Felicity Long
During the pandemic, while other people were baking bread and learning to knit, I spent an inordinate amount of time binge-watching Nordic noir. For the uninitiated, Nordic Noir is a genre of storytelling that blends murder mysteries -- the creepier the better -- with immersive deep dives into the local culture. Local politics sometimes play a role, along with environmental themes, religious cults, interestingly flawed detectives and, almost always, handmade Scandinavian sweaters.
What does any of this have to do with travel? Various Scandinavian tourism boards think it does, given the proliferation of guided tours based on some of the more popular series, especially those that have found international success by breaking into mainstream consciousness.
Visit Copenhagen, for example, suggests private tours based on hit TV series like "The Killing," "Borgen," and "The Bridge," and Visit Sweden offers tours based on such popular series as "Wallander" and "The Fjallbacka Murders."
And while most of the Nordic countries --including Iceland and Finland -- are producing some first-rate Noir streaming content, Sweden is arguably the grandaddy of them all in terms of introducing the concept of noir-based travel, thanks to the popularity of tours based on "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and Stieg Larsson's entire Millennium series.
You have to be there
A fresh take on this trend is an audio story experience, Spellbound by Sweden, featuring the story "Kiln" by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist that, thanks to a geographical restriction, is literally only available in full immersive form if you are physically in the Swedish forest.
"Looking at what travelers are seeking when planning a holiday, many have a desire to discover something new," said Nils Persson, chief marketing officer for Visit Sweden. "We want to inspire the world to come and experience something completely different," he said.
"The Swedish forests have historically been home to many fascinating creatures, now we want to introduce the world to their spellbindingly beautiful home ... if you dare."
In addition to wooing travelers away from Stockholm and other popular cities and into the destination's less touristed regions, the story provides an immersive experience showcasing the way the supernatural and nature intersect in Sweden's consciousness.
Seventy percent of Sweden is comprised of forests, and the aim of geo-restricting the audio story is to introduce listeners to the county's folklore in the setting in which the local myths were born.
The story is experienced in the first person, inviting listeners to literally walk in the footsteps of a character who encounters a "huldra," a forest nymph from Swedish folklore.
"The supernatural has always played an active role in Swedish culture," said Ajvide Lindqvist.
"It is more than just a backdrop to the crime stories and Nordic noir movies that have made the country famous. As a horror author, when I enter a forest, I only need a glimpse of the dark side of a stone or the knots of a tree to trigger my imagination. Nature seems to come alive and lures you to come after it."
The geo-restricted audio story is available for free on Visit Sweden's website. Here, visitors can also discover the best locations for experiencing the story and learn about the different mythological creatures from Swedish folklore
The Spellbound by Sweden experience has a video trailer.
Ajvide Lindqvist, often referred to as the "Swedish Stephen King," is best known for "Let the Right One In" and "Border," both of which were made into films that received top honors at film festivals, including Tribeca Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival.