, has been questioned by academics, as many believe that the stories contain fictionalized distortions of real societies. Researchers Pádraig Mac Carron and Ralph Kenna contend their work bolsters that hypothesis.

The statisticians mapped out the social interactions of more than 1,500 characters written about in 18 different sagas, including five particularly famous epic tales.

After plotting the data set presented by the sagas, the researchers learned that the social networks within the ancient sagas were consistent with real social networks.

"This quantitative investigation is very different to traditional approaches to comparative studies of ancient texts, which focus on qualitative aspects," said Kenna. "Rather than individuals and events, the new approach looks at interactions and reveals new insights -- that the Icelandic sagas have similar properties to those of real-world social networks."

Carron and Kenna's research is published in the European Physical Journal.