I think this makes her the queen of the country now, right?

Image credits: Photo: Jönköpings Läns Museum.

During Scandinavia’s unusually hot summer, 8-year-old Saga Vanecek was playing in a local lake. High temperatures meant that the water levels were much lower than usual, and Saga noticed what she thought was a stick. But when she reached for it, she realized that it was something completely different.

“Daddy, I found a sword!” she cried, according to Catherine Edwards of the Local Sweden.

Her dad was intrigued by it, although he still thought maybe it was a modern toy or something of the sorts. But one of his colleagues (who has an interest in archaeology and history) raised the point that the find probably had a lot of value. So they took it to authorities.

The Jönköpings Läns Museum, who identified the sword, initially said it was 1,000 years old — but, after further analysis, concluded that it was actually even older: 1,500 years, belonging to the pre-Viking age.

“It’s about 85 centimentres long, and there is also preserved wood and metal around it,” explained Mikael Nordström from the museum. “We are very keen to see the conservation staff do their work and see more of the details of the sword.”

The sword is “exceptionally well preserved,” the museum said. In fact, it’s in such good condition that the scabbard of wood and leather has survived to the present day, which is quite remarkable.

The find was made on July 15, but the museum asked Saga and her family to keep things a secret so they could investigate the lake for other relics. Divers and metal detectors were used, and although a few other elements were identified, the sword still remained the highlight.

A pre-Viking sword and Minnesota Vikings merchandise. Saga’s family moved to Småland, where the sword was found, only last year, having grown up in Minneapolis in her father’s home state of Minnesota, USA. Image credits: Andrew Vanecek.

However, anyone hoping to see the sword will have to wait at least a year, Nordström told The Local, explaining:

“The conservation process takes quite a long time because it’s a complicated environment with wood and leather, so they have several steps to make sure it’s preserved for the future.”

As for Saga, as much as she enjoyed the adventure, it hasn’t made her want to become an archaeologist. Instead, she wants to become a doctor, a vet, or an actress in Paris.