nic ▁group " ▁( a ▁term ▁that ▁he ▁co ined ). ▁He ▁defined ▁nord ique ▁by ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁physical ▁characteristics : ▁The ▁conc urrence ▁of ▁somewhat ▁w avy ▁hair , ▁light ▁eyes , ▁re dd ish ▁skin , ▁tall ▁stat ure ▁and ▁a ▁dol ich oce phal ic ▁sk ull . ▁Of ▁six ▁' C au cas ian ' ▁groups ▁Den iker ▁accommod ated ▁four ▁into ▁secondary ▁eth nic ▁groups , ▁all ▁of ▁which ▁he ▁considered ▁intermediate ▁to ▁the ▁Nord ic : ▁North western , ▁Sub - N ord ic , ▁V ist ula ▁and ▁Sub - Ad ri atic , ▁respectively . ▁ ▁The ▁notion ▁of ▁a ▁distinct ▁northern ▁European ▁race ▁was ▁also ▁rejected ▁by ▁several ▁anth rop olog ists ▁on ▁c ran i ometric ▁grounds . ▁German ▁anth rop ologist ▁Rudolf ▁Vir ch ow ▁attacked ▁the ▁claim ▁following ▁a ▁study ▁of ▁c ran i ometry , ▁which ▁gave ▁surprising ▁results ▁according ▁to ▁contemporary ▁scientific ▁rac ist ▁theories ▁on ▁the ▁" A ry an ▁race ." ▁During ▁the ▁ 1 8 8 5 ▁Anth rop ology ▁Congress ▁in ▁Kar ls ru he , ▁Vir ch ow ▁den ounced ▁the ▁" N ord ic ▁myst ic ism ," ▁while ▁Josef ▁K oll mann , ▁a ▁collabor ator ▁of ▁Vir ch ow , ▁stated ▁that ▁the ▁people ▁of ▁Europe , ▁be ▁they ▁German , ▁Italian , ▁English ▁or ▁French , ▁belonged ▁to ▁a ▁" mi xture ▁of ▁various ▁races ," ▁further more ▁declaring ▁that ▁the ▁" results ▁of ▁c ran i ology "