Playing in the lake is always fun. But it’s extra fun when you find an ancient artifact!
A Swedish-American girl named Saga Vanecek – her real name – had only moved to Sweden a year ago. She and her family had previously lived in Minnesota and are even big Vikings fans.
While vacationing at Vidöstern Lake in Tånnö, Småland, Saga’s father, Andy, asked her to go grab him a buoy. The lake level was lower than usual due to drought, and he wanted to warn area boaters. Along the way, Saga picked up some stones and skipped them across the lake’s surface.
Andy, according to The Local, was growing frustrated with his easily distracted daughter. “I was getting impatient because the World Cup game was about to start!”
Then Saga found a stick. “I picked it up and was going to drop it back in the water, but it had a handle, and I saw that it was a little bit pointy at the end and all rusty. I held it up in the air and I said ‘Daddy, I found a sword!’ When he saw that it bent and was rusty, he came running up and took it.”
Photo Credit: Andrew Vanecek
Andy decided to take it to his neighbor who had some practice in archaeology. Both concluded the sword might be of real interest and turned it over to authorities. Shortly after, Saga and Andy were told the sword was likely from the 5th or 6th century AD, which makes the relic pre-Viking.
How did the sword get in the lake?
A representative of the museum that took possession of the sword said, “When we searched a couple of weeks ago, we found another prehistoric object; a brooch from around the same period as the sword, so that means — we don’t know yet — but perhaps it’s a place of sacrifice.”
Saga and her father were tasked with keeping the find a secret until now, so that no would-be treasure seekers would come disrupt the site (except of course Saga told her best friend). But now that the museum’s work in the lake is done, the secret is out – and was celebrated at Saga’s school with an ice-cream party.
Photo Credit: Jönköpings Läns Museum
The work on the sword, however, is just starting and it may take at least a year to complete the preservation of what might be known as “Saga’s Sword.”
Photo Credit: Jönköpings Län Museum
Life to come
Clearly, after pulling a pre-Viking sword from an ancient lake, Saga is the next Queen of Sweden. However, she says her future includes a career as a doctor, veterinarian or actress in Paris. She is not interested in becoming an archaeologist, although she likes to learn about “old stuff.”
We’ll see what the sword chooses. It’s destiny, after all.
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