The Fimbulwinter myth in the context of Nordic tree-ring climate proxy data
Datos Bibliográficos
| ID | 21597628 |
|---|---|
| Autores | Samuli Helama (0000-0002-9777-3354, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Rovaniemi, Finland, autor de correspondencia) |
| Año | 2026 |
| Fecha de publicación | 2026-07-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Sí |
| Open Access | Sí |
| Tipo | ARTICLE |
| Revista | The Holocene (JOURNAL) |
| Identificadores de la revista | ISSN: 0959-6836 • E-ISSN: 1477-0911 |
| Editorial | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09596836261458243 |
| OpenAlex | W7167353209 |
| Idioma | EN |
| Referencias citadas | 62 |
High-magnitude Late-Holocene volcanic eruptions contributed to the climate-related hardships of past societies. It has been theorised that memories of one of the volcanic events and its terrible consequences are recorded in the Old Norse traditions of the Fimbulwinter and Ragnarök (possibly also in the Old Kalevala). This Fimbulwinter theory suggests that the eruption (or double-eruption) responsible for the calamity was the one that caused the AD 536 dust veil and led to strong reductions in incoming sunlight and in summer temperatures especially over the next decade. The theory is explored here with tree-ring records from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark, historical data on dust veils, ice core evidence for major volcanic eruptions, and North Atlantic proxy records. Very low summer temperatures and reduced irradiance are evident across the study region over the duration of the AD 536/540s event. Alternative cold events (656–655 BC, 420–419 BC, 42–41 BC, AD 800–801 and AD 1127–1128) were less prominent than the AD 536/540s event. A cold event in AD 1601 serves as an interesting counterpart for the prehistoric events as it occurred, akin to the 536/540s event, at the height of the North Atlantic pulses of drift ice. This suggests that the coupled sea ice-ocean mechanism needed to deepen the anomaly is sensitive to the initial climate state and emphasises the importance of longue durée structures when reconstructing the human past. Overall, the AD 536/540s event appears a climate-related natural catastrophe to be remembered by following generations, which accords with the Fimbulwinter theory
Climate change · Ice core · Lava · Paleoclimatology · Volcano · Vulcanian eruption · Conservation Techniques and Studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Tree-ring climate responses
A review of climate reconstructions from terrestrial climate archives covering the first millennium AD in northwestern Europe
Holocene periodicity in North Atlantic climate and deep-ocean flow south of Iceland
A Pervasive Millennial-Scale Cycle in North Atlantic Holocene and Glacial Climates
Persistent Solar Influence on North Atlantic Climate During the Holocene
Timing and climate forcing of volcanic eruptions for the past 2,500 years
Cooling and societal change during the Late Antique Little Ice Age from 536 to around 660 AD
Structure and origin of Holocene cold events
Volcanic eruptions and climate
Mid- to Late Holocene climate change
From orality to literacy in medieval Iceland
Climatic fluctuations and population problems in early modern history
European summer temperatures since Roman times
Human impact and climate changes—synchronous events and a causal link
Dark Ages Cold Period
The impact of the volcanic double event in AD 536 and AD 539/540 on tree-ring growth and felling activity in Danish oak trees
A 7400-year tree-ring chronology in northern Swedish Lapland
Dendrochronology raises questions about the nature of the AD 536 dust-veil event
Climate and demographic crises in Norway in medieval and early modern times
The supra-long Scots pine tree-ring record for Finnish Lapland
Temporal distribution pattern of subfossil pines in central Sweden
The impact of volcanism on Scandinavian climate and human societies during the Holocene
Distant impact
Lessons of the Longue Durée
AD536 – Back to Nature
Early Farming in Finland
Twilight of the gods? The 'dust veil event' of AD 536 in critical perspective
Little Ice Age Farming in Finland
| Velocidad de citación | historical |
|---|---|
| Altamente citado | No |