An eight-year-old girl has pulled an ancient sword from a lake earlier this summer that now people are joking she should be crowned the new queen, in a nod to tales of King Arthur.
Saga Vanecek came across the rusted relic when swimming with her family at the Vidöstern lake in Tånnö, Sweden earlier this summer. She thought was some kind of stick but it turned out to be a sword dating back more than 1,000 years to the pre-Viking era.
Experts are now working to preserve the delicate relic before it’s eventually put on display at the Jönköpings Läns Museum.
It measures 33 inches (85 cm) long and has components made from metal and wood.
After a further search of the lake a brooch was also found, with archaeologists excited about what else they may be able to uncover.
Though Vanecek found the sword months ago, the family were advised to keep the find a secret until the autumn, so that experts could scan the lake for other artifacts without public interference.
Unfortunately anyone hoping to get a closer look at the artifact is going to have to wait a year.
Mikael Nordström from the museum said:
> _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._
