Born in Putney in 1967, Ewing’s Viking connection began early, when he was named after the Norse god of thunder as the result of his father’s dream. Since graduating from Durham in 1989 (where he studied Medieval Literature specializing in Old Norse) he has worked as an independent scholar, writing speaking and consulting on all things Viking, and providing translations of medieval texts from Old Norse, Old English, Old Welsh, Old Gaelic and Latin.
He is an experienced performer working with a variety of audiences, and is a confident and engaging speaker. From storytelling and informal talks to academic lectures, Thor Ewing can tailor a performance to meet your needs.
Thor Ewing is deeply engaged with Viking cultural traditions, from art and music to poetry and storytelling. These interests are reflected in his recent book Viking Myths: Stories of the Norse Gods & Goddesses (Welkin Books 2014) and in his long-standing work-in-progress translating the poetry of the Vikings which won prizes as far back as 1994 (British Comparative Literature Association Translation Competition).
Performances frequently include music on authentic reconstructions of historical instruments, such as the lyre (a six-string harp played throughout the Ancient world, as well as by Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Gaels and Picts), bone flute (which survived almost unchanged from the Stone Age until the Norman Conquest) and the enchanting tones of the harmonic willow flute (a truly ‘primitive’ instrument, played in Scotland within living memory and still flourishing in parts of Scandinavia). Ewing has provided demonstrations of authentic musical instruments for TV and radio, most recently for BBC Radio 3.
Thor Ewing’s historical researches span a great diversity of fields, from athorough reassessment of the clothes favoured by Viking invaders to the vagaries of sixteenth century Highland clan politics (which recently led to the official recognition of his own ancestral clan after a lapse of centuries).
Ewing’s research has been published in two History Press monographs, in academic journals and he contributed several entries to The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages (2010). Ewing has appeared as a historian in several TV shows including Channel 4’s Time Team and Tony Robinson’s Gods and Monsters, and several episodes of BBC 2’s educational series Zig Zag.
Thor Ewing’s historical researches span a great diversity of fields, from a thorough reassessment of the clothes favoured by Viking invaders to the vagaries of sixteenth century Highland clan politics (which recently led to the official recognition of his own ancestral clan after a lapse of centuries).
Ewing’s research has been published in two History Press monographs, in academic journals and he contributed several entries to The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages (2010). Ewing has appeared as a historian in several TV shows including Channel 4’s Time Team and Tony Robinson’s Gods and Monsters, and several episodes of BBC 2’s educational series Zig Zag.
Author Website: http://thorewing.net/
Twitter: @ThorEwing
Facebook: Thor Ewing
Linkdin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thorewing
Bibliography:
Featured book:
Viking Myths: Stories of the Norse Gods & Goddesses, £8.99 Welkin Books 2014
From its first beginnings in a world of primordial ice floes, the story of the Viking gods is one of continual struggle against etins and monsters, but it is a tale of humour and triumph as well as of grit and tragedy. The Norse myths are justly famous for a host of vivid characters including the wise and enigmatic Odin, the bluff strongman Thor, and the incorrigible trickster Loki.
In the first major retelling for a generation, storyteller and historian Thor Ewing draws on his ongoing study of the original sources and on years of experience telling and retelling these stories to audiences across Britain and in Scandinavia to rediscover the brisk vitality with which these ancient myths were told in the earliest sources.
With 45 stunning b&w illustrations inspired by Viking art. www.facebook.com/vikingmyth
Bibliography:
50 Classic Poems Every Boy Should Know, £6.49 Welkin Books 2015
(editor: poems chosen specifically for boys, drawing on 1,000 years of English literature)
Visions of Alba, £3.95 Welkin Books 2015
(a short sequence of poems focussing on Scottish history)
Viking Myths: Stories of the Norse Gods & Goddesses, £8.99 Welkin Books 2014
(a new and lively retelling of these powerful ancient stories)
Gods and Worshippers in the Viking and Germanic World, £14.99 The History Press 2008
(non-fiction - an investigation of pre-Christian religious practice)
Viking Clothing, £17.99 The History Press 2006
(non-fiction - already a standard reference for this subject)
The Wisdom of the Celts, £6.99 Edda UK 2004
(translations from medieval Irish and Welsh sources on the theme of wisdom)
Example performance, ‘Vikings: Myths, Music and Poetry’:
Thor Ewing presents the culture that created Europe’s most exciting mythology and reveals how the myths intertwine with the Vikings’ unique and unexplored poetic tradition. Illustrated with readings from Ewing’s recent book Viking Myths and his prize-winning translations of Viking poetry, with music on authentic reconstructed instruments and even the occasional song.
Example semi-staged performance, ‘Riddle Gestumblindi’:
In ‘Riddle Gestumblindi’, Thor Ewing presents a semi-staged performance of the story of King Heithrek’s Riddle Game against the Viking god Odin (the performance includes music). This classic tale from the thirteenth-century Icelandic Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks provides a narrative frame for several myths, as well as an opportunity to test the audience’s skill with riddles.
Example historical lecture, ‘Scotland’s Viking legacy’:
Although modern Scotland traditionally looks back to Pictish and Gaelic predecessors, the Vikings played a great part in defining what it is to be Scottish. From houses and transport to food and drink, Thor Ewing explores the Scotland the Vikings made.
Example performance, ‘Vikings: Myths, Music and Poetry’:
Thor Ewing presents the culture that created Europe’s most exciting mythology and reveals how the myths intertwine with the Vikings’ unique and unexplored poetic tradition. Illustrated with readings from Ewing’s recent book Viking Myths and his prize-winning translations of Viking poetry, with music on authentic reconstructed instruments and even the occasional song.
Example semi-staged performance, ‘Riddle Gestumblindi’:
In ‘Riddle Gestumblindi’, Thor Ewing presents a semi-staged performance of the story of King Heithrek’s Riddle Game against the Viking god Odin (the performance includes music). This classic tale from the thirteenth-century Icelandic Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks provides a narrative frame for several myths, as well as an opportunity to test the audience’s skill with riddles.
Example historical lecture, ‘Scotland’s Viking legacy’:
Although modern Scotland traditionally looks back to Pictish and Gaelic predecessors, the Vikings played a great part in defining what it is to be Scottish. From houses and transport to food and drink, Thor Ewing explores the Scotland the Vikings made.
Youtube videos:
A snippet of Thor reading from his translation of the Viking narrative poem, ‘The Atli Lay’:
A short piece for TV on Elizabethan history:
Tweets about Thor Ewing’s performances:
Thor Ewing, Viking scholar & Commander of the highland Clan Ewing! Tearing it up at #ScottishCaucus2015. Great talk about western isles.
— COSCA (@COSCAnet) April 17, 2015OMG #UnlockingtheVikings just reached EPIC hieghts with @ThorEwing telling the fantastic tale of Gestumblindi. AMAZING storyteller!
— Rebecca Wilson (@soulchaserbecky) June 28, 2014If you are involved in this festival you can update or change details via the organisers page . Authors can list here.