Ancient Sword Snartemo / Bautaparken

The sword dates back to the Migration Period (375–550 AD) and was discovered in the autumn of 1933 by Richard and Olav Kjellingland while they were preparing new farmland.

The sword comes from a high-status grave from the Migration Period. The person buried with the sword was likely a local leader: a chieftain, a petty king, or a kind of judge in their society. The grave was exceptionally rich in contents, and the burial goods indicate a local elite with networks extending far beyond the region. There are also several other valuable finds from Snartemo, and the site was once home to many burial mounds.

During World War II, the German occupying forces attempted to seize the sword. At the time, it was hidden along with other national treasures in a vault beneath the regular bank vault of Sparebanken in Fagernes. The Germans intended to use the sword in an exhibition in the autumn of 1941 as propaganda for the National Socialist state. The tablet-woven band found with the sword was decorated with a woven swastika.

In Bautaparken in Snartemo, you can find information about the discovery and a large model of the Snartemo sword. The actual discovery site is located along Øvregardsveien, just above the municipal Activity Center building. Look for a stone fence on the right side of the road (towards the railway station); after that, you will see a smaller standing stone marking the site.

A full-size replica of the Snartemo sword can be seen at Tingvatn Fornminnepark, a department of the Vest-Agder Museum. When visiting the museum, you can learn more about the finds and the Migration Period in the region through the exhibition "The Immortals."