Girl, 8, pulls a 1,500-year-old sword from a lake in Sweden

[ProudLib72]

An eight-year-old found a pre-Viking-era sword while swimming in a lake in Sweden during the summer.

Saga Vanecek found the relic in the Vidostern lake while at her family's holiday home in Jonkoping County.

The sword was initially reported to be 1,000 years old, but experts at the local museum now believe it may date to around 1,500 years ago.

"It's not every day that you step on a sword in the lake!" Mikael Nordstrom from the museum said.

A little bit more writing and a video at the link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45753455

Can you imagine?! She must have been thrilled.

[luvs2sing]

1. My childhood dream..

Was to find something like that.

[ProudLib72]

2. As was mine!

Think of how many people buy metal detectors and comb the beaches day after day, only to find...sand. She wasn't even trying!

[yuiyoshida]

15. I love my ancestors swords...and still have them...

I had these on display at a San Francisco Nihonmachi Street fair one year. They got a lot of attention. I am not sure how old they are. My father went to our ancestors home in Miyazaki Japan and brought these home and gave them to me. Swords like this are not supposed to leave Japan, but he smuggled them out some how.. my dad gets Crazy sometimes...

[ProudLib72]

18. Whoa, Yui, those are awesome!

What is the one on the bottom that is missing a hilt? That one looks extra special.

[yuiyoshida]

19. Naginata

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naginata

[ProudLib72]

21. Oh! I particularly like this part

The naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna-bugeisha-archetype, a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility.

[yuiyoshida]

22. Yes, Onna-Bugeisha were female warriors

Many of them trained by their Samurai Husbands, to protect the homestead while Hubby is off in a war.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. Beautiful! I bet you didn't find them in a lake, though.

[yuiyoshida]

27. No, he SAID they were in the attic

Wrapped in Bamboo strands, and preserved... looking at the blades, there isn't much rust. I had the San Francisco Sword Society, (or whatever they are called.) check them over and one of the experts refurbished the blade, removing some rust with fine, fine sand paper.

[Hugin]

3. If there was any justice in the Universe the little girl would instantly gain super powers or

be proclaimed the ruler of some magical kingdom or another.

[Takket]

4. pretty sure she is the Queen of Sweden now LOL

[nycbos]

8. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

[Takket]

10. oh....

i suppose you are one of those people that believes that true executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony?

[nycbos]

20. Yup

I guess that makes me a bloody peasant.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

17. +1

[yuiyoshida]

23. isn't that from a Monty Python sketch?

[nycbos]

24. Yup

[yuiyoshida]

25. YAY!

I love those guys!

[nycbos]

28. It's from Monty Python and the Holy Grail

[Roland99]

5. Sounds like a farcical aquatic ceremony.

[nycbos]

7. Which is no basis for a system of government as we know.

Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Like this?

[ProudLib72]

11. At this point, I might take it

Although, this kind of flips the Arthur legend on its head since it was a girl who found the sword.

[Cirque du So-What]

13. 'bout time too, I might add

Arthurian legend is rife with antiquated patriarchal notions.

[ProudLib72]

14. Yep, I'm fine with a matriarchy now

Or at least equal representation and respect.

[DBoon]

29. Hail to the Queen!

The great warrior Queen!

[BigmanPigman]

12. It was found in a lake that was low due to drought.

Climate Change will produce all sorts of new discoveries (too bad most will be negative I believe).

[theaocp]

16. This girl needs to be careful of strange women.

You know the type: lying in ponds, distributing swords, that sort of thing. It's no basis for a system of government. Don't even get me started on the lobbing of scimitars.