Young poets are being invited to pen their version of the Viking invasion of York in 866 AD to win a Jorvik goody bag, free entry for their school class to visit the Jorvik Viking Centre and the chance to see their poem published in the Evening Press.

The bloodbath that York became on the day of the invasion, November 1, 866, has already provided juicy material for many a historian. The following passage comes from Symeon of Durham, from his work On The Origins and Progress Of This The Church of Durham.

He said the Vikings "ranged hither and thither, filling everywhere with blood and lamentation. They destroyed monasteries and churches far and wide with sword and fire, and when they departed they left nothing except roofless walls, to such an extent that the present generation can recognise hardly any sign - sometimes there is none at all - of the ancient nobility of these places."

It was when the people of Eoforwick (York) were celebrating the Christian festival of All Saints' Day that they were taken by surprise by the Viking invaders.

The longships sailed up the River Ouse, carrying half the Viking army, while the rest of the attackers encircled the city on horeseback.

Ivar the Boneless, the Viking commander, had lain his plans well and the unsuspecting city had no defence against the pagan army.

Entrants are invited to imagine the invasion, whether they were a child cowering in a little house in the centre of the city while the battle raged on, an Anglian soldier desperately trying to defend the city or a Viking warrior who has come to fight and win or die honourably with a sword in his hand. If you think you could write something striking about a Viking, pick up an entry form from the Jorvik Viking Centre and get your entry in before Sunday, October 31.

The winning poem will appear in the Evening Press after the half-term holiday.

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