An 8-year-old girl made a fantastic discovery playing in a Swedish lake: a pre-Viking era sword. Saga Vanecek, a Swedish-American girl, pulled the 33-inch sword from the bottom of the lake, held it up in the air and declared "Daddy, I found a sword!" she told Swedish news website The Local. A drought had lowered the lake's water level near her family's vacation home in southern Sweden, the BBC reports. That sword, made out of wood, leather and metal, could have been made 1,500 years ago, experts at the Jonkopings Lans Museum said in a press release. Vanecek found the ancient relic on July 15 but just recently went public with the news. "It is the first sword of its kind to ever be found in Scandinavia," her father Andy Vanecek said on Facebook. He's also left to wonder who first owned the weapon. "Did someone fall overboard, or through the ice during a winter trek? Was a wealthy noble buried in the lake, as from a scene in Game of Thrones?" More:Strange ancient animal fossil is the oldest on record, scientists say More:Bottle of Macallan, 'Holy Grail' of scotch whisky, sells for record $1.1 million at auction More:Could it be the blade of lore? Girl pulls sword from lake of King Arthur’s Excalibur Vanecek grew up in Minneapolis and moved to Sweden just last year, The Local reports. She's a Minnesota Vikings fan, making the find all the more sweet. Some have also started calling her the new "Queen of Sweden." The sword will be displayed at a Swedish museum in Jonkoping County and a local council is combing the lake for more historic finds. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets<doc-sep>Saga Vanecek. Photo: NBC News/Youtube The 8-year-old girl who pulled a 1,500-year-old sword out of a lake opened up about her extremely metal experience in the Guardian, in what is undeniably the cutest as-told-to ever published. During what Saga Vanecek claims was “the hottest summer for 260 years,” the 8-year-old and her family were staying at a cabin by lake Vidöstern in southern Sweden, where Vanecek likes to “build sandcastles on the beach, or find rocks to skim across the water and see how many times I can make them bounce.” She also frequently plays in the lake — a beloved pastime that led to her discovery of the ancient Viking sword. She describes the experience: I was crawling along the bottom of the lake on my arms and knees, looking for stones to skim, when my hand and knee felt something long and hard buried in the clay and sand. I pulled it out and saw that it was different from the sticks or rocks I usually find. One end had a point, and the other had a handle, so I pointed it up to the sky, put my other hand on my hip and called out, “Daddy, I’ve found a sword!” I felt like a warrior, but Daddy said I looked like Pippi Longstocking. The sword felt rough and hard, and I got some sticky, icky brown rust on my hands. It started to bend and Daddy splashed up to me, and said I should let him hold it. It was my sword and now he was taking it away! I gave it to him in the end. After passing off her prize, Vanecek ran to her “mamma,” “mormor” (her “grandma,” she clarifies), and her other relatives who were having fika outside (so Swedish!). There, she started to yell, “I found a sword, I found a sword!” Her dad then showed the sword to their neighbors, who said it looked like a Viking sword. Vanecek says her family later showed the sword to archaeologists, who said “nothing like this had ever been found in Scandinavia before,” and told Vanecek to not tell anyone about it, in case there were others in the lake. While she says it “wasn’t hard to keep the secret,” she does admit that she told one of her “best friends, Emmy,” who didn’t telly anyone, except her parents, but it’s “OK” because “they promised not to tell anybody else.” And while Venecek is clearly proud of her discovery, she does want people on the internet to know that she is not the “queen of Sweden.” Obviously, she would be happy to be “queen for a day,” but when she grows up, she has other dream careers. “People on the internet are saying I am the queen of Sweden, because in the legend of King Arthur, he was given a sword by a lady in a lake, and that meant he would become king,” she says. “I am not a lady — I’m only 8 — but it’s true I found a sword in the lake. I wouldn’t mind being queen for a day, but when I grow up I want to be a vet. Or an actor in Paris.”<doc-sep>HER name conjures up Old Nordic tales about heroic accomplishments and that’s exactly what Saga did when she stumbled on a pre-Viking-era sword in a southern Sweden lake. Saga Vanecek, eight, was helping her father with his boat in the Vidostern lake when she stepped on an 85-centimetre sword in a holster made of wood and leather. The sword is believed to be about 1500 years old. “I was outside in the water, throwing sticks and stones and stuff to see how far they skip, and then I found some kind of stick,” Saga told The Local. “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!’ When he saw that it bent and was rusty, he came running up and took it,” she said. Experts are now working to preserve the relic before it’s eventually put on display at the Jönköpings Läns Museum. Saga actually found the sword months ago but the news was kept under wraps so that researchers could have a chance to scour the area for other artefacts before everyone had the same idea. Mikael Nordstrom of the local Jonkoping County museum said on Friday that the little girl’s find prompted others to seek out long-lost treasures in a lake that had been diminished by drought. A broach from between 300 to 400 A.D. was eventually found, as well as an 18th century coin. Mr Nordstrom said archaeologists are trying to understand why the items were there. For sacrificial purposes is one suggestion. Saga’s father, who just relocated the family from Minnesota to Sweden, said the find had special significance because of the family’s NFL team. “The cool thing is that I’m a huge Minnesota Vikings fan, and this looks just like a Viking sword,” he said.<doc-sep>An 8-year-old girl who heroically pulled an ancient Viking sword from a lake in Sweden, will likely receive her very own handmade version of the weapon to remember the fateful day she became a "queen." Saga Vanecek discovered a wood and metal sword, estimated to be 1,500 years old, while searching for rocks near her family's cabin in southern Sweden over the summer. When she found the 33-inch-long relic, she wielded it into the air and yelled "Daddy, I found a sword!" she told USA TODAY. It was a magical day that months later, launched the girl into worldwide celebrity status. People have called her the "Queen of Sweden" and "Queen of the North," her father Andrew Vanecek said, who notes his daughter hasn't yet received an invitation to Sweden's royal palace but would welcome one. After experts at the Jonkopings Lans Museum declared the discovery earlier this month, Saga said her school at least gave her the royal treatment by throwing a party for her and her classmates. "We even got ice cream and balloons," Saga said. As for fans elsewhere: A T-shirt company based in Scotland created a design inspired by Saga, and sent her a shirt that many of her teachers have also purchased. The Minnesota Vikings, Saga's favorite football team, have also been in touch, featuring the young girl in a story on the Viking's website and promised they'd send her a gift. Saga's fame prompted her father to create a fundraising page in hopes that he could purchase a replica sword for his daughter. As of Monday at noon, the page had raised more than $8,900, which is close to what he said it will take to buy a similar handmade design. He's also hoping donor money will help with costs associated with turning Saga's story in to a children's book. Saga's story has "inspired so many children to explore," he said, that he thinks a book makes sense. More:Young girl pulls 1,500-year-old sword from lake, earns 'Queen' nickname As for her new title, her father said he has reminded his daughter that she "might be the queen, but I'm still your father." Meanwhile, Saga said she likes to play "queen" with classmates, who pretend to be her guards. She also wouldn't mind becoming a queen one day, but also has dreams of being a veterinarian (she's getting her first pet – a fish – soon, her parents promised) and an actress. Saga's little brother Vilgot, 6, was unable to be reached for comment for this story, despite Saga's valiant efforts to bring him into a video call while he was playing hockey in the family's hallway. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets<doc-sep>
8-year-old Saga Vanecek is just doing what most 8-year-olds do—swimming, hanging out with her dad, and casually fulfilling the prophecy of a certain King Arthur. (What's that? You made the Honor Roll? Sick, Timmy. Saga found a MAGIC SWORD.) Saga was swimming in a lake near her home in Sweden this past July—searching for the perfect skipping rock, as one does—when her "hand and knee felt something long and hard buried in the clay and sand," she wrote for the Guardian. The object? A 1,500-year-old sword that dates back to the pre-Viking era. Jönköping County Museum "I pulled it out and saw that it was different from the sticks or rocks I usually find. One end had a point, and the other had a handle, so I pointed it up to the sky, put my other hand on my hip and called out, 'Daddy, I’ve found a sword!'" Per Vanecek, her dad was actually trying to rush her at the beach before she found the sword in order to get home to watch the World Cup. Not one to let a man hinder her craft (skipping rocks, that is) she eloquently explained that "I like to take my time about things...so I ignored him." "I felt 'boo' that it’s gone away, but 'yay' that other people will get to see it." Saga and her dad brought the sword home to show to the rest of their family, who then brought her discovery to the attention of an archeologist. Said archeologist did a further sweep of the lake and found a brooch dating back to the same era, and had the sword submitted to a local museum for preservation's sake. ("I felt 'boo' that it’s gone away, but 'yay' that other people will get to see it," Saga wrote.) The highlight of the story? Saga kinda sorta fulfilled a freakin' prophecy. In response to her discovery, Saga explained that people on the internet started to talk about the fact that King Arthur (of Sweden) would be given a sword by a lady in a lake, and that would be his sign that he would become king. "I am not a lady–I’m only eight–but it’s true I found a sword in the lake," Saga continued in the story. "I wouldn’t mind being queen for a day, but when I grow up I want to be a vet. Or an actor in Paris." Same, girl. Holly Rhue ELLE.com Contributor Holly Rhue is a writer and editor in New York City.