A storyteller and an author will be delivering four interactive journeys into the Viking age during the summer holidays.

The talks, at The Beacon Museum in Whitehaven, are part of the Discover the Vikings programme of events brought to the town in collaboration with the Jorvik Group.

Cumbrian-born author Peter Fox and Cumbrian storyteller Steve Wharton will reveal some of the Viking heritage hidden in plain sight in Cumbria - from the names of places to the local dialect.

The family activity will begin with a sneak preview from the audiobook version of Peter’s upcoming novel The Shadow of Fenrir. The group will go on a myth-busting adventure to question stereotypes and misconceptions - and learn surprising new facts about what life was really like for everyday Vikings. Families will also learn more about Viking sites and experiences that they can visit close to home in Cumbria. There will also be an opportunity for visitors to participate in the storytelling and to try their hand as a skaldic poet in the Viking tradition, with the audience collaborating with Steve Wharton to write an original Viking song.

The pair have also organised the inaugural Moorforge Writing Competition in collaboration with The Beacon Museum.

Entrants in different categories will write a 600-word monologue or story, a 400-word poem or a 300-word song inspired by the Discover the Vikings video presentation.

The winner will be judged on how well they incorporated research about the Viking period and Cumbria’s Norse heritage, showing Viking life in an original and refreshingly way - and how entertaining their writing is.

Alan Irwin, the museum’s business development manager, said: “The Beacon Museum team is delighted to be hosting this series of talks by Peter Fox and Steve Wharton.

“Combining real history with narrative storytelling is what the Discover the Vikings exhibitions is all about, as it highlights Viking saga and mythology as part and parcel of everyday life.

“Norse storytelling, mythology and fact were often indistinguishable from one another and this tradition is continued through Steve’s music, poems and stories as well as Peter’s series of novels, The Wolves of Dumnonia.”

Peter is an historian whose work has seen him exploring the major Viking sites across the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the fjords of Norway.

Steve Wharton is a native Cumbrian with a passion for stories, songs and poems from the area.