During the expansion of a route running through the village of Vinjeora, Vinjefjorden, Norway, experts found four ancient tombs, Ancient Origins reported on September 2. They have existed since Viking times and are partially overlapping each other. In it, notably a warrior's grave buried with a very heavy sword.
Archaeologist Astrid Kviseth lifted
the sword from the 1,000-year-old tomb and placed it in a skull sweatshirt womens prepared padded box. She did not know exactly how heavy the sword was, but commented that the user must be extremely strong to swing it.
To the Vikings, swords were named and sacred heirlooms that fathers left to their sons from generation to generation. The sword was also a symbol of the status of elite warriors. Because swords are difficult to forge, they are very expensive and rare.
In early medieval Viking tombs
swords were often placed to the right of the remains, said Dr. Raymond Sauvage, an archaeologist at the NTNU University Museum. Most people are right-handed so warriors often wear their swords on the left side for easy drawing. However, most of the swords in the grave were placed on the right because the Vikings believed that the afterlife was a mirror image of the real world.
In the warrior's tomb at Vinjeora
the sword is again to the left of the remains. So Sauvage suggested that cheap skull clothing this person might be left-handed. This makes the tomb a very rare and special find.
The sword was being covered by a thick layer of rust. Archaeologists hope, after analysis and X-rays, the decorations or welds on the blade will be revealed.