Denmark is many things, flat, beautiful, filled with sand and easy to traverse with a bike. But what it truly is, that is an adventurous journey. To emphasize this point, I will show you something truly unique hidden just out of sight from the place known as Tornby, there is a cozy Viking village called Yxengaard after a fertile nearby river. One could say a clever man sowed the seeds there several decades ago and it has sprung up to become a rustic little hamlet. A location perfect for extracurricular activities, such as bringing a school class of kids that really should get out into nature more there to teach them how to use tools and work with their hands. It is well suited for live action role-playing, reenactment and other such fulfilling events one can participate in, if one knows where to look and have a bit of luck. In fact it is used for the things I just mentioned. In the thick forest next to Rævskjær vei, this wooden village recides and is fashioned after old viking abodes and made with traditional materials. It is not entirely unlike what you can erect in Valheim, which this post and resulting video can be used as reference material for.
When reaching the nearby intersection I'm greeted with a parking lot next to a dog walking park to the right, and a gravel road to the left, where an entrance sign can be seen. If one ignores both directions and goes straight ahead you can reach the ocean and a huge beach, once you traverse the sand dunes. That said the beach is something to behold, it is the length of the Danish coast after all.
Once I walked through the village entrance I was greeted by a magnificent outdoor kitchen area, a long table with a throne at the end. Which had a door leading into a very cozy and rustic pub. Seriously, there are even two humongous barrels in the middle just for the aesthetics alone.
Further up the path a clay kiln resides which was used to make pottery when I was there, due to the event I was participating in.
After that building was passed I found a place to sleep with a lovely fireplace in the middle and a bar bench by the entrance.
Once I tore my eyes away from that venue of creativity, I immediately stumbled across a fully functional forge that was used by a highly skilled smithy during my stay there. I just like blacksmithing, that's all, however I will not dwell on that this time around.
Next to this some cheeky people built a bridge just to fight on and few other justifications for such a river passing existing is needed.
However this structure pales in comparison to the king residence, which is hidden behind a tall palisade wall that can be manned by men.
One reoccurring element that is all over the location that never occurred to me aesthetically speaking is upside down trees and using the roots themselves as decor.
If there is a phrase that fits Yxengaard to a tee, it's this one:
The old Norse gods still live in the forest, the woodwork and overall excellent craftsmanship that highlight what can be done with creative carving. To punctuate this point, at the far end there is a circle of icons depicting the mighty Thor fighting the midgard serpent. The beautiful Freya and her two cats. The one eyed Odin and his loyal gossip ravens, and the body of the world serpent. Yxengaard and the ancient forests are alive, breathing and should be taken care of, just like stories from the past.
#yxengaard #viking #vikingvillage #woodwoork #viking #valheim
