The chance discovery of a sword dating back to the 10th century has raised questions as to how it got where it was found in the first place.
As reported, a group of men who went goose hunting last weekend made a startling discovery near the lake Eldvatn, in Skaftártunga – a nearly completely intact sword, laying utterly exposed in the sand. Further examination conducted by The Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland revealed that it most likely dates from the 10th century.
RÚV now reports the sword’s discovery is baffling archaeologists. Uggi Ævarsson was amongst a group of five archaeologists who visited the area where the sword was found and conducted further examinations.
“We came to the conclusion, which surprised us, that there are no human-made structures in the immediate area,” he told reporters. “This is a real mystery, because it is so unusual to find a sword just laying in the sand, nothing obstructing it, no sand covering it, and no human-made structures in the area. It’s very special.”
That being said, Uggi does not doubt the authenticity of the sword, which he believes does in fact date from the Viking Age. How it came to appear in such an obvious spot with no other signs of Viking Age life around it is still unclear.
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