This eight-year-old Swedish girl’s name conjures up Old Nordic tales about heroic accomplishments. So it seemed appropriate when Saga stumbled on a pre-Viking-era sword in a southern Sweden lake this past summer.
Saga Vanecek was helping her father with his boat in the Vidostern lake when she stepped on a 34-inch sword in a scabbard made of wood and leather. The sword is believed to be about 1,500 years old. Water levels in the lake were low due to drought.
Mikael Nordstrom of the local Jonkoping County museum said on Friday that the little girl’s find prompted others to seek out long-lost treasures there. A brooch from between A.D. 300 to 400 was eventually found.
Nordstrom says archaeologists are trying to understand why the items were deposited there. One suggestion is possibly related to sacrificial rituals.
(Photo from Jonkopings Lans Museum via AP: This pre-Viking era sword was found in a lake in Sweden by eight-year-old Saga Vanecek as she was helping her father with his boat. It is thought to be about 1,500 years old.)
