A first grader out on a field trip with his class discovered a medieval sword in Gran, Norway. Six-year-old Henrik Refsnes Mrtvedt saw a rusty piece of metal sticking out of the ground and with the eternal wisdom of his six years, he picked it up to see what it was, thinking it was an old piece of scrap or broken tool. It was a sword.The teachers contacted the county archaeologists to report the find. They examined the sword and determined it is a single-edged sword, a type of weapon typically produced in Scandinavia during the Merovingian Period (550-800 A.D.). Archaeologists believe its from late in the period, or early in Viking Age before they began producing the double-edged blade commonly seen in Viking-era weapons.The iron has certainly corroded over the centuries, but despite the rust, the sword is in overall excellent condition. Even though the hilt has a thick outer layer of corrosion materials and soil, the shape of the pommel and guard resembles the design of Jan Petersens type F sword from his 1919 De Norske Vikingesverd (The Norwegian Viking Swords), still the standard text on Viking sword typology. Type F swords date to the first half of the 9th century,It has now been transferred to the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo where it will be conserved, X-rayed and subjected to metallurgical analysis to find out more about its construction, age and use.This interview with future archaeologist Henrik Mrtvedt is in Norwegian and I cant understand a word of it, but its just too cute not to post, and there are great shots of the sword.