List1 of 9
Earlier this month, Saga Vanecek, an 8-year-old currently living in Sweden, was playing at a lake she’d been visiting with her family for years. Little did she know that a 1,500-year-old Viking sword lay in Vidöstern Lake, where the water levels that year had gotten low enough for Vanecek to find it. Locals likened her to King Arthur, who, according to legend, was handed Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake. Consequently, Vanecek has now been dubbed the Queen of Sweden.
Last year, 7-year-old Matilda Jones was playing in Dozmary Pool in Cornwall, England where she, too, found a sword beneath the surface. Dozmary Pool, it turns out, is where the King of England threw Excalibur for King Arthur to later be bequeathed. This sword, though, was only a few decades old and not as historically pleasing as Vanecek’s. Nevertheless, the public is paying attention.
Vanecek, now, has told The Guardian her story in full, first-person detail, and as I read up on the new honorary Queen of Sweden’s tale, I couldn’t help but be reminded: This girl is 8 years old.
Here are the eight lines that, even if you don’t go through her full account, are worth a read.