Are you REALLY Celtic?

[gilmore]

I recently came across this:

From http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...2002/celts.htm

Paragraph 7:

"Because of the paucity of written records, the scope of Celtic settlement
across Europe has not been easy to establish. One feature already mentioned that
is strongly associated with Celtic blood lines is red hair; a great majority of
people in the world who have red hair will be found to have a Celtic ancestor.
But that feature is not uniquely associated with the Celts, so the spread of
Celtic people in such areas as present-day Germany and Scandinavia has not been
accepted by all authorities. During World War II, a discovery was made that only
recently has received meticulous research. A couple of doctors in medical
centers in England noticed that there was a feature of Scots and Welsh soldiers
wounded in battle that was not present with English, Germans, and other
nationalities. The former frequently had a big toe (or great toe) that was the
same length as the next toe; all others had great toes markedly longer. They
marked that down for research after the war ended, but it was only a few years
ago that definitive research was done that has led to a remarkable discovery.
They found that there were burial sites across Britain where the skeletons were
completely of one ethnic group, such as Celtic burial sites on islands along the
Scottish northwest coast, and pre-Celtic burial sites in southern England.
Results from studies of those burial sites showed that to a 95 probability
Celtic remains had a big toe the same length as, or shorter than, the next toe,
while pre-Celtic remains had a big toe longer than the one next to it. That
study was expanded to cover burial sites in other parts of Europe and Asia, with
the same results. Because the so-called Celtic toe can disappear after many
generations of intermarriage, it is not a necessary condition to having a Celtic
ancestor, but it is a sufficient one: if a person has the Celtic toe, he or she
is almost certain to be of Celtic descent."

So, gentlemen, pull off those brogues.

[Arlen]

I heard about this recently and it's one of those things that tends to be very, very true.
(For reference, my big toe is the same length as the other.)

Another good one is that native Scots/Picts/Britons have wider feet than those of Anglo-Saxon or Germanic heritage.
It's a technique archaeologists studying skeletons often use to determine if remains in the U.K are native peoples.

[gilmore]

My big toes are even shorter than my second toes. Does this mean I am more Celtic than you?

[McClef]

Like Gilmore my big toes are shorter too - we must be Super Celts!

[Pleater]

I think I pass - my first three toes are very close in length, probably why many brands of shoe have a box which is closer to the shape of my foot rather than the shoes contained in it.

My big toe is a fraction longer than the second, but 1/4 inch at most.

I also note that my feet are far smoother than many other women - women being more likely to show their feet in public. The ligaments and joint seem to be far more prominent than mine, and also stiff - I can pick things up with my toes.

For some reason that really freaks out some people. Not that I do it on purpose. Not a bit.

[beloitpiper]

Biggie is in line with #2...confirms what I already knew!

[bchunter]

I'm in. My big toe is noticably shorter than the second toe, I wear EEE shoes, and there is a very slight reddish tint to my whiskers and hair. Makes me want to leave the office, go home, don a kilt and take my wife to dinner. Thanks for the post!

[gilmore]

...
I also note that my feet are far smoother than many other women - women being more likely to show their feet in public. The ligaments and joint seem to be far more prominent than mine, and also stiff - I can pick things up with my toes.

For some reason that really freaks out some people. Not that I do it on purpose. Not a bit.

OMG, Celtic prehensile toes. Not something one sees every day.

[Yaish]

Right foot they are the same length. Left foot the second toe is actually just a bit longer thanks to breaking it when I was kid, and it healed bigger than it started.

It can make it tough to find sandals I can wear. If they have any sort of lip or ridge around the rim my second toe (my long toe) is likely to rub on it and blister.

[JimB]

My big toe is just a tad shorter. Celt to the bone

Oh, and do you know how stupid that must have looked to the rest of the office?