Fimbulwinter - based on a real catastrophe 1,500 years ago?
Apr 2, 2018 15:46:10 GMT -5
Steelernation, alex992, and 3 more like this
Post by Nidaros on Apr 2, 2018 15:46:10 GMT -5
The Norse myth of the Fimbulwinter:
First came the Fimbulwinter lasting three years. It was an omen of Ragnarok, when all life on Earth would end.
This myth of the almost never-ending winter also is a part Kalevala epos in Finland. The winter was followed by seasons lacking a real summer for several years.
Recent research has revealed a climate catastrophe that might have hit Scandinavia as hard as the black death, taking place in the years following 536 AD.
NASA research pointed to several powerful volcanoes around that time. And a Swedish archeologist argued that the climate catastrophe in 536-537 wiped out half the population of Sweden (not a nation then of course).
In Norway, Pollen in bogs and year rings in old trees also point to the same. Also the archeological remains of the farms point to something dramatic happening at that time. People must have moved or vanished. It seems Norrland in Sweden might have been depopulated in those years, and a huge loss of population (ca 50 %) in other areas. Very little grave goods in the coming years.
The next 100 years are often named the silent century in Scandinavia. Farmed or grazed areas at higher elevations were suddenly not used anymore. A large percentage of farms were abandoned at that time, this has been known for a long time, but not the reason why. The jewellery used was much simpler in the years after than before, and this lasted at least a century. Another possible candidate is the Justinian Plague, it might have reached Scandinavia. Or even both at once?
Climate scientist now has concluded that a huge volcanic eruption must have taken place in the non-tropical part of the Northern Hemisphere in 536 AD. And a new even bigger eruption from a different volcano in the year 540, this time near Equator - El Chichon in Mexico is a suspect. Together these two eruptions created an extreme cooling of the Earth - largest for more than 2,000 years. The cooling might have been like 4C the first summer, and slightly less the following summers. Trees in Russia have been found with frost damage inside the tree/trunk that must have taken place during growing season - summer. The sun was very weak hidden behind and muted by all the aerosols in the atmosphere - the extremely weak sun is described in written texts from Konstantinopel and Italy and texts describe a famine in Ireland. In China, text from that time describes snow falling in summer.
Link (sorry it's in Norwegian, but there must be articles in english language):
forskning.no/2017/12/fimbulvinteren-er-ikke-en-myte
So, the ultimate winter followed by extremely cool summers with freezes during mid-summer, weak sun behind those red clouds of aresols, famine...and the climatically most marginal places would be hardest hit - and those places where the earth needed to be used to it's max just to produce enough food for the population.
This could also happen today of course...but we would be much better able to cope with it...?
First came the Fimbulwinter lasting three years. It was an omen of Ragnarok, when all life on Earth would end.
This myth of the almost never-ending winter also is a part Kalevala epos in Finland. The winter was followed by seasons lacking a real summer for several years.
Recent research has revealed a climate catastrophe that might have hit Scandinavia as hard as the black death, taking place in the years following 536 AD.
NASA research pointed to several powerful volcanoes around that time. And a Swedish archeologist argued that the climate catastrophe in 536-537 wiped out half the population of Sweden (not a nation then of course).
In Norway, Pollen in bogs and year rings in old trees also point to the same. Also the archeological remains of the farms point to something dramatic happening at that time. People must have moved or vanished. It seems Norrland in Sweden might have been depopulated in those years, and a huge loss of population (ca 50 %) in other areas. Very little grave goods in the coming years.
The next 100 years are often named the silent century in Scandinavia. Farmed or grazed areas at higher elevations were suddenly not used anymore. A large percentage of farms were abandoned at that time, this has been known for a long time, but not the reason why. The jewellery used was much simpler in the years after than before, and this lasted at least a century. Another possible candidate is the Justinian Plague, it might have reached Scandinavia. Or even both at once?
Climate scientist now has concluded that a huge volcanic eruption must have taken place in the non-tropical part of the Northern Hemisphere in 536 AD. And a new even bigger eruption from a different volcano in the year 540, this time near Equator - El Chichon in Mexico is a suspect. Together these two eruptions created an extreme cooling of the Earth - largest for more than 2,000 years. The cooling might have been like 4C the first summer, and slightly less the following summers. Trees in Russia have been found with frost damage inside the tree/trunk that must have taken place during growing season - summer. The sun was very weak hidden behind and muted by all the aerosols in the atmosphere - the extremely weak sun is described in written texts from Konstantinopel and Italy and texts describe a famine in Ireland. In China, text from that time describes snow falling in summer.
Link (sorry it's in Norwegian, but there must be articles in english language):
forskning.no/2017/12/fimbulvinteren-er-ikke-en-myte
So, the ultimate winter followed by extremely cool summers with freezes during mid-summer, weak sun behind those red clouds of aresols, famine...and the climatically most marginal places would be hardest hit - and those places where the earth needed to be used to it's max just to produce enough food for the population.
This could also happen today of course...but we would be much better able to cope with it...?
