Occupying a small portion of a homestead region – the rest being given over to open water – is Hrafn Island. The work of Frankie (Frankie Blackwood), it is a windswept place, aged and with a sense of both history and mystery.
Black sand, cold mist, and the echo of wings. The ravens came first, then the sea. Some say the waves still carry their voices, whispering to those who dare walk alone.
The island remembers what it’s given, and what it’s taken back
– Hrafn Island About Land
As regulars to these pages know, I tend to be especially drawn to locations in Second Life which have – or may have – been (in full or in part) inspired by physical world locations. On seeing the name of this setting, I couldn’t help but wonder if it might have been inspired by the small but handsomely rugged Ramsey Island sitting off the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, a name that forms “Hrafn’s Island” in Old Norse, referencing the many ravens (and perhaps choughs which might from a distance be mistaken for ravens) to be found there (among a variety of other species of birds).
It turned out my assumption was likely wrong, but this doesn’t negate the fact that Frankie’s Hrafn Island is a home to ravens, and is – more prominently – a richly engaging setting carrying with it both overtones and undertones of Nordic expression (for example, as well as meaning “raven”, Hrafn is also masculine personal and byname in Old Norse).
This is a setting that is beautifully minimalist, much in keeping with parts of Iceland: rugged, green, and showing clear signs of its volcanic history – in this case, notably by the basalt columns protecting much of the coast from the surrounding waters and the dark volcanic sands of the beach areas. The humped back of the island is devoid of trees and shrubs, the land being given over to rough grass on which sheep graze and a horse roams. The honest, simple beauty it presents is breath-taking, as is the dual sense of history and mystery I’ve already alluded to.
Further Nordic elements can be found in the form of the small homestead and its barn also occupying the island, together with small totems on the beach and the rough-hewn standing stones carved with runes. These – perhaps in part because of the region’s misty Shared Environment (by which it should obviously be seen – give the setting an enigmatic air.
The greater part of this mystery, however, comes in the form of 17 pages of a journal. Scattered across the island and awaiting discovery by the keen-eyed, these appear to have been written by one Eira Sævarsdóttir – a name which further points to Iceland as a source for the setting’s imagined location, as does the place by which Eira appears to have reached this island: Stykkishólmur, a town located on Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula.
This journal presents an unfolding story of a deeper, older secret wrapped around the island; a mystery which draws Eira into its (dark?) heart, her fate forming a further chapter in its writing. It’s a tale I don’t want to spoil here; far better for it to to be discovered as the various pages are found and compiled (such is their scattering across the island, indoors and out, the order in which they might be found does not necessarily match their numerical order) such that they might be read in chronological order. While this may take a little time (it’s not always easy to locate individual pages – although a viewer with Area Search might help those pushed for time), for those who like to fully enjoy a setting, I do recommend doing so and then reading the journal in full.
With its mystery to be solved, a windswept, rugged beauty and even a spot of surfing to be had by those so minded, Hrafn Island makes for an engaging visit.
SLurl Details
- Hrafn Island (Star Gazer, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 