In an event that sounds like something straight out of a mystical tale of decades past, an eight-year-old girl pulled an ancient sword from a lake.
This story raises so many questions. Who put the sword in the lake? Why? Was it cursed? I bet the little girl was destined to find it all along.
Saga Vanecek was at her family’s holiday home in Jonkoping County, Sweden, when she came across the 1,500-year-old sword.
Saga was swimming in the lake when she stepped on the pre-Viking-era relic – though luckily it didn’t cause her any injuries. The water was very low at the time due to a drought, which may have been why Saga came across the majestic weapon.
Speaking to the local Värnamo Nyheter newspaper, Saga explained:
I felt something with my hand and at first I thought it was a stick. Then it had a handle that looked like it was a sword, and then I lifted it up and shouted: ‘Daddy, I found a sword!’
Saga’s father Andy Vanecek believed his daughter was mistaken, and thought she had just stumbled across a stick or branch in the water. He asked a friend to take a closer look at the discovery, and only then found out that it was an ancient relic.
He told the paper:
She walked very slowly and played in the water just like the child does, I was a little frustrated that she did not come back quickly. But then she picked up something that I thought was a stick.
On Monday I was at work and there I asked a colleague who likes the Middle Ages so I thought he knows who to contact. He had a friend who is an archaeologist so we contacted her.
I wonder if Saga felt any kind of incredible power when she touched the sword? This could be made into an excellent… saga (sorry).
Unfortunately, rather than going on adventures with her new found weapon, Saga gave the sword up to the Jonkoping county museum.
According to the BBC, Mikael Nordstrom from the museum said:
It’s not every day that you step on a sword in the lake!
The museum also said that the ancient sword was extremely well-preserved.
The discovery has led to the site being excavated by the museum and local council, during which a brooch from the 3rd Century was also uncovered.
The excavations are not finished yet, so who knows what other kind of treasures could also be hiding under the water?
Amazing!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.