By Grey Lupindo
I recently
visited Folkvang Norse, located at Lexicolo (239, 15, 45). In
Norse mythology, Folkvang is the home of the Viking Goddess Freja. In SL, Folkvang is one of the most unique
and interesting places on the grid. The
site was created over five years ago by three SL residents, Dizzi Sternberg, NightShade Fugu, and Janet
Rossini. The three live in different
countries, England, Denmark, and the United States, respectively, and met in
SL.
Dizzi
Sternberg told me that Folkvang, “is open to all as a public park as we believe
open spaces are rare in SL.” They also
hope to share more accurate information about Viking life than is usually shown
in the media. They have succeeded in
doing this in a variety of fun and exciting ways.
To begin my
journey I teleported into the main landing spot at Lexicolo (224, 11, 2998). This
area has a floor map with teleports to all the major spots within
Folkvang. It also has Viking buildings, clothing, and
other useful items for sale if you want to RP or explore in proper attire. However, wearing Viking clothing is not
required. Do wear comfortable shoes or boots,
however. Folkvang is huge and has lots of places to
explore.
I went straight to Sessrumnir, which is
Freja's Castle. I kept on eye on the Jaguar
guarding the courtyard as I quickly walked up the winding staircase. Inside are lots of nooks and rooms to explore. Among the many rooms are a library and an art
gallery. Most of the walls showcase
beautiful paintings and drawings.
I found a few
treasure chests in some of the rooms. I
didn’t realize it at the time, but the chests are part of Freja’s Quest. In this Quest you try to find treasures while
you search for the Goddess Freja. I
found three treasure boxes, but I need to find more. I couldn’t open them until I found some previous
ones. I looked around a bit, but I didn’t
find them. But this sim has so many
other treasures that I wasn’t disappointed.
I’ll come back another time to search more thoroughly.
As I wandered
through the rooms I also found that some of the items and furniture are for
sale. However, there are no annoying
signs to spoil the beauty and ambiance.
You only realize the items are for sale when you click on them. You need to click, however, because so many
of the items are magical. It takes a
click or two to turn them on or open them up.
My advice is to touch everything.
If you don’t, you may miss out on a hidden room or an interesting
object. Explore everywhere, too. At the end of one very long climb I found a
beautiful outdoor room with a table and carved dragon chairs. On
another rooftop I found a flying dragon ride.
I flew the
dragon ride into Thor’s Garden, which has ancient rune stones in it. Beautiful flute music began to play,
too. There was also a wild boar hunt
that I could have joined in, but I skipped that. There are other free games to play that don’t
involve hunting. I fed some ducks,
chopped wood, explored a Viking village, and more.
While I was exploring another building, a
horse and cart clomped across the bridge.
I decided to hop on and ride around the site. I soon found that Folkvang has more things to
ride than any other place in my recent memory.
In addition to the flying dragon and the horse cart, I took a tour in a
NorsePunk Balloon and sailed a small boat.
During my visit I saw even more things to ride that I didn’t have time
to try: an elephant, a swan, a giant
hen, horses, and different types of boats.
The balloon
tour started at Hedeby and flew past the Folkvang castle and the Valkyrie
tower. It made a stop at Janet’s Land,
which has laboratories and a variety of inventions and gadgets to see. The tour continued, but I got off here. I heard trains and saw Shallot, another beautiful
building that was nearby, both of which I wanted to explore.
The Valkyrie
Transport Rail Road was my favorite ride.
The first thing that struck me as I waited at the station was the
variety of trains. Some carried cargo
or did other industrial work. All of the
trains were unique and different. I
watched for a while before getting into one of the passenger coaches. The
train has great sound effects and a realistic rocking feel to it. I was even able to bring along the cup of
Steelbuck coffee that I had picked up at the stations’ rooftop cafe.
For
residents who like challenges, there are four different types of quests
here. The Visitor area, located at
Lexicolo (239, 15, 45) has teleports and information cards about the different
options. The quests combine fun with Norse
mythology. “The Road to Hel” goes
though the Underworld to the throne room of Hel. “The Old Vanirheimr” goes to the home of
the Vanir Gods and Goddesses, Njord Frej and Freja. The journey goes through both lovely
landscapes as well as some hidden worlds.
“ Back to the Beginning” is said to be the hardest quest as it goes back
in time to Norse creation.
I went on
the newest adventure, “Journey to England”, which is an amazing 30 to 40 minute
simulator ride. I boarded a Viking
long boat in Yorvig. The ride portrays a
Viking couple’s journey from Denmark to England, approximately from the RL home
of Nightshade in Denmark to Sternberg in England. Along the way they encounter storms, enemies
and other hazards. The storm, which
includes a great lightning show, is so amazingly realistic that I could almost
smell the wet sheep that shared the boat with us. Sternberg told me that all of the places
named in the story really exist, and the night sky has the stars accurately
placed.
Folkvang is
one of those wonderful sites that you can spend hours and hours exploring. I didn’t have time to check out the other
quests, the dwarf caves, any of the underground worlds, or the harbor. There’s even a hidden amusement park called
Dizzi World that you can only reach by going through the subway, which is
located at the train station. I peeked inside
it, just long enough to know I must return. There are many other hidden gems and jewels in Folkvang, too. All of them are waiting to be discovered.
Grey Lupindo
