Eden Ballantyne first came to Gothenburg Fringe Festival and took home an award for Simply The Best in 2025. Ballantyne returns this year with a brand new show, Thor’s A Dick: Viking Legends Not For Kids.
Ballantyne’s previous show was one of my favourites at last year’s Festival. A classically trained British actor and a storyteller for the National Trust, he has a way of bringing stories to life with his own physicality, a simple costume, and evident passion for the subject. Ballantyne takes us through stories featuring classic characters such as Thor, Odin and Freja, playing every one of the characters himself and swtiching between them with boundless energy and remarkable characterisation. Each story is intertwined with fun facts about the characters, origin of the legends or about the period of history itself. Ballantyne is a fountain of knowledge and has a way of keeping the crowd engaged from the first moment. He is funny, always wearing a cheeky smile and has no shame in laughing at himself for the sake of a joke.
Ballantyne shows his resourcefulness and commitment the performace in the second half of the show where he tells the story of Ragnarök, or what Norse mythology believes is going to bring about the end of the world. He uses a small projection screen and cut-outs to introduce Jörmungandr, Fenrir and other monstrous creatures that are said to wage war on the living, all to an epic soundtrack. Ballantyne does not even use a mic, he relies entirely on his own self, talent and knowledge and concluded the show to well-deserved applause.
Keep an eye out for Ballantyne in the National Trust, schools in England and the international Fringe circuit. If you have older kids or just love hearing fun stories, this is one performer you don’t want to miss.
Written by Ceri Taylor
Photography by Ikumi Maekawa
