FOR those who want to see the darker side of history, a York attraction has held an event celebrating the gory tales of the Viking era.

Jorvik Dark Saga Tours was an event that exclusively took place over the Halloween period – offering a spooky twist on the Jorvik Lates and giving those brave enough a glimpse into the mythology that haunted the streets of York in the 10th century.

This event comes ahead of the new Winter opening at the Jorvik Centre where visitors will be able to see what 10th-century York was like in winter and how the Vikings survived during the cold winter months - with Saga paying homage to the stories told on those dark winter nights.

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Dark Saga saw Jorvik’s resident storyteller, Skald, guide visitors around the dark streets of Viking-age York as he tells the tale of the era’s most terrifying creature, the Draugr - an ‘undead abomination who control ranks of the living dead’. 

The tour started with visitors first being guided down to the entrance hall of the museum as Queen Asa retells the story of the great York dig, which unearthed the remains of a Viking settlement under the Coppergate Centre as memorialised in the typical Jorvik experience.

After that, Skald then led the way into the centre – seeing visitors walk the route usually taken by Jorvik’s usual ride – as he told the story of Thoralf, a Viking ruler who was killed by his two cunning sons before being approached by a mysterious figure and given the opportunity to return to life as something ‘deathless’.

One of the Viking houses, occupied by the undead...One of the Viking houses, occupied by the undead... (Image: Alice Kavanagh) Upon making a blood oath with the unknown figure, he was given dark supernatural abilities and awakened filled with a murderous rage – taking over the city as he expanded his ever-growing army of the dead.

Skald also told the woman who confronted the evil King– leaving his head discarded in the mud and his bloodline officially ended - complete with actors playing the main roles and some of the vampiric zombies.

After the event had ended in the main centre, the group were released into the museum where they could browse the artefacts found throughout the dig and listen to the story of Thorgana and her restless army of the dead, who were only foiled by ancient laws preventing them from haunting any further.

Thoralf's skull, held by the mysterious stranger...Thoralf's skull, held by the mysterious stranger... (Image: Alice Kavanagh) Whilst we enjoyed the event, the stories told were not too much about the history of York and more focused on Norse mythology – something that would allow visitors already familiar with the history usually told in Jorvik to return and experience something new.

Gareth Henry, head of operations at Jorvik Viking Centre: “Jorvik Viking Centre has been an immersive experience for 40 years, and as part of our anniversary celebrations, we have had fun exploring how we can create additional experiences that take advantage of the Viking-age streets to offer unusual and different experiences beyond the ‘normal’ visitor journey. 

A lyre, played by one of the Viking storytellersA lyre, played by one of the Viking storytellers (Image: Alice Kavanagh) “We’re really excited about our plans for A Winter Adventure, which will see the set covered in snow, opening next Monday, and hope to announce some additional exclusive winter-themed events in the coming weeks.”

For those looking to prebook the next event, tickets for A Winter Adventure at Jorvik Viking Centre can be found on jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk.