Norwegian farmer finds 1,000-year-old Viking sword on family farm

A Norwegian man clearing his farm found a rare 1,000-year-old Viking sword carrying inscriptions that may shed more light on Nordic culture.

“We were going to start sowing new grass on a field that has not been ploughed for many years. Haakon, my son, and I were ploughing the field and picking stones before we took a break with a neighbour who came to visit,” Øyvind Tveitane Lovra, who found the artefact, said in a statement.

“Then I spotted an iron object that I was about to throw, but just as I was about to throw it I discovered that it was a sword.”

A closer inspection convinced him it was centuries old and he contacted local authorities.

“I quickly realised that this was not an everyday find. It’s about our history, and it’s nice to know what has been here before,” Mr Lovra said.

Archaeologists confirmed the sword, measuring about 37cm long and missing half its length, is from the Viking Age.

Since the iron sword was covered in dense clay, researchers said it remained preserved without rusting away.

X-ray scans of the sword revealed outlines of rare inscriptions with a cross pattern and the likely presence of letters on the blade.

Based on these inscriptions, scientists said it could be a so-called Vlfberht sword, produced during the Viking Age or the early Middle Ages between 900 and 1050AD.

“These are high-quality swords produced in the Frankish Empire which are marked with the weapon manufacturer’s name,” Sigmund Oehrl, professor of archaeology at the University of Stavanger, said.

“When we first saw the sword, we were delighted, because it is not very often that we receive swords from the Viking Age. When we saw the X-ray, we were really excited,” Dr Oehrl said.

So far three to four thousand swords from the Viking Age have been found in Europe, including about 45 in Norway.

But this is probably the first time such a sword has been found in Rogaland, archaeologists said.

Mr Lovra said the sword may have arrived at his farm, which bears his family name, along with Vikings bringing gifts.

“I know that the Vikings sailed into the fjord here and decorated the housewife at Lovra with fine things, including from Ireland,” he said.