Girl, 8, Finds 1,500-Year-Old Sword While Swimming In Swedish Lake

An eight-year-old girl in Sweden found a pre-Viking-era sword while swimming in a lake during the summer.  BBC reports that Saga Vanecek made the exciting discovery while swimming in the Vidostern lake in Sweden. Experts at the local museum, where the sword is now displayed, believe that it is around 1,500-years-old.

Describing it as a "spectacular find", the Jonkoping County Museum wrote in a statement two days ago that the sword is estimated to be from the Iron Age.

"The girl's family contacted archeologist Annie Rosen at Jonkoping County Museum. She quickly realized that it was a remarkable and very interesting finding," they wrote.

Though the ancient relic was found earlier this summer, news of the discovery was made public only recently.

In an interview to The Local, eight-year-old Saga was quoted as saying: "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!'"

The family then contacted the Jonkoping County Museum, who are now carrying out further excavations around the lake.