Farmer picks up ‘trash’ in field — then realizes he’s holding rare Viking weapon
In a southern Norway field, a farmer and his son started clearing stones to prepare for planting. The farmer picked up some metal “trash” to throw it away — then realized he was holding a rare Viking weapon.
Øyvind Tveitane Lovra and his son were cleaning up a neglected field at their family farm in Suldal on Monday, May 27, the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger said in a news release. They were about to take a break when Lovra spotted some “trash.”
He picked up the metal item and was about to throw it away when he discovered it was a sword, Lovra told archaeologists.
Lovra reported his find to officials, who excitedly came to the farm to see the sword and search the field, Rogaland County Municipality said in a May 29 news release.
Archaeologists identified the weapon as a rare Viking sword dating between 900 and 1050. The well-preserved sword is about 15 inches long but only about half of its original length.
Photos show the rusty 1,000-year-old sword. Its T-shaped handle is easy to identify, and its end appears blunt and rectangular.
Lars Søgaard Sørensen, an archaeologist with the county, described the sword as very rare. During the Viking Age, swords were used as status symbols and considered a privilege to carry, he said.
Archaeologists X-rayed the sword and were surprised to find an inscription on the blade, the museum said. The inscription included a cross pattern and possibly some writing.
The inscription suggests the rusty weapon could be a famous VLFBERHT sword, Sigmund Oehrl, a professor with the university, said in the release. VLFBERHT swords were high-quality weapons forged in modern-day Germany during the Viking Age and early Middle Ages and marked with the manufacturer’s name.
Only about 170 Viking-era swords with inscriptions have been found in Europe, Oehrl said. In general, between 3,000 and 4,000 Viking-era swords have been found across the continent.
Archaeologists plan to clean the sword and examine it further to determine its exact age and the meaning of its inscriptions, officials said.
Lovra told officials that he quickly realized this sword was not an everyday find and was excited to learn more about Suldal’s history.
Suldal region in Rogaland County is along the southwestern coast of Norway and a roughly 250-mile drive southwest from Oslo.
Google Translate was used to translate the news releases from the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger and the Rogaland County Municipality.
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 8:05 AM with the headline "Farmer picks up ‘trash’ in field — then realizes he’s holding rare Viking weapon."
