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LONDON – At the height of summer, Saga Vanecek paddled in a lake in southern Sweden. And in the shallow waters, reduced by a long heat wave, she found something amazing.
She thought it was a stick, she told The Local's news website, and she was going to crush it on the water. But when she recovered it, it was a sword – about 33 inches long, dark brown with age and rust.
According to an article by her father, Andy Vanecek, on Facebook, she "raised her high above her head and shouted, as if she were Pippi Longstocking," a Swedish tale book heroine, "DADDY! I found a sword!
With her family, Saga, an American woman of 8-year-old Swedish origin, brought the sword to the local Jonkoping County Museum, which confirmed that it dated to the 5th or 6th century, before the time of the Vikings.
It was exceptionally well preserved and included a leather and wood cover, said the museum in a statement released this week.
The discovery was made on July 15, according to Mr. Vanecek's message on Facebook, but the museum asked Saga and his family to keep the discovery secret so that archaeologists could search Lake Vidostern where she discovered the Sword before the treasure hunters leave with any other historical artifact that might be hidden there. Divers and metal detectors were used during the search.
"After the discovery of the sword, we conducted two surveys and found a fibula dating from 300 to 400 AD," said Anders Kraft, archaeologist on the county's board of directors from Jonkoping. "We still do not know if the sword is from the same period, we need more scientific analysis to find out."
Her family is relieved to not have to hide the news.
"I think I may have found it more difficult to keep the secret than herself," Vanecek said. "It's cool that it's in a museum and that it can even say" Saga's sword "and that it lasts for thousands of years."
Visitors looking for the sword will have to wait about a year before seeing it on display, until the specialists complete the object conservation work, said the museum at The Local.
