Thor Ewing

Historical Storyteller


Story Music and Song


As seen on:

Channel 4 Time Team

Channel 4 Schools at Work

BBC 2 Zig Zag Timelines



Nothing takes you back into the past like listening to stories.  

Hear them speak again, and enter the world of imagination as it was known long ago.


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Thor Ewing


Prehistoric : Roman : Anglo-Saxon : Viking : Medieval : Arthurian : Traditional


Thor Ewing has almost twenty years experience telling stories from our past, and has made a special study of historical storytelling traditions, allowing him to recapture not just the words and the narrative, but the spirit too.

His costume performances bring to life thousands of years of history from prehistoric times through Romans and the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance and beyond.

Stories from Roman Britain

from Ovid and Livy or recreated from later Celtic traditions.  Instruments: lyre; hornpipe;  double pipes; bone flute; percussion.

Tales from Anglo-Saxon England

Stories based on Anglo-Saxon poetic traditions. Instruments: lyre; hornpipe; bone flute.

Tales of the Viking Gods and Heroes

Stories drawn from the Norse myths and Icelandic sagas.  Instruments: lyre; hornpipe; bone flute.

Stories of the Normans

The Norman invasion brought a new European tradition of storytelling.  Instruments: hornpipe; bone flute.

Tales from the Age of Chivalry

A world of medieval romance and fable.  Instruments: hornpipe; bone flute; recorder.

King Arthur and his noble Knights

Surely the most famous tales ever told.  Instruments: hornpipe; bone flute; recorder.

If you are interested in a historical storytelling performance for your event, please email Thor.

There are also webpages where you can find out more about school visits for KS2 on Vikings and Anglo-Saxons.

Or find out about Thor's Tales of Medieval Magic.

Storytelling performances can be combined with more music and singing when Thor performs as part of the duo Squeake's Noyse.
Thor also performs historical music and songs with Mandrake! - the Medieval Carnival Band.

Stories are not just for children!  Almost all the stories told by Thor were meant for a mixed audience of adults and children, men and women, boys and girls.  As well as children’s and family programmes, Thor gives readings, lectures and storytellings for adults too.

As well as working in modern English, Thor can introduce his audience to the sounds of medieval languages too, and sometimes they find that they can even follow part of a story in Old English.  You can listen to a soundfile of Thor reciting the opeining lines of Beowulf.

Special set performances of words and music:

Three Signs of Wisdom

with musician Anne Marie Summers

An exploration of medieval Celtic wisdom poetry.

Cantigas de Santa Maria

with Anne Marie Summers and Gaita

Songs and stories in praise of the Virgin from thirteenth-century Spain

Coeur de Lion

with Misericordia

The Life of Richard the Lionheart in words and music, drawing on twelfth-century songs and texts, and medieval verse romance.

You can contact Thor by email here.

More information about Thor's Viking School Visits as Thorolf the Viking or as Osred the Anglo-Saxon
To find out about other aspects of his work, visit Thor's Homepage, where you'll find links to pages for lectures, books and articles on early medieval life and culture, and translations from Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse and medieval Latin.

Thor has current Enhanced CRB clearance for work in schools, and is covered by Public Liability Insurance. 

Thor Ewing is a member of British Actors' Equity.

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