Viking Tombs Discovered With Swords Upright To 'Stop Standing Up'

Experts say it's a mystery why the swords were placed upright, but other researchers say sharp objects were stuck in the graves like a way to 'prevent the dead from being resurrected'

Archaeologists have discovered two Viking Age swords during excavations in Västmanland, Sweden (

Image: National Historical Museums)

Archaeologists have unearthed two Viking graves with buried swords standing right next to them.

Experts believe the site is 1,200 years old and say the weapons were placed there on purpose.

They discovered the two sword burials in Västmanland, central Sweden, and they believe the rare find is significant.

The burial field was originally bordered by two farms, according to the researchers.

It is a mystery why the swords were placed upright on their points next to the bodies of the Vikings - but other scholars suggest that sharp objects were stuck in the graves as "a means of preventing the dead from get up".

They found the swords standing along the graves (

Picture:

National Historical Museums)

Arkeologerna, an archeology society in Sweden that is part of the government agency National Historical Museums, said: "The placement of the swords reflects action with a lot of symbolism.

"This shows that the construction of the two stone inlays with swords was done deliberately, perhaps to create a connection with a particular individual, ancestor, or social group.

"When you find swords in graves - which you don't do very often - they often lie next to the buried individual, as a faithful companion on the journey to the other world," they wrote. told Live Science.

However, they don't feel like the weapons were left to protect the dead.