Were the Anglo-Saxons Celts?

Someone on Quora wanted to know if the Anglo-Saxons were of Germanic or Nordic descent? Allegedly, some historians consider them to be „Celts“

This is nonsense, of course. They were Germanic tribes that migrated to the British Isles after the collapse of Roman occupation.

The Angles were a North Sea Germanic people that probably originated primarily from the area of the same name, Angeln, on the Cimbrian Peninsula in the north of present-day Schleswig-Holstein, as well as its neighboring areas as far as the Eider.

The Saxons were a West Germanic confederation of peoples that probably came together in the 3rd century and originally consisted of the Chaucians, Angrivarians and Cheruscians, who united to form the Saxons. They lived in the northwest of present-day Germany and in the east of present-day Netherlands.

Together with the Angles and the Saxons, the Jutes also took part in the conquest of Britain and played a significant role in the development of the Old English language. Jutish possessions in England were mainly Kent and the Isle of Wight. In ancient times, the Jutes were also known as Iuti or Iutæ, and originated in modern-day Denmark. It is believed that they were the tribe that gave the name to the Jutland Peninsula, the territory that makes up the largest, continental portion of the nation of Denmark.

But just to make things more complicated: Modern historians believe that all the Germanic tribes themselves originated in a homeland in southern Scandinavia (Sweden and Norway) as well as the Jutland area of northern Denmark, along with a very narrow strip of Baltic coastline). They had been settled here for over two thousand years following the Indo-European migrations.

It’s very hard to pin down any group of people because everybody moved around a lot over the course of history. That’s great for historians because they get to argue for days on end, but it’s rather confusing for us laypeople. But one thing is for certain: They had nothing to do with the Celts, who are an entirely different kettle if fish.