The Spirit of Ancient Scandinavia awaits you

Escape the modern world with Alvi Gunilla and Primal Nordic in Älvdalen, the heart of Viking culture

☼ Everything that is, sprung from what was

☼ Everything that is, sprung from what was

This retreat is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for me also. Even by Swedens standards, Älvdalen is enchanting. Let us take you there! - @AlviGunilla

This retreat is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for me also. Even by Swedens standards, Älvdalen is enchanting. Let us take you there! - @AlviGunilla

Out of the world, into the wild

Our retreat aims to reawaken something Ancient within you. Alvi Gunilla and Primal Nordic have worked together to offer you a chance to enter an unknown world hidden in the secluded mountains of Älvdalen, Dalarna. The place where the runes survived and was used as late as the 20th century. For four nights and five days you will join us here. A limited group will join us to learn and uncover the secrets of the runes, discovering the magic within them and learning how to use them.

We will also embark on expeditions into the wild with Primal Nordic. Within the silent, ancient mountains and crystal clear lakes we will learn how to survive on what nature offers us. We will be fishing with tools crafted by us from what we can find and make fires and shelters in the towering primeval forest untouched by human civilisation.

  • See the Elfdalian runes on barns and houses on the way to the retreat

  • Opening ceremony with live music and mead

  • Feast with wild Swedish meat such as bear and moose

Day 1 - Arrival

  • Primitive fire building in the forest with Primal Nordic

  • Wild grilled lunch over fire

  • Learn to understand and use the power of the runes with Alvi & Joar

  • Dinner and Sauna

Day 2 - Runes and Fire

  • Using the power of the breath for deep morning meditation

  • Expedition into the untouched Swedish wilderness

  • Build a shelter and spend the night under the starry nordic sky with a chance of experiencing the northern lights.

Day 3 - Into the Wild

  • Rewild yourself. Wild swim, use the sauna, canoe and explore solo to reconnect with the earth and yourself.

  • Arrive back to a hearty lunch in the warmth of the hearth

  • Work together on making a wood-burned rune stone that will remain here and immortalize our time together.

  • Use clay from Scandinavian soil to create a memory to join you home

Day 4 - Creation

  • Make your own ancient fishing rod to catch wild trout

  • Grill and enjoy the trout over the fire with hot mead or your beverage of choice

  • Push yourself to swim in the cold november waters and relax in the sauna after to reward yourself

  • Arrive back to a hearty feast and a live theatrical retelling of a saga from Norse Mythology

Day 5 - From the Depths

  • Enjoy a final breakfast by the lake

  • Closing ceremony to integrate the journey we have been on

  • Departures home

Day 6 - Integration

Authentic Viking-age Meals

We believe that most retreats and experiences lack the joy of good food and drink in abundance.
Therefore we want to be able to offer you the best traditionally Nordic food and drinks throughout the week.

Right next to us is Navardalen lake, brimming with trout. Trout is a salmon fish and is considered a delicacy in many restaurants.

We will eat moose, bear and wild boar during the week, hunted from the wild forests around

Many meals will be cooked over the fire where we will also spend a lot of time talking and maybe enjoy some mead while leaning in to the stillness around

We will also have the opportunity to drink mead made from a Nordic heritage breed of bees, historically accurate to the bees used in the Viking Age

Where the runes survived

The retreat takes place in Navardalen, a valley deep within the Ancient mountains of the Scandinavian mountain chain. The Scandinavian mountain chain is the oldest in Europe.
Navardalen is the western part of Älvdalen, a mysterious place were runes where used as late as in the 1930’s. Älvdalen has been exceptionally isolated as part of the inaccessible highlands of western Sweden. The mountains and rough terrain along with it’s distance from major towns like Stockholm and the borders of the country led to an usual level of preservation of customs and traditions.

Älvdalen is not only a region where runes were recently used but also home to the now protected language of Elfdalian. It is the closest language to Old Norse, even closer than Icelandic. Here’s how it sounds like: