We recently connected with Brekka Flatdlr and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brekka, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Question: How did you learn to do what you do?
I am currently the 2Ic, or Second in Charge, of the Fjellborg Vikings group here in Colorado. While I hold this position, I recently encouraged our elder and founder to retain the reins for a little longer, ensuring the group remains true to his original vision and legacy. Our group is composed of specialized actors who perform a unique show based on the real history of the Viking Age. We live in camps we call a Living History Exhibit (LHE), which includes displays of everyday life and combat with real steel weapons. So, how did I learn to be Brekka Flatdlr?
I grew up hearing that our family had traceable roots to famous Viking explorers like Erik the Red and Leif Erikson, but the reality of the journey to becoming Brekka is not a simple story. I did school projects on Norwegian culture as a child and laughed as my grandfather would wear his Viking helmet at the dinner table. I remember knowing enough to scold him, pointing out that Vikings didn’t actually have horns on their helmets. He would just smile and say he was a Viking. The people who became known as Vikings did have a deep spiritual connection to the earth, the stars, and beyond. I’ve found that religions based on natural elements seem to have many commonalities. Living where I do in Colorado, my first exposure to this kind of spirituality was through the Indigenous people of this land.
I had been told that I had a great-great-great grandfather who was Cherokee. My DNA tests as an adult are 80% Scandinavian, but I had no idea as a child what all this meant. There are stories of that grandfather and the visions he saw before his death. As a child, I felt drawn to these stories and learned to draw on the wisdom and “magic” of my elders—great aunts and others I would meet who were willing to teach me. My father would bring home road-kill animals and tell me that if I was serious about learning, I should acquire these basic skills. I learned how to skin animals on a table set up on the side of the house, becoming familiar with life and death in that raw way.
I was a Cub Scout when I was young around age seven, and I remember the excitement as we prepared for “Indian Dancers” to come and perform for us. We cleaned out coffee cans, stretched imitation leather over them, and decorated them as drums. We had construction paper headbands and colorful feathers. We sat “Indian Style” on the ground and slapped our mouths and yelled like warriors. It really was a different time.
One of the dancers began speaking to us and let us know that the sound we were making was actually more of a Hollywood movie sound—that the sound was closer to the trilling women make when they honor someone. He pointed to our feathers and said they were worn more like women wear them and could even designate if we were single and available or married! We were shocked and immediately stopped the noises and incorrect feather wearing. Well, at least I did. The elder of the group was sitting behind the drum and motioning for me to approach him. There were easily a hundred or so boys, and it took me a minute to understand that he meant me specifically. I got up and went to him. He had me put my hand on the drum and asked me if I could feel that—he didn’t say what. I felt like whatever was there was very important and powerful, so I said yes. He said it was the spirit of the drum: the bison hide that was once an animal roaming the plains, the tree that once stood strong, and the little marks all around the drum where people poured their energy through it for generations. It was all the spirit of the drum. He then told me to move my hand in a circle and bring it to my heart. I did, and he said that now I was a part of the drum’s spirit as well. I was entranced.
I found out it wasn’t difficult to ride my bike to his house to learn more. I began to go all the time, hanging out with the pack of feral cats and playing on the grounds that were once an apple orchard and an original homestead. I learned to do beadwork, featherwork, and the stories of his Lakota culture. I went through ceremonies and learned to dance and sing at the drum, honor my relatives in the tiyospaye, and was even married by this man and the ways he taught. My children called him grandfather, and I earned championships as a Fancy Dancer to make him proud. I became a school teacher, and he came to visit and teach my students with me. After my father’s violent death, he advised me even more and helped to shape who I was as an adult. Then he died.
Then I almost died, again surviving impossible odds as I have done many times now. My life forever changed this last time though. I couldn’t just show my place as a dancer in that culture with the skill learned over a lifetime—my legs and pelvis were rebuilt and barely functional. I still go to powwows, but now I wear my elder’s traditional style outfit. It wasn’t the same though; I was lost. I had also been a very successful theater teacher, but that program was destroyed. As a concession, I was told I needed to teach a history credit and given a list of classes. I asked if I could teach a section of Ancient Civilizations that focused only on Vikings. They agreed, given the difficult position they had put me in, and the Vikings class became very popular. I was not an expert, though.
The students did various research projects, and I began to understand that most of the popular information out there was actually incorrect and not historically accurate. I started searching for better places to learn than just internet searches. I found the Fjellborg Vikings on a Meet Up app and decided to go to the Midsummer event in Estes Park. I was also the Fantasy Lit teacher, so I was used to teaching about Tolkien and his inspirations from Norse sagas. Naturally, I wore my wizard robe to go meet them. It turned out to be much like wearing a construction paper headband and feathers. Little did I know that Tolkien’s great wizard archetype, represented by powerful characters like Gandalf, was modeled after Odin himself, the wanderer. Yet, Odin was actually embodying a female magical style, like a Völva, dressed in women’s robes and carrying a woman’s staff. And, of course, I was not wearing linen or wool like the rest of the camp.
The elder motioned to me to come sit with him behind his table. It was the same motion I remembered from my youth—to go sit behind the drum. He started to explain all the things on his table that he had made. He was a blacksmith and historian and had many replicas of real items displayed in museums. It was strange because many of the beliefs and ways matched what I had grown up learning in Lakota culture, except this time, everyone looked like me. I was so used to a life where I was so different that I had to be good—a talented dancer and culturally adept expert—to stand up to the scrutiny that my white face called to me. The values were similar, though, and I felt the draw once again of a spiritual mission.
I started visiting the elder’s house, just as I had when I was young, but it was a new life. I decided to learn combat and make weapons and armor. I shaved wood for days to make handles and began to make my “kit.” A kit is an authentic, time-period-correct set of items that goes with a created character. Piece by piece, I collected or made my kit, just as I had done all my life with Indigenous culture. I learned to fight with axe, sword, and shield just as I had learned to dance at powwows. I learned from experts and craft artisans. Then I began a Master’s program in Viking Studies based in Scotland. My entry was as a literature expert, but the program is designed to bring together historians, archaeologists, and literature experts, then level the field, teaching us how to be all of them. I am currently enjoying the steep curve of learning these other disciplines.
The Fjellborg group is full of individuals who have invested their lives into authentic history. It is more than a hobby; it is a way of life and a lifelong investment. Each person has their story, their adventure, and their path into Viking reenactment. The group is connected to a larger parent group in Canada, the Vinland Vikings, which is also part of the Vikings UK network. This large network of experts spans across the globe and has endless resources to learn your character and create your kit.

Question: Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process?
Should I have stuck with the Norwegian projects and gone into Viking history as a child? No! Absolutely not. I would never trade the life I learned with the Lakota elder and my extended tiyospaye. Would I be more advanced at Viking reenactment, though? Absolutely. I have caught up fast, and now I have both in my life.

Question: What skills do you think were most essential?
I think the most essential skill is ferreting out true history from Hollywood fiction or agendas people want to push. Being able to track down history authentically.

Question: What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
It’s expensive to do things correctly. It takes time and patience and resources. I also have lost much of my physical ability due to deadly unrelated accidents. I have had to learn to be resourceful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Question: What type of products/services/creative works do you provide?
At our shows, we live in the Living History Camps and visitors can ask questions and learn authentic history from our experts. We also host combat training on the second Sunday of each month where members can be certified in our fighting style. We have dedicated workshops on the fourth Sunday of every month, but also additional times as suits interested persons, where you can make items using skills like sewing, weaving, wood working, metal working, bone or leather working, painting, dying, and more.

Question: What problems do you solve for your clients?
People who seek us out are usually looking for a more authentic educational experience for school or museums. We also provide entertainment along with the education in our combat shows and camps full of artisans, musicians, storytellers, and opportunities for kids to try on some Viking stuff and take photos.

Question: What you think sets you apart from others?
The Authenticity and research. Nothing is even allowed in our camp if it cannot be proven with a grave find or saga reference.

Question: What are you most proud of?
Through my research, I’ve been able to find lost DNA and ancestry connections and family mysteries. My reenactment name Brekka comes from my mother’s maiden name Brekke that is also the name of a town in Norway. My second name Flatdlr is a reference to a flat valley, also a town in Norway, that was used by my biological father’s family for a surname. They changed it to Flatland here in the United States. I never would have discovered these family connections if not for the passion and skill I learned in the Fjellborg group.

Question: What are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.
We want people to know that the Fjellborg Vikings is not a hobby—it is a lifelong dedication to authentic history and education. We don’t settle for Hollywood stereotypes; our Living History Exhibits (LHEs) and combat demonstrations are based only on verified archaeological finds and saga references. Every member of our group, including artisans, historians, and fighters, has invested countless hours to research and create a time-period-correct “kit” and character, ensuring the integrity of the Viking Age experience we provide.
If you are looking for an educational partner for a school or museum, or simply want to dive deeper into the true Viking culture, we offer a level of detail and commitment that sets us apart. Our brand is built on authenticity, deep knowledge, and immersive, engaging experiences that bring history to life.
You can keep in touch with us and look through our historical photos and videos through our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. You can find videos in TikTok searching our Fjellborg hash tag as well. Our website www.Fjellborg.org is being renovated by our new Media Thegn and will be live soon!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was a professional dancer, a martial artist of many styles, and an award-winning champion in those endeavors.

In 2017, I was on my 2015 Harley Davidson Road King, bringing it back from its two-year check-up. I was heading to a date night with my new fiancée. I was waiting at a yellow light, checking for traffic to clear so I could turn. The light turned red, and as I entered the intersection and began my turn, a 16-year-old driver, rushing to run the light while looking at his phone, slammed into me at 45 miles per hour.

He hit me T-bone. My right leg was caught between the vehicles; it all but tore off my foot and spun that leg one and a half times around, causing spiral fractures of the bones. My left leg went through my pelvis and into my back. My hip joint ended up being recovered from near my shoulder. All my ribs were broken as I was squished like a bug.

My heart was ripped aside, and the aorta lacerated. The heart surgeon was stunned. He told me there were no statistics—no one could possibly live through what I went through or the procedure he performed to reinforce my heart with Gore-Tex and titanium. He flatly stated, “You must believe in God or a higher power, because people just don’t survive that.”

What’s more, this was my second time experiencing that level of trauma. But this time, I couldn’t bounce back to the physical demands of my previous life.

I joined the Fjellborg Vikings using a scooter and a walker, and now I am the certified combat instructor for the group. My life in Viking combat reflects my new reality: as a warrior, I can pretty much stand there like a tank and let them come to me.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

We greatly appreciate the translation of the Poetic Edda (Viking Sagas) and other works by Jackson Crawford. He also has a very informative YouTube channel that matches our same drive for authenticity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fjellborgvikings.org
• Instagram: fjellborgvikings
• Facebook: Fjellborg Vikings
• Other: TickTock #fjellborgvikings

Image Credits

Erica K. Schmitt, Scott Dolleck, Charles Pollet